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 30.08.26

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon and happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus reveals to his disciples the Mystery of his impending Passion. The Messiah, he says, must “go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Mt 16:21).

What he says is a far cry from their expectations of a triumphant and powerful Messiah, with whose help they would defeat and trample their enemies (cf. Ps 108:13). Already, during the time they had spent with him, they had been amazed by so many of his deeds and words. Yet this latest message truly goes beyond all expectations. In particular, Peter expresses his disagreement and rebukes Jesus, saying to him: “‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you’” (v. 22).

Shortly before, Peter had recognized in him “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Now, however, surprised and perhaps disappointed by what he hears, he rebukes him, which stands in contrast to the beautiful profession of faith he had just made. He seems to be saying, “Yes, I believe you are the Messiah, but that is not how the world is saved.” His is an outburst of zeal, certainly motivated by sincere love, and yet it gives us something to consider.

For us, too, in fact, it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own. Then the temptation arises — against all the reasoning of faith — to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong, or worse still, that he is not listening to us or is not concerned about us. Faced with this uncertainty, Peter, even in his impulsiveness, teaches us two important things.

The first is, even in such moments, never to cease our dialogue with the Lord. Instead, we are confidently to tell him our difficulty in understanding what he is asking of us.

The second is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what he is revealing to us through his actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.

The greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this.

Jesus replies: “Get behind me, Satan!” (v. 23), and explains to him and the other disciples that, to follow in his footsteps, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him (cf. v. 24). Peter will do just that: after listening to him, he will accept the challenge and remain faithful to the words of Christ — whom he has recognized as his Redeemer — for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.

Let us therefore ask the Lord that we, too, in our life of faith and in our prayer, may have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused. At the same time, may we cultivate Peter’s own docility in accepting what Jesus asks of us beyond our expectations.

May Mary help us, for she was obedient to God’s plans even at the foot of the cross of her Son Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Tragic reports are emerging from Haiti of the horrific massacre carried out in Kenscoff, in which numerous people have lost their lives and others taken hostage. I express my spiritual closeness to the victims and their families, and call for the immediate release of all hostages. I make a heartfelt appeal to all those in positions of authority to take concrete steps in order to ensure the safety of the population and put an end to all forms of violence.

I renew my prayers for those affected by the terrible flood that struck Nepal and Tibet. Let us pray for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, those missing, for the families and rescue workers. May the concern of everyone help to alleviate the suffering and provide the necessary aid to the people affected.

Let us continue to pray for peace. Saint Augustine, whose feast we celebrated a few days ago, said that peace “is like the miraculous bread multiplied in the hands of the disciples as they broke it and distributed it” (Sermo 357, 2). May there be an increase in the world of those who courageously break and share the bread of peace, overcoming divisions, promoting justice and practicing forgiveness for the good of all.

On Tuesday, we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This marks the beginning of the Season of Creation – observed by Christians of various denominations – whose theme this year is “Living Water.” As I recalled in the Message for this Day, caring for our common home calls for a conversion of heart, so that what has been used to bring about destruction may instead be directed toward life. I invite everyone to join in prayer and action, that we may become channels of the living water of God’s peace, refreshing our wounded world.

I greet all of you: the faithful of Castel Gandolfo and pilgrims from various countries. In particular, I welcome the participants in the “Run to Rome” charity event, the young people who have undertaken the Via Lucis pilgrim route, the group of devotees of Our Lady of Miracles of Corbetta and the motorcyclists here for their traditional annual gathering.

I would like to thank the law enforcement agencies and all those who have helped to enable my summer stay here in Castel Gandolfo, as well as those responsible for security during my meetings with the pilgrims. Thank you very much!

I also send warm greetings to the faithful following the Angelus from Saint Peter’s Square.

I wish you all a happy Sunday!

30.08.26

Pope Leo Holy Mass 29.08.26

Pope Leo General Audience 26.08.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this final catechesis on the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, today I would like to look at the reasons why the Council Fathers sought to promote a reform of the liturgy. In this regard, the third Letter from the Council, which Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, then archbishop of Milan, sent on 28 October 1962 to the faithful of his Church, is particularly enlightening. The liturgy, he wrote, “is a sincere expression of both the divine and the human. It is language. On the one hand, it is a vehicle for divine teaching; on the other, it is a voice in dialogue with God. It is clear that it cannot renounce its didactic function, nor can it fail to offer faith and piety the opportunity to be expressed with spontaneous intelligibility”. [1] Motivated by these convictions, the future Pope Saint Paul VI affirmed that the faithful “cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive. Their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence”. [2]

The similarity between these statements and those which would appear in no. 48 of the Conciliar Constitution is evident: “The Church … earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration. They should be instructed by God’s word and be nourished at the table of the Lord’s body; they should give thanks to God; by offering the Immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him, they should learn also 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, so that finally God may be all in all”. These words express a renewed awareness of the value of the liturgy. Through the Church’s ritual actions, whilst the memorial of the work of salvation is celebrated, the opportunity is provided to experience a true relationship with God, coming into contact with the salvific event. Since the gestures, the words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive.

The Conciliar reform, by placing at the centre that which constitutes the heart of the ecclesial experience, was intended to allow the liturgy to shine forth as “the primary source of that divine exchange in which the life of God is communicated to us”. [3] From this conviction arose the need to make the richness of the biblical texts and prayers more accessible to all the faithful, and to streamline the order of the celebration compared with that set out in the liturgical books then in use.

Indeed, since the liturgy is a living entity, throughout the centuries it has always been subject to developments and changes. The Magisterium adapted its forms to the needs of different eras. It is therefore not surprising that the Second Vatican Council too, with the utmost respect for the heritage of tradition, and precisely in order to make it more accessible, considered it necessary to revise the liturgical books.

The aim that the Fathers had in mind is explained in no. 21 of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium: “In order that the Christian people may more certainly derive an abundance of graces from the sacred liturgy, holy Mother Church desires to undertake with great care a general restoration of the liturgy itself.

26.08.26

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 23.08.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

This Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-20) confronts us with a question that speaks to each of us on our journey of faith: Who is Jesus, truly, for me?

The Gospel passage makes us understand how decisive this question is for the experience of discipleship. Indeed, although the twelve apostles had already shared so much of the life and ministry of their teacher, Jesus did not take for granted that they truly knew him or had understood the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Thus, after asking them what people were saying about him, he addressed them directly: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15).

Brothers and sisters, this is a fundamental question for the disciples of every age, and for each one of us. Faith is not something given to us once and for all. Rather, we continually need to rediscover the face of Christ and his Gospel, to enter more deeply into his message and to renew the choices we make in our lives, so that they may be consistent with what we profess. In this way, we can overcome the temptation to think that we already know everything and to reduce faith to mere habit.

The question that is put to us each day — who is Jesus for me, and what does his presence mean in my life? — emerges especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel. Yet it also arises when we encounter the wounds and needs of our brothers and sisters, and in those relationships and situations that most deeply challenge our conscience. In our daily lives, in short, we can discover whether the Lord Jesus is for us merely a great figure of history, who said and did important things, or the Christ of God, the One sent to bring us into the love of the Father and to transform our lives and the world in which we live.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us seek not to retreat into our own convictions and religious certainties, but to remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ. At times, when it comes to the Christian faith, we may be content with what we have merely “heard,” with common assumptions or with what has been handed down to us, perhaps even with the best of intentions. Yet Jesus calls us to give a personal response, to know him more closely and to allow ourselves to be shaped by friendship with him through an ever new encounter. This may also ask us to follow unfamiliar paths and to make choices different from those we had imagined.

This is true both for our personal journey and for the journey of the Church, as well as for our pastoral choices, when we may sometimes think that it is enough simply to continue doing things as we have always done them. Instead, it is important to ask ourselves often: Who is the Lord for me? Do I truly know him? What is his Gospel asking of me today? What steps and what choices am I called to make?

Let us invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary, who sought the will of God in her heart through her Son, that she may always guide us along the path of faith.

Dear brothers and sisters,

In my prayers, I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in light of the spread of the Ebola epidemic, which is sadly claiming many lives. I encourage on the part of the international community a response that also involves local communities in efforts of prevention, so that many human lives may be saved.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday!

23.08.26

Pope Leo General Audience 19.08.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

The sixth chapter of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) of the Second Vatican Council is dedicated to sacred music. The document states that “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.” (SC, 112). It specifies that “Sacred music is to be considered the more holy in proportion as it is more closely connected with the liturgical action, whether it adds delight to prayer, fosters unity of minds, or confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites. But the Church approves of all forms of true art having the needed qualities, and admits them into divine worship.” (ibid.).

Here we find the core of the Council’s teaching, which confirms and deepens the ministerial function of music in the liturgy, which had already been highlighted by Saint Pius X in the Motu Proprio Inter sollicitudines (22 November 1903). Music, indeed, is part of the liturgical action and is not merely a decorative part of the celebration. In the liturgy, to sing and to play music means to pray, attuning one’s heart to that of our sisters and brothers and to God, through active participation in the mystery that is being celebrated. In particular, music expresses the affective dimension of prayer, as Saint Augustine says: “Cantare amantis est”, that is, “singing belongs to those who love” (Sermo 336, 1). This is very important, because it helps us to open our hearts to God’s action in grace and to allow ourselves to be moulded by it.

Singing also fosters communion. It contributes to the unity of hearts, overcoming differences between people and bringing everyone together in praise of God through the symphony of voices. Thus, it becomes an epiphany of the Church, a tangible manifestation of the communion that belongs to her very nature.

Certain requirements arise from the profound theological significance of sacred song as an integral part of the liturgical action. The first is that it must respond at every level to what is most appropriate for the liturgical moment, beyond fashions or the particular sensitivities of composers. Its form, especially in its melodic aspect, must be at once noble and simple, of high musical quality and easily performable, particularly when it is intended to be sung by the whole assembly (cf. SC, 121).

For the same reason, the Council recommends that the texts too should be suitable, profound and at the same time readily understandable, inspired mainly by Sacred Scripture, the liturgical books and the spiritual Tradition of the Church. Attention must be paid to this, so that the dynamic expressed in the ancient principle lex orandi, lex credendi, that is, the law of prayer is also the law of faith, may remain alive and continue to grow.

Sacrosanctum Concilium devotes considerable attention to the theme of the active participation of the faithful (cf. no. 114). This “must be understood […] on the basis of a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life” (Benedict XVI, Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, 52), in a “spirit of constant conversion which must mark the lives of all the faithful” (ibid., 55). As for the concrete way in which this can be achieved through the specific role of sacred music, the Constitution offers a clear answer: “the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs” and “reverent silence” should be fostered (SC, 30). It urges each person, minister or member of the faithful, to perform “all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy” (SC, 28), in the harmonious balance between the different ministries, the various interventions and moments of silence.

The Council then attributes great value to Gregorian chant, without excluding other genres of sacred music from the celebration. Particular attention is also given to the organ (cf. SC, 120), while the use of other instruments is permitted “on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful” (SC, 120).

19.08.26

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