Today, in many parts of the world, there are martyrs: man and women who are imprisoned, killed for the sole reason of being Christian. And they exist in a larger number than in the first centuries of the Church.But there is also daily martyrdom, that does not include death but is also a "losing of life" for Christ, accomplishing one's own duty with love, according to the reasoning of Jesus, the reasoning of the gift [of oneself], of sacrifice. ...But, in the end, ... [John the Baptist] was killed because of the truth, when he denounced the adultery of king Herod and Herodias. How many people pay a steep price for allegiance to truth! How many upright men prefer to walk against the current, other than denying the voice of conscience, the voice of truth!
Franciscus
Angelus
June 23, 2013
