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 Lourdes 27.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

25-28 September

MEETING WITH THE BISHOPS OF THE FRENCH EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE in the Saint Bernadette auditorium at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

Watch Live from 9.00 Rome Time followed by

11:00 HOLY MASS at the Prairie of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

15:30 MEETING WITH THE STAFF AND SICK COMMUNITY OF ACCUEIL NOTRE DAME at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

16:45 PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE CONTEMPLATIVE RELIGIOUS SISTERS at the Carmelite Monastery of Lourdes

21:00 PRAYER OF THE HOLY ROSARY AND TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Paris 25.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

Dear brothers and sisters,

I give thanks to God for the grace of being here with you today, in the Place de la Concorde, to celebrate the Eucharist. It is truly good and pleasant when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity (cf. Ps 133:1) to proclaim God’s greatness. Indeed, I hope that my visit will strengthen you in faith and encourage you to shine forth ever more brightly, by sharing the life, peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37). Brothers and sisters, in our thirst, we turn toward Christ, the source of living water: water that quenches our thirst and makes life flourish, the water of God’s love “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5).

The desire for God dwells deep within our hearts, and we cry out with the psalmist: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2). This is the cry of a humble and passionate heart whose deepest, most existential thirst continues to grow. And it is Jesus Christ, through his Incarnation, who comes to meet every person in the midst of his or her own story, and reveals himself as the true source of living water capable of quenching our thirst. This thirst that dwells in every human heart is not so much a thirst for material things, but a thirst for meaning, for truth and fulfilment. Jesus responds to our profound desire for relationship, for communion with God, in whom the fullness of life forever resides.

In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel saw water flowing out from the Temple and spreading through the desert, purifying and bringing life to everything it touched (cf. Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12). Later, Saint John would see water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus as he gave up his spirit (cf. Jn 19:30-34). Everyone can now drink from this fountain, so as to receive the gift of the Spirit and be born anew, becoming children of God, a new creation.

Brothers and sisters, we must acknowledge that nothing in this world can ever fully satisfy us. When we think that our work is finished at last and our efforts have been rewarded, that inner emptiness often returns, deeper than before. And so, in an attempt to fill it, we may seek new pleasures, want to possess more and more things, or do everything we can to distract ourselves in order to numb that inner restlessness.

Today’s Liturgy of the Word invites us to look into our hearts and ask, what is my deepest thirst? What am I really seeking in life? We all long for happiness, love and fulfilment. But from what source do we seek to quench our thirst? Are we content with material goods, immediate satisfactions, the countless little idols that promise us everything but leave our hearts empty? We have been baptized and received the living water of which the Gospel speaks, but have we truly encountered Christ personally? In essence, the human person is a being of desire, and only God can fill the emptiness within us.

Yes, brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us, as a shepherd leads his sheep, to the source of happiness and peace. He knows each one of us by name. Nothing about us is hidden from him –— neither our secrets, nor our intentions nor our weaknesses. He searches the depths of our hearts. He gave his life for us and continues to give it to us through the sacraments. He carries the weary and wounded sheep on his shoulders, and gently brings back those who have gone astray. Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us. In his eyes, none of us is merely a number or an entry in a register, but a unique and irreplaceable person.

Seeing you gathered here, my brothers and sisters, heirs to France’s long and beautiful history of faith, I say to you: drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus. Yes, you thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion and for happiness. You long to rediscover a horizon filled with light and to build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith. Do not keep this faith in Jesus Christ to yourselves. Let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied. You are called to bring hope wherever discouragement and spiritual dryness prevail.

Indeed, it is by accepting to live truthfully under the gaze of Jesus that we can be authentic and look honestly at our lives. They are fragile, vulnerable and destined to pass through death; yet they are also wonderful and miraculous, capable of being renewed through our relationships and of opening themselves to true love.

“If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (Jn 7:37-38). As we drink from the source that is the heart of Christ, we ourselves become, as Origen wrote, wells, springs and rivers for others (cf. Homily 12, 1, 2-3). Indeed, the believer who drinks from this source also becomes a source of life through their living relationship with Christ, and communicates that same life to others.

Dear brothers and sisters, the living water of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in abundance and continues to bear fruit in the Church through missionaries and witnesses in every culture and among every people. It brings life to all those whom it touches and transforms them, enabling them to bear fruit. This is the holiness of those who worship the true God and generously serve their brothers and sisters in charity. In this beautiful country of France, many have drunk from this living water throughout the centuries and devoted their lives entirely to the good of others: the first martyrs, such as Blandina, Pothinus and Irenaeus; the holy founders and foundresses of religious orders; holy bishops such as Martin and Francis de Sales; and men and women whose hearts were attentive to the needs of others, such as Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam and Jeanne Jugan, and many others. Even today, there are so many people in your society, in parishes and in every sphere of life, who continue to devote themselves to the cause of life, the family, truth, peace, fraternity and justice.

From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France. I think of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face each day, persevere courageously in your vocation and mission. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the good that is accomplished through you. May the tangible presence of Jesus within you never run dry. I think of you, dear young people: you are today’s Church. How beautiful it is to see your enthusiasm, energy and commitment, and the joy you bring to Christian communities. I think also of you, dear catechumens and newly baptized, who have begun the journey of faith, conversion and Christian initiation. May you bear witness to those around you to the journey you are making, and inspire them to ask themselves questions as well. May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you living witnesses, ready to spread around you a civilization of love.

Brothers and sisters, let us turn to the Mother of God, Fountian of Salvation, who guides us toward her Son, the author of every grace. Through her free and trusting “yes”, she became the humble vessel, chosen by God, in which the Father’s love took flesh and gave itself to the world.

Let us invoke her with confidence, that through her intercession springs of living water may well up within the People of God and cause seeds of faith, hope and charity to blossom throughout France. Amen.

26.09.26 m

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Paris 26.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

Pope Leo Prayer Vigil with Young People, Paris 25.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

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 Prayer Vigil with Young People, Paris 25.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

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

Question from Chloé

Holy Father, we thank you for your presence among us this evening and for this opportunity for dialogue that you are giving us.

My name is Chloé. I am 25 years old, and I am finishing my studies in pharmacology. I am part of a group of young Catholics from working-class neighborhoods in the Île-de-France region called La Cité Céleste. Among other things, we organize events such as evenings of adoration and worship, which bring together many young people from the neighborhood who are eager to live out and share their faith with others. I am also active in my parish, working in particular with high school students. Through these various commitments, I am passionate about using my energy and skills to serve others, creating connections between faith, youth and the realities of daily life in our neighborhoods.

As Saint Paul says, “For me, to live is Christ.” However, the society in which we live is founded on different principles and sometimes even seems to have no regard for the question of God. We wish to proclaim Christ to those around us with strength and perseverance, but also with respect and sensitivity. How can we combine our strong missionary zeal with authentic fraternity toward those who do not share our faith?

The Holy Father’s Response

Dear friends, the first thing I would like to say is very simple: thank you. Thanks be to God, and to you — thank you for your courage, thank you for your presence, thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!

Thank you, Chloe, for your question. The phrase from Saint Paul that you quoted is not just a statement. It is truly the essence of his life. In these few but decisive words, he utters a prayer of praise, an act of faith, and he points to the path of holiness that led to martyrdom. “For me, to live is Christ” (cf. Phil 1:21). By repeating this declaration of love, we seek to share in the Apostle’s experience. He testifies that God was never absent from his life. God came to meet him, calling him to himself, thereby transforming him from within, and sending him out into the world.

25.09.26 pv

Pope Leo Vespers, Paris 25.09.26

Apostolic Journey to France

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are gathered for Evening Prayer in this place which, more than any other, has invited the people of Paris for centuries to lift their eyes towards heaven. Seven years have passed since the whole world, holding its breath, watched as the cathedral was engulfed in a terrible fire. At that time, we also watched anxiously, conscious of how powerless humans are in the face of the unforeseen. That pain was felt not only by Catholics, nor only by believers. Indeed, in that tragic moment we came to realize that Notre-Dame is more than a monument. The collective effort to rebuild it, and the splendour of the result reveal that the heart of a people beats here, and that here we stand at the living center of a civilization, where past and future embrace, where heaven and earth meet.

It was my wish to meet you here, in this symbolic place of the Church in France. It is a joy for me to have crossed its threshold a short while ago, as thousands of brothers and sisters do each day, coming here from every corner of the world. Simply entering this place brings us face to face with a beauty that speaks to our restless hearts and calls them to peace. Following the restoration of this sacred space for all humanity, it is rightly recognized how each visitor can be renewed by what he or she sees, hears and experiences. The public, private and ecclesial institutions involved in the restoration of Notre-Dame have each contributed, in their own way, to reawakening the cultural, existential and spiritual journeys that the cathedral opens up before us. In this context, the Church has understood her mission not only in terms of preservation but also of creativity, by keeping tradition alive with the boldness of those who have faith and are guided by hope. I wish to thank the Archbishop, his co-workers and the diocesan community of Paris, who have also developed a pastoral pathway of initial proclamation and Christian initiation open to all. The baptismal font is a sign of this, situated at the entrance as a blessing and an invitation.

The rebuilding of the Cathedral was an opportunity for an encounter that has expanded horizons of welcome and participation beyond the boundaries of ecclesial affiliation. Dear bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians of France, let yourselves be inspired by what has happened here! Make the vision of Evangelii Gaudium your priority, namely the missionary conversion which Pope Francis spoke of in his first Apostolic Exhortation.

In the Letter to the Galatians, we heard the reason why we should not be afraid: “God sent forth his Son” (Gal 4:4). He sent him among us, into our world. In Saint Paul’s words, the verb describes a real, historical event, not some ideal set of circumstances. Christians do not flee from complexity, for God himself has called them to follow his Son in a world that is already inhabited, already in motion, already marked by both human misery and goodness. The way of the Cross certainly reveals the darkness that runs through our world, but even more profoundly, it reveals the love of God that triumphs over death.

The Cathedral’s cruciform layout, where stone and light come together, evokes the meeting of earth and heaven. It gathers and orders the events of history, woven with human joys and sufferings. It holds them together in a symbolic dynamic that transforms these diverse expressions into a living language, uniting them into a whole.

Dear friends, it is from the Incarnation — “God sent forth his Son” — that the identity of the Church flows, for she is called always to be a Church “going forth”. As disciples of Christ, you know well that the Christian community is not a refuge into which we withdraw in order to protect ourselves from our age. On the contrary, like the cathedrals of old, the Church is a place of welcome, respect, revelation and meaning for everyone. The strength of a living Church lies in welcoming those on the peripheries who already have a place in her heart; welcoming those who are far away but in reality are already near; welcoming the stranger, in whom Christ is already knocking at the door.

If Notre-Dame is a sign of this encounter at the heart of Paris, then the other cities and regions of France, even the most remote and rural, can be transformed all the more by a simple and welcoming missionary presence. Such a presence can help to bring cultural differences into harmony and to heal the wounds present in our societies. From the northern coasts to the Mediterranean, from the inland regions to the overseas departments, be a living, diverse and close Church. A lack of material resources does not prevent mission, for it is the grace of God that gives rise to interior freedom and simplicity of life, enabling us to reflect an evangelical way of life. In all this, confidently value the missionary presence of the lay faithful, who are the living front line of the Church at the crossroads of everyday life.

At the same time, brothers and sisters, we must not forget that this Cathedral, like every other church, was built for the purpose of prayer and the worship of God. It is the place where the Christian community celebrates the highest form of prayer and worship, renewing in the Eucharist the redemptive sacrifice of Christ.

25.09.26 v

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

Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period (reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)

The Bible Online

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