Pope Francis Homilies

Books of the Bible Index of Homilies

Matthew Mark Luke John The Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs The Book of Wisdom Sirach Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Pope Leo Visit to Madrid 08.06.26

Apostolic Journey to Spain 6th to 12th June

MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER at the Apostolic Nunciature

Watch Live from 9.25 Rome Time followed by

10:30 MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH PARLIAMENT at the Congress of Deputies

11:30 MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF SPAIN at the offices of the Episcopal Conference

12:50 Lunch with the Bishops at the Apostolic Nunciature

18:00 PRAYER AND DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF ALMUDENA at the Cathedral of Holy Mary of Almudena

19:00 MEETING WITH THE DIOCESAN COMMUNITY at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Madrid 07.06.26

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Apostolic Journey to Spain

Your Eminences and Your Excellencies,

Dear priests, men, women religious,

Your Majesties,

Dear brothers and sisters,

As I begin my visit to Spain, it is with a heart filled with joy that I preside over this celebration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who wished to offer us his life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become his children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death.

This awareness of the Lord’s presence in the Eucharistic Bread is deeply rooted in the faith and the history of your people. Here in Madrid, as in many other parts of Spain, Corpus Christi is more than just another celebration on the liturgical calendar. It is a way of returning to the heart of the faith to renew our love and fidelity to God. The solemn processions held on this day have for centuries shaped the piety, art, music, architecture and life of the Spanish people. Even today, they still express and manifest the spiritual sentiments of this country through the beauty and elegance of the floral carpets, the altars erected in the streets, the carefully crafted monstrances and stands, the hymns and the liturgical vestments. This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty. It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness.

Just as Christ gives himself as food in the Eucharistic celebration, the procession shows that he is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us. Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighbourhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives. He is a God who is close to us, who walks with his people, the Lord of history. He is comfort to the weak, light for families, hope for the sick and peace for those who suffer. The Christ who processes through the streets in the monstrance is the same one who identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken. It is no coincidence that the Church here in Spain has long combined the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with the Day for Charity.

It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance, but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us and makes us builders of a new world.

For this reason, the historical memory of the Corpus Christi processions is not confined to wistful nostalgia. Instead, it stands as an invitation in the present moment, in our daily lives, in our relationships, in society, and in the building of the future. It is in this context that we must understand the invitation to “remember” that we heard in the first reading: “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness” (Deut 8:3); remember how he fed you with manna when you were hungry. We must “remember” precisely so as not to forget who the Lord is, so as not to fall into the temptation of trusting in other idols and feeding on bread that does not satisfy.

Herein lies the task of Spain today and in the future: to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today: A school that teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbour, because no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother; A school that teaches us of the gratitude of love that becomes a gift, so that it may flow among us and break the chains of all selfishness; A school from which we learn that God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good.

Brothers and sisters, I wish to recall Saint Manuel González, the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle. His life reminds us that the Eucharist should be honoured not only during great celebrations or on special occasions, but also through the silent fidelity of those who accompany the Lord with a humble and quiet friendship that is nourished day by day. I would also like to bring to mind the poetic verses of Saint John of the Cross: “For I know well the spring that flows and runs, although it is night” (Song of the Soul that Rejoices in Knowing God through Faith). While imprisoned in harsh conditions in the convent prison of Toledo, precisely around the time of Corpus Christi in 1578, he recognized the hidden presence of the Lord in the darkness of his cell, a presence from which emanates a light that never fades and flows a life that never diminishes. The Eucharistic Jesus is “that eternal spring that is hidden” — a spring that flows and quenches thirst, yet without blinding, without imposing itself through outward power, without presenting itself in a spectacular way (cf. ibid.).

Let us return to him with sincere love. Let us open ourselves to the encounter with him, let us allow him to quench the thirst of our hearts, so that we may then go forth into the paths of life and history, bringing to the people this stream of fresh water, a stream of love, peace, justice and joy. Let us drink anew from this Eucharistic spring, which does not enclose us in private devotion, but sends us out to refresh our brothers and sisters, our families, the poor, the suffering, and those who have lost hope. Eucharistic grace transforms us and makes us protagonists of the transformation of history, a sign of hope for those we meet.

May the Lord Jesus, present in the Eucharist, transform you into bread that is broken, given, and offered, so that a life of fullness may spring forth for you, for your families, and for your country.

07.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 03.06.26

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters,

As we continue our catechesis on the Conciliar Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), we wish to pause and reflect on some of the fundamental elements of the sacred liturgy, such as the rite, the sign and the symbol.

The Second Vatican Council, building on the valuable work of the Liturgical Movement, has helped us to rediscover a truth that was very much alive in the consciousness of the early Church and in the teaching of the Fathers. The rites of the Christian liturgy are not a mere external covering of the sacramental mystery, a collection of arbitrary ceremonies, but are the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us. Precisely for this reason, the Council invites us to understand the Mysterium fidei which is realized in the liturgy through rites and prayers (cf. SC, 48).

The rite gives shape to liturgical action and, through it, to our lives, generating a spiritual sensibility in us that makes us capable of savouring the presence of God through Jesus Christ. Naturally, this happens if we do not remain strangers or silent spectators (cf. ibid.) with regard to the liturgy, but rather participate in it fully — body, mind and heart — in obedience to the Lord’s command. Through the sacred rite we are thus formed in listening to the Word of God, in giving thanks and in adoration, in fraternal sharing and in ecclesial communion. We discover that we are an assembly with many faces, united by the same faith.

The rite involves us in a well-defined sequence of gestures and prayers, which can sometimes be at odds with with our individual tendency towards spontaneity. Its logic, however, is not to constrain freedom within rigid frameworks. On the contrary, with the solemn simplicity of its rhythms, the rite interrupts our frenetic activities, leading us back to what is essential. We thus discover another dimension of action that is not guided by calculations of productivity, and another experience of time and space. In the rite, we experience a logic of gratuitousness, we find a pause that regenerates the heart, we recognize that we are preceded by divine grace and we learn to live in a rhythm inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

03.06.26

FAMINE

Pope Francis

Hunger

Hunger is an injustice that destroys men and women because they have nothing to eat, even if there is a lot food available in the world. Human exploitation; different forms of slavery; recently I saw a film shot inside a prison where migrants are locked up and tortured to turn them into slaves. This is still happening 70 years after the Declaration of Human Rights. Cultural colonization. This is exactly what the Devil wants, to destroy human dignity – and that is why the Devil is behind all forms of persecution.

01.06.18

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Madrid 07.06.26

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Apostolic Journey to Spain

Pope Leo Angelus 31.05.26

Most Holy Trinity

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Easter season concluded last week with the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today, we celebrate the Mystery of the Triune God, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on the journey we have made. We begin with God’s life which was given to us in Christ Jesus. This life is a dynamic, inexhaustible and faith communion that draw us in. Indeed, the Spirit who unites the Father and the Son has been poured into our hearts. In this way, the Church becomes a sacrament of communion, a place of encounter, love and life where heaven and earth already touch.

Today’s Gospel (Jn 3:16-18) introduces us to Nicodemus, an important person in Israel who felt a profound attraction to Jesus. Indeed, eager to better understand this mysterious Teacher and to ask him questions, Nicodemus went to find him at night, so as not to be seen. The Lord welcomed him and took his search for answers seriously. Jesus surprised Nicodemus by suggesting that it was even possible for an adult to be reborn and led him to realise that the life of God could transform his own life. When Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit, Nicodemus’ interior darkness was illuminated with the truth –– the same truth that resounds throughout the Church in our celebration of today’s feast: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (vs. 16). And again: “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (vs. 17).

Dear brothers and sisters, in the Mystery of God –– Father, Son and Holy Spirit –– we are at home, just as Nicodemus felt at ease when he was in Jesus’ presence. The life of God is marvellous and captivating; it gives peace to our heart, which is often very restless, and it allows us to encounter our brothers and sisters in the joy of the Spirit. The Trinity helps us to love everyone and everything: we discover that every creature is made for communion, relationship and encounter. On the other hand, we understand why division, polarization and contempt for diversity bring destruction, sadness and barrenness to the world.

Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of the high priests of Israel. When he heard contemptuous words directed at Jesus in the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus urged everyone to listen first before condemning him. He had received the Spirit of communion from God through Christ himself, which opens the heart to new truths and to true renewal. Whoever does not welcome this Spirit grows old quickly, in sorrow, feeling all alone and without joy in their hearts. Instead, today, dear brothers and sisters, is a day of celebration. God’s feast is also ours. For this reason, Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying: Rejoice, strive for perfection, encourage one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you (cf. 2 Cor 13:11).

31.05.26

Pope Leo General Audience 27.05.26

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

In the Encyclical Mediator Dei, the Venerable Pius XII writes that “the Church is without question a living organism, and as an organism, in respect of the sacred liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accommodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances, provided only that the integrity of her doctrine be safeguarded” (no. 59).

In full accordance with this principle, the Second Vatican Council, in the Introduction to the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC), recognizes “particularly cogent reasons for undertaking the reform and promotion of the liturgy” (no. 1). The Council assembly was gathered, in fact, with the desire to “impart an ever increasing vigour to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt more suitably to the needs of our own times those institutions which are subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call the whole of mankind into the household of the Church” (ibid.).

At that moment in history, there was a strong sense of the need for a renewal of the ritual forms through which, for centuries, the Church had glorified God and sanctified the Christian people. Thanks to the Liturgical Movement, the conviction had matured—later expressed by Saint John Paul II—that “a very close and organic bond exists between the renewal of the liturgy and the renewal of the whole life of the Church. The Church not only acts but also expresses herself in the liturgy, lives by the liturgy and draws from the liturgy the strength for her life” (Letter Dominicae Cenae, 13).

To encourage the access of the faithful to the richness of the gifts of grace dispensed by the sacred liturgy, the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium thus indicates, with a very effective phrase, the direction to take: “That sound tradition may be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress” (SC, 23).

Pope Benedict XVI grasped in this declaration of intent the “reform programme” of the Council Fathers, “a balance between the great liturgical tradition of the past and that of the future”, noting that “tradition and progress are often clumsily opposed”, whereas “actually, the two concepts merge: tradition is a living reality, which therefore includes in itself the principle of development, of progress. It is as if to say that the river of tradition also carries its source in itself and flows towards the outlet” (Address to participants in the Congress promoted by the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm on the 50th anniversary of foundation, 6 May 2011).

The Council affirms the legitimacy of this progress, rooted in authentic Tradition, distinguishing within the liturgy “immutable elements, divinely instituted” from “elements subject to change [which] not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it” (SC, 21). Changes of this type have taken place constantly over the centuries in order to enable the faithful to participate fruitfully, through ritual actions, in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the foundation of the Christian faith. The Church’s worship has thus been “embodied” in the cultural forms of each age and has been able to influence them and even transform them. The liturgy has thus been, for centuries, a driving force for evangelization. Today, this energy must be renewed in continuity with the authentic and living Catholic tradition, that is, in accordance with a dynamic aimed at introducing believers to the fullness of the truth.

27.05.26

The Gospel in your pocket

How do we receive the Word of God? The response is clear: As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word.

Always carry a small Gospel with you in your purse, in your pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. Not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus actually is in His Word, in His Gospel. Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus. - Pope Francis 01.09.14

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Thank you, Francis

Every month, you have invited us to pray with you for the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church, teaching us to learn compassion for others from the heart of Christ. Thank you, Francis, for your life and your witness.

Your Worldwide Prayer Network.

Pope Francis Easter Message and Urbi et Orbi Blessing 20.04.25

Easter Sunday