Quoting from today's liturgy (Matthew, 10:17-22), the pontiff said that "the full promise of Jesus, recounted in today's Gospel passage, is fulfilled" in his martyrdom, whereby "believers who are called to bear witness in difficult and dangerous circumstances will not be abandoned or left defenceless: 'the Spirit of God will speak to them' (cf Mt 10:20). The deacon Stephen, in fact, worked, spoke and died animated by the Holy Spirit, bearing witness to the love of Christ to the point of extreme sacrifice. The first martyr is described, in his suffering, as a perfect imitation of Christ, whose passion is repeated even in the details.
The life of Saint Stephen is entirely shaped by God, conformed to Christ, whose passion is repeated in him; in the final moment of death, on his knees, he takes up the prayer of Jesus on the cross, trusting in the Lord (cf Acts 7:59) and forgiving his enemies: 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them' (v. 60). Filled with the Holy Spirit, as his eyes are about to close, he fixed his gaze on 'Jesus standing at the right hand of God' (v. 55), the Lord of all, who draws all to Him."
Saint Stephen is thus not only a hero who endures suffering, but a "martyr" in the sense of a witness of Jesus Christ, connected to Jesus Christ. For this reason, "we are called to fix our gaze on the Son of God, who in the joyful atmosphere of Christmas we contemplate in the mystery of His Incarnation. In Baptism and Confirmation, with the precious gift of faith nourished by the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist, Jesus Christ has bound us to Him and wants to continue in us, through the action of the Holy Spirit, his work of salvation that redeems, enhances, elevates and leads all to fulfilment. Allowing ourselves to be drawn by Christ, like Saint Stephen, means opening our lives to the light that calls, directs and makes us walk the path of good, the path of humanity according to God's loving plan."
Thus the martyred saint, a model for many persecuted Christians, "is a model for all those who want to serve the new evangelisation. He shows that the novelty of proclamation does not primarily consist in the use of original methods or techniques, which certainly have their uses, but in being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. The novelty of proclamation lies in immersing ourselves deeply in the mystery of Christ, in assimilating His Word and His presence in the Eucharist, so that He Himself, the living Jesus, can act and speak through His envoy. In essence, the evangeliser is able to bring Christ to others effectively when he lives from Christ, when the newness of the Gospel manifests itself in his own life."
Let us "pray to the Virgin Mary," Benedict XVI said in concluding, "so that the Church, in this Year of Faith, sees more men and women who, like Saint Stephen, know how to bear witness in a convinced and courageous manner to the Lord Jesus.