Leo XIV urges the faithful not to be ‘occasional Christians,” for we are all called to the mission
Today was the last Angelus in St Peter's before the pontiff takes two weeks of rest in Castel Gandolfo. In his commentary on the Gospel, Leo said that God placed “a desire for the infinite” in “people’s heart, but “few perceive” this. The Church and the world need “loving disciples”. After the Marian prayer, he said that “peace is a desire of all peoples,” while “those who govern” should replace weapons “by the pursuit of dialogue.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Despite today’s heat, the first Sunday of July, thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus by Pope Leo XIV.
At noon the pontiff appeared at the window of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Before the Marian prayer, he read the commentary on the Gospel of the day (Lk 10:1-12.17-20).
The latter, Leo said, “reminds us of the importance of the mission to which we are all called, each according to our own vocation and in the particular situations in which the Lord has placed us.”
This afternoon, the pope will travel to Castel Gandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome, for a “short period of rest” at the popes’ historic summer residence. He will stay until Sunday, 20 July, at the Villa Barberini, not at the Papal Palace, which Pope Francis opened to the public, and never used for his summer vacations.
“I hope that everyone will be able to enjoy some vacation time in order to restore both body and spirit,” Leo said this morning.
All Wednesday general audiences are on hold for the month of July. Next Sunday, 13 July, the pope will celebrate Mass and recite the Angelus at the Pontifical Parish of San Tommaso da Villanova in Castel Gandolfo.
On Sunday 20, he will celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of Albano, with the Angelus recited in the famous village’s Piazza della Libertà.
Today, continuing his commentary on the Gospel, about Jesus sending 72 disciples before him into every city (v. 1), Leo explained that, “This symbolic number indicates that the hope of the Gospel is meant for all peoples. [. . .] Indeed, God continues to work in the world so that all his children may experience his love and be saved,”
While Jesus acknowledged that “the laborers are few” (v. 2), God “sowed in people’s hearts a desire for the infinite, for a fulfilled life and for salvation that sets us free”. Thus, “The Lord wishes to do something great in our lives and in the history of humanity, yet there are few who perceive this, pause to receive the gift and then proclaim and share it with others.”
Pope Leo XIV stressed that this is also the reality today, for the world is not short on “occasional Christians", that is, those "who occasionally act upon some religious feeling or participate in sporadic events.”
Instead, few people nowadays “are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts in order then to share it in their families, places of work or study,” the pontiff stressed.
The Church and the world do not need those who display faith as an “external label.” Instead, “We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field. [. . .] To do this, we do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans. Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest.” Thus, priority goes to “our relationship with the Lord and to cultivating our dialogue with him. In this way, he will make us his laborers”.
After reciting the Angelus, Leo XIV greeted the numerous pilgrims who came to Rome from Italy and the rest of the world to experience the Jubilee, in this particularly trying season due to the rising temperatures.
“In the great heat of this time of year, your journey to pass through the Holy Doors is even more courageous and admirable!” Leo said.
Speaking in English, he expressed “sincere condolences” to the families of the more than 50 people who lost their lives in flash flooding in the Guadalupe River in Texas, United States.
In concluding, Leo also noted that “peace is a desire of all peoples, and it is the sorrowful cry of those torn apart by war.” Hence, “Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts and inspire the minds of those who govern, that the violence of weapons be replaced by the pursuit of dialogue.”
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