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 Angelus 28.06.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:37–42), we hear some of Jesus’ exhortations on how to follow him and be witnesses to his kingdom. This is not just a matter of outward acts, but of committing ourselves entirely to a loving relationship with him. In order to bear fruit, love requires at least three things: detachment, loss and hospitality.

First, detachment. Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (v. 37). When the Lord begins to send his apostles on mission, he wants them to be free from any ties. However, this applies to everyone, as even the most significant relationships find their fullness through the love that Christ gives us. Consider married life: it can only be lived fully by “leaving” one’s parents’ home (cf. Mt 19:6) in order to commit to the life of marriage. We can also consider the upbringing of children. We help them to fulfill themselves and be happy by teaching them to “stand on their own two feet” and make their own choices. Saint Augustine says, “It is painful to part from what you love. Yet even the farmer temporarily loses what he sows” (Sermon 330: 2). Only by “losing” that seed sown in the ground, can we see it blossom.

In this sense, love is also loss. We find it difficult to understand this, especially in a world where losing is seen as weakness and we are obsessed with having and possessing. However, love only bears fruit in self-giving: when we are willing to lose a little of ourselves to make room for another; to lose a little time to listen to a friend; to lose a little comfort to share in a time of hardship. According to the Gospel, those who hold on to their lives merely for themselves actually lose them (cf. v. 39), for they do not open themselves to the joy of love and thus become barren. This is why Jesus invites us to embrace the cross. He offered himself, lost himself, and in this very way we were enabled to receive his life in abundance. In the same way, if we live by the logic of the gift of self, we too will be capable of bringing forth new life in our relationships.

Finally, hospitality. Love is expressed through concrete choices and actions; by a commitment made up of small daily gestures, such as offering a glass of water to someone who is thirsty (cf. v. 42). Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him without provisions, so that, by being dependent on the help of others, they would inspire hospitality in those they met. By welcoming those who come in Jesus’ name, we welcome him and the heavenly Father who sent him. Indeed, love for the Lord always involves welcoming our brothers and sisters.

Dear friends, let us pray to the Virgin Mary, who loved her Son, knowing that she would also lose him. May she help us to be humble and joyful witnesses to the love of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I wish to express my solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters affected by the recent earthquakes, which have caused numerous deaths and injuries, as well as extensive damage to property. Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy. I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.

Now I welcome all of you, Romans and pilgrims. Thank you for coming out in this heat!

I greet the faithful from the Diocese of Kumba in Cameroon, and those from various other countries.

I greet the young Camillian religious; the parish groups from Priolo Gargallo, Avola, Regalbuto and Bari; the Scouts from Rovereto; and the young people from Mestrino, in the Diocese of Padua, who have received their First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday! See you tomorrow for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

28.06.26

Pope Leo Angelus 28.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 24.06.26

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

We will continue our catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, particularly the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) on the Liturgy.

When Saint Augustine wanted to explain the mystery of the Body of Christ to those who were newly baptised, he took up the passage from Saint Paul that we have just heard: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” (1 Cor 12:27). He adds: “It is your own mystery that you receive. To what you are, you respond: Amen, and your response is like your signature. You are told, ‘The Body of Christ,’ and you reply, ‘Amen.’ Be therefore members of the Body of Christ, so that your Amen may be true. [...] Be what you see, and receive what you are” (Sermon 272: PL 38, 1247).

Immediately after recalling Jesus’ Last Supper, the Constitution on the Liturgy speaks of the Eucharist in these Augustinian terms. For Christians, taking part at the Lord’s table means being “instructed by God's word and … nourished … [giving] thanks to God” (cf. SC, 48). It is by receiving Him in His Word and in the Eucharist that we become what we receive. We become the Body whose Head is the risen Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father (cf. Col 1:18), who prepares a place for us in heaven (cf. Jn 14:3). Thus, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Kingdom that is to come. It is the Bread for the journey that leads us to our heavenly homeland, until that blessed day when “God will be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).

The liturgical assembly offers the Sacrifice “not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him” (SC, 48). From this perspective, the Eucharist is the form of the spiritual sacrifice of Christians (cf. Heb 13:16; Rom 12:1), as the path to union with God and with one another. By participating in it, they learn “to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other” (ibid.). Thus, by incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very style of life of the Lord Jesus, which was marked by the free gift of Himself. This gift draws us into the dynamic of unity, offering a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts (cf. SC, 47).

Dear brothers and sisters, when we participate in the Eucharist, we are invited to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished at the Lord’s table, where He offers Himself to the Father. These two parts of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, “are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship” (SC, 56).

With regard to the Word of God, it is important to remember that it is not merely a matter of acquiring intellectual knowledge of the Scriptures, but of receiving the Word that is “living and effective” (Heb 4:12), spoken by God to everyone and at the same time to each individual. This Word nourishes and sustains us together with the Eucharistic Bread and leads us from the decay of sin to new life in Christ. “The Eucharist opens us to an understanding of Scripture, just as Scripture for its part illumines and explains the mystery of the Eucharist.” (Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, 55).

The Second Vatican Council called for the treasures of the Bible to be opened more abundantly, so that a richer fare from the table of God’s Word might be provided for the faithful (cf. SC, 51). The liturgical reform translated this request into the treasure that is the Lectionary, the book that gathers all the biblical readings for liturgical celebrations. This richness has been drawn from the purest source of the living Tradition, which combines fidelity with tradition; with openness to legitimate progress (cf. SC, 23).

The beginning of Chapter II of the Constitution on the Liturgy is woven with references to the great river of Tradition, that continues from the Fathers of the Church down to us. I will quote from it: “At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (SC, 47).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us draw with faith from this source of divine life and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.

I greet this morning all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly groups from England, Sweden, Malawi, Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Canada and the United States of America. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

24.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 24.06.26

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 Angelus 21.06.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:26-33), Jesus sends the disciples out on their mission and addresses them with this exhortation: “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops” (v. 27).

He draws a parallel between what we hear “in private,” namely, what is in the secret of our hearts, and what we are called to proclaim to everyone. He reminds us that proclaiming the Gospel is first and foremost a sharing of a personal encounter with him, which is unique to each of us.

The strength of any apostolate, in fact — beyond techniques and tools — comes from the work of the Holy Spirit within us and from the authenticity of our response. Saint Thomas Aquinas spoke of preaching as passing on to others what we have contemplated: “contemplata aliis tradere” (cf. Summa Theologiae, III, q. 40, a. 1, ad 2).

We must not think that contemplation is an exclusive experience, reserved only for a few saints or for monks and hermits. We can all do it, by striving to set aside, amidst the commitments of our daily lives, quiet moments in which to enter into silence before God, to listen to his voice, to entrust our joys and concerns to him and to review our lives with him. This helps us to have a more firm and conscious faith, and consequently to be credible and free disciples, men and women capable of reflecting the light of the Gospel in every setting and every situation of life, and of bearing witness to it even where its value is not understood or accepted.

Saint Matthew — the author of the biblical passage that we mentioned — wrote for communities whose lives were not easy. They had to face hostility and persecution, as so many Christians still do today in various parts of the world. The temptation to become discouraged and to let weariness or fear get the better of them was great.

Now, just as then, it is a challenge to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings and to proclaim his word: to respond to hatred with love, to arrogance with meekness, and to discouragement with perseverance. For this reason, we must deepen the roots of our faith and our mission in an intimate relationship with him (cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 8). This gives us the strength not to despair, but to continue to share with everyone, in every circumstance, his message of hope, love and peace. The world greatly needs it!

May the Virgin Mary help us to be missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus, each according to our own vocation.

Dear brothers and sisters,

World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations, was celebrated yesterday on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Convention relating to the status of refugees, which was adopted to protect those who are persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, homes and families. I hope that the spirit that inspired the drafting of this important international instrument may also continue to enlighten the consciences of national leaders today. No one can turn a blind eye to those who are seeking protection and safety. I also urge everyone to welcome those who are victims of persecution so that they may live in peace, with dignity, and look to the future with hope.

I would like to greet the members of the Catholic Pentecostal International Dialogue. “The Church believes as she prays,” and reflecting together on the principle “lex orandi, lex credendi” is particularly relevant nowadays.

I warmly greet all of you, the faithful of Rome and the pilgrims from various countries.

Thinking of the pilgrims who have come from Brazil, I assure you of my prayers for the young people who died a few days ago in a road accident in the State of Ceará.

I wish all of you a happy Sunday!

21.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 17.06.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Today, I would like to share some reflections on the Apostolic Journey I made last week to Spain, visiting Madrid, Barcelona, the Abbey of Montserrat and the Canary Islands.

After the long Journey in four African countries, this time I found myself immersed in a European country with an ancient and very rich Catholic tradition. And it appeared evident that today in Spain, which has experienced significant social and cultural changes, the Pope was welcomed everywhere with enthusiasm and readiness to listen. For this I give thanks to God and to the entire Spanish people, the King and the civil Authorities, the Bishops and the ecclesial communities.

The people of God gave me great comfort through the joyful expression of their faith and affection. For my part, I confirmed the faithful and, as Bishop of Rome, I encouraged them to overcome every form of division and conflict by always promoting communion, dialogue and unity in diversity. This is the very service of the Successor of Peter, a service which finds a specific expression in Apostolic Journeys, each time adapted to the ecclesial and social situations of the countries visited.

With regard to Spain, I was able to observe with joy that people of all ages and situations had been looking forward to the Pope’s visit. I found multitudes [of people] everywhere, who welcomed me with great warmth. This was not something that was taken for granted, and is worthy of reflection. Naturally such participation expresses, first of all, as I said, the faith of the Spanish people. At the same time, I believe it reveals a widespread need to find unity based on a true and deep foundation, one that is neither ideological nor based on partial interests — a foundation which, ultimately, can only be ensured by Christ, and is conveyed in the lives of people by the Gospel, through the necessary “inculturation”. It can do so because its message fully responds to both these needs: the search for truth and the thirst for justice.

In Madrid and Barcelona, we gathered in the great Cathedral as well as in modern stadiums. We prayed the holy Rosary at the Abbey of Montserrat. We celebrated [Mass] at the Sagrada Família — a majestic symbol, a symphony of stones and light that speaks to everyone of the Christian mystery. This encounter of ancient and modern, Catholic tradition and contemporary culture enabled me to perceive first-hand the very character of Europe, its inestimable wealth, as a living reality, not a thing of the past. It is a heritage to be safeguarded with care, so that it may be invested in today’s global world with its momentous challenges: peace, integral ecology, equitable and sustainable development, and respect for human dignity. They are challenges that the Second Vatican Council had already clearly recognized, and to which the subsequent Magisterium returned, up to my recent Encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which aims to safeguard the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.

Through the various meetings, I sensed a need to hear from the Pope’s voice, the Gospel of hope for today’s humanity, which is sorely tried by the negative consequences of a deceptive model of development. I recognized this need, which found expression in the many testimonies I was able to listen to — testimonies that were sometimes moving, sometimes edifying — also and above all in the faces of the little ones and the poor whom I met: the child who read his letter to me in the parish; some victims of abuse, who ask to be heard; the inmates who were waiting for me in the prison; the young people filled with anxiety and aspirations; the migrants in the reception centres in the Canary Islands.

17.06.26

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