On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Leo XIV paid homage to the Virgin at the Grotto in the Vatican Gardens, accompanied by a group of sick people. At the general audience, he invited Europe to look to Saints Cyril and Methodius to overcome “tensions, divisions, and religious and political antagonisms." During the catechesis, he reflected on the relationship between the Word of God and the life of the Church, noting that Scripture opens “the mission towards everyone.”

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV addressed a brief message today shortly after midday to a group of sick people who, together with him, paid homage to the Virgin in the Grotto in the Vatican Gardens that commemorates the Marian apparitions to Bernadette Sobirous, which made the town in the Pyrenees a place of hope since 1858.

Our Lady of Lourdes “accompanies us and teaches us so much: the meaning of suffering, love, and the surrender of one's life into the hands of the Lord." Now “on this day dedicated to the sick, we want to pray in communion with all those who suffer throughout the world. We pray for you,” said the pontiff.

“I thank you for making this effort to come and accompany us in this moment of prayer, here before our mother, Mary, on her liturgical memorial, Our Lady of Lourdes. It is a very beautiful day that reminds us of the closeness of Mary, our mother,” he added.

“We ask the Lord's blessing for you, for all the sick on this day and always, and for all those who accompany them: medical sciences staff, doctors, nurses, the many people who are close to us, especially in the most difficult moments."

The lighting of a candle before the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes had already marked this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall due to rain.

In his greeting to Polish pilgrims, Leo paid homage to Saints Cyril and Methodius, the apostles of the Slavic peoples, whose feast day is next Saturday, 14 February, models "in building a new unity on the European continent, to overcome tensions, divisions, and religious and political antagonisms."

In his catechesis, the pope continued the cycle dedicated to the documents of the Second Vatican Council, pursuing his reflections on the dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum.

He focused on the “profound and vital bond that exists between the Word of God and the Church," which also shines through in the conciliar text.

"The Church is the rightful home of Sacred Scripture," which finds its "habitat" in the Christian community, “where it can reveal its meaning and manifest its power," Leo explained.

Strengthened by this profound bond, "the Church never ceases to reflect on the value of Sacred Scripture," he added, referring to the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church," held in October 2008.

On that occasion, Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the post-synodal Exhortation Verbum Domini (30 September 2010): "The intrinsic link between the word and faith makes clear that authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church”.

Scripture achieves its "purpose" within the ecclesial community, the preferred place to carry out its "particular task,” which is “to make Christ known and to open to dialogue with God," the pontiff said.

Quoting Saint Jerome, Leo said that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." Hence, the purpose of reading and meditating on Scripture is "to enter into a relationship with God, a relationship that can be understood as a conversation, a dialogue."

Dei Verbum also presents Revelation as a dialogue, while Scripture “sustains and invigorates the Christian community,” a source from which all the faithful are called to "drink,” especially those who carry out "the ministry of the Word: bishops, priests, deacons, catechists”.

In this sense, the work of exegetes, both men and women, is "invaluable" as theology itself "finds its foundation and soul in the Word of God."

Indeed, “The Church ardently desires that the Word of God may reach every one of her members and nurture their journey of faith”.  At the same time, Scripture “propels the Church beyond herself; it opens her continually to the mission towards everyone.”

Today, Leo noted, “we live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are empty! At times we even listen to wise words, which do not however affect our ultimate destiny.”

The Word of God, instead, quenches humanity's "thirst for meaning”. It “is the only Word that is ever new," and "never ceases to offer its riches," the pope added.

Finally, addressing Arabic-speaking pilgrims, he greeted "especially those from the Holy Land, from the school of the Sisters of Nazareth in Haifa."

"Christians are called to listen to the word of God, to keep it in their hearts, and to put it into practice in their daily lives, because it is alive, effective, and a light on their path," he told them.

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