Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

And if, faced with death—a painful separation that forces us to leave our dearest loved ones—no rhetoric is permissible, the Jubilee will offer us the opportunity to rediscover, with immense gratitude, the gift of this new life received in Baptism, capable of transfiguring the tragedy. It is important to reflect again, in the context of the Jubilee, on how this mystery has been understood since the earliest centuries of the faith. For a long time, for example, Christians built baptismal fonts in an octagonal shape, and even today we can admire many ancient baptisteries that retain this form, such as in Rome, at St. John Lateran. This indicates that, in the baptismal font, an eighth day is inaugurated, the day of the Resurrection, the day that transcends the usual rhythm marked by the weekly cycle, thus opening the cycle of time to the dimension of eternity, to life that lasts forever. This is the goal towards which we strive in our earthly pilgrimage (cf. Rom 6:22).

The most compelling testimony of this hope is offered to us by the martyrs who, steadfast in their faith in the risen Christ, were able to renounce their earthly lives rather than betray their Lord. These confessors of eternal life are present in every age, and they are numerous in our own, perhaps more so than ever before. We need to cherish their witness to make our hope fruitful.

These martyrs, belonging to different Christian traditions, are also seeds of unity because they express the ecumenism of blood. That is why I fervently hope that there will be an ecumenical celebration during the Jubilee, so that the richness of the witness of these martyrs may be highlighted.