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 General Audience 14.01.26

Pope Leo Angelus 11.01.26

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The feast of the Baptism of Jesus, which we celebrate today, anticipates the beginning of Ordinary Time. This liturgical season will invite us to follow the Lord together, to listen to his Word and to imitate his gestures of love towards others. In doing so, we confirm and renew our Baptism, the sacrament that makes us Christians, freeing us from sin and transforming us into children of God through the power of his Spirit of life.

Today’s Gospel recounts how this efficacious sign of grace comes about. When Jesus is baptised by John in the Jordan River, he sees “the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him” (Mt 3:16). At the same time, from the open heavens, the voice of the Father resounds: “This is my Son, the Beloved” (v. 17). In this moment, the entire Godhead becomes present in history: just as the Son descends into the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descends upon him and, through him, is given to us as the power of salvation.

Dear friends, God does not look upon the world from afar, unconcerned with our lives, our troubles or our expectations! Instead, he comes among us with the wisdom of his Word made flesh, drawing us into a wondrous plan of love for all humanity.

This is why John the Baptist, filled with wonder, asks Jesus: “Do you come to me?” (v. 14). Yes, in his holiness, the Lord allows himself to be baptized like a sinner, to reveal God’s infinite mercy. The Only-Begotten Son, in whom we are brothers and sisters, comes to serve rather than dominate, to save rather than condemn. He is Christ the Redeemer. He takes upon himself what is ours, including our sin, and gives us what is his: the grace of new and eternal life.

The sacrament of Baptism makes this event present in every time and place, welcoming each of us into the Church, the people of God, composed of men and women of every nation and culture reborn by his Spirit. Let us, therefore, dedicate this day to remembering the great gift we have received, committing ourselves to bear witness to it with joy and authenticity. Just today, I baptised several newborn babies who have become our new brothers and sisters in the faith. How beautiful it is to celebrate the love of God – who calls us by name and frees us from evil – as one family! This first of the sacraments is a sacred sign that accompanies us forever. In moments of darkness, Baptism is light; in life’s conflicts, it is reconciliation; at the hour of death, it is the gateway to heaven.

Let us pray together, asking the Virgin Mary to sustain our faith and the mission of the Church each day.

Dear brothers and sisters,

As I have already mentioned, following the custom on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I baptized several newborn children of employees of the Holy See this morning. I would now like to extend my blessing to all children who have received or will receive Baptism during these days – in Rome and throughout the world – entrusting them to the maternal care of the Virgin Mary. In a particular way, I pray for children born into difficult circumstances, whether due to health conditions or external dangers. May the grace of Baptism, which unites them to the Paschal Mystery of Christ bear fruit in their lives and in the lives of their families.

My thoughts turn to the situation currently unfolding in the Middle East, especially in Iran and Syria, where ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives. I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society.

In Ukraine, new attacks – particularly severe ones aimed at energy infrastructure as the cold weather grows harsher – are taking a heavy toll on the civilian population. I pray for those who suffer and renew my appeal for an end to the violence and for renewed efforts to achieve peace.

I wish you all a blessed and happy Sunday!

11.01.26 a

Pope Leo Angelus 11.01.26 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Pope Leo Holy Mass 11.01.26

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Pope Leo Holy Mass 08.01.26

Extraordinary Consistory

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

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God” (1 Jn 4:7). The liturgy sets this exhortation before us as we celebrate the Extraordinary Consistory, a moment of grace wherein our unity in the service of the Church finds its expression.

As we know, the word Consistory (Consistorium, or “assembly”) can be understood through the root of the verb consistere, meaning “to stand still.” Indeed, all of us have “paused” in order to be here. We have set aside our activities for a time, and even cancelled important commitments, so as to discern together what the Lord is asking of us for the good of his people. This itself is already a highly significant and prophetic gesture, particularly in the context of the frenetic society in which we live. It reminds us of the importance, in every aspect of life, of stopping to pray, listen and reflect. In doing so, we refocus our attention ever more clearly on our goal, directing every effort and resource towards it, lest we risk running blindly or “beating the air” in vain, as the Apostle Paul warns (cf. 1 Cor 9:26). We gather not to promote personal or group “agendas,” but to entrust our plans and inspirations to a discernment that transcends us – “as the heavens are higher than the earth” (Is 55:9) – and which comes only from the Lord.

For this reason, it is important that during this Eucharist, we place each of our hopes and ideas upon the altar. Together with the gift of our lives, we offer them to the Father in union with the Sacrifice of Christ, so that we may receive them back purified, enlightened, united and transformed by grace into one Bread. Indeed, only in this way will we truly know how to listen to his voice, and to welcome it through the gift that we are to one another – which is the very reason we have gathered.

Our College, while rich in many skills and remarkable gifts, is not called primarily to be a mere group of experts, but a community of faith. Only when the gifts that each person brings are offered to the Lord and returned by him, will they bear the greatest fruit according to his providence.

Moreover, God’s love, of which we are disciples and apostles, is a “Trinitarian” and “relational” love. It is the very source of that spirituality of communion, by which the Bride of Christ lives and desires to be a home and a school (cf. Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, 6 January 2001, 43). Expressing the hope that this spirituality would flourish at the dawn of the third millennium, Saint John Paul II described it as “the heart’s contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us, and whose light we must also be able to see shining on the face of the brothers and sisters around us” (ibid.).

Our “pausing,” then, is first and foremost a profound act of love for God, for the Church and for the men and women of the whole world. Through this, we allow ourselves to be formed by the Spirit: primarily in prayer and silence, but also by facing one another and listening to one another. In our sharing, we become a voice for all those whom the Lord has entrusted to our pastoral care in many different parts of the world. We must live this act with humble and generous hearts, aware that it is by grace that we are here. Moreover, we bring nothing that we have not first received as a gift or talent, which are not to be squandered, but invested with prudence and courage (cf. Mt 25:14–30).

08.01.26 m

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 General Audience 07.01.26

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

Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

After the Jubilee Year, during which we focused on the mysteries of the life of Jesus, we will begin a new cycle of catechesis which will be dedicated to Vatican Council II and a rereading of its Documents. It is a valuable opportunity to rediscover the beauty and the importance of this ecclesial event. Saint John Paul II, at the end of the Jubilee 2000, stated: “I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century” (Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte, 57).

Together with the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, in 2025 we remembered the seventieth anniversary of Vatican Council II. Although the time that separates us from this event is not so long, it is equally true that the generation of bishops, theologians and believers of Vatican II is no longer with us. Therefore, while we hear the call not to let its prophecy fade, and to continue to seek ways and means to implement its insights, it will be important to get to know it again closely, and to do so not through “hearsay” or interpretations that have been given, but by rereading its documents and reflecting on their content. Indeed, it is the Magisterium that still constitutes the guiding star of the Church’s journey today. As Benedict XVI taught, “as the years have passed, the Conciliar Documents have lost none of their timeliness; indeed, their teachings are proving particularly relevant to the new situation of the Church and the current globalized society” (First Message at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration with the Members of the College of Cardinals, 20 April 2005).

When Pope Saint John XXIII opened the Council on 11 October 1962, he spoke of it as the dawn of a day of light for the whole Church. The work of the numerous Fathers convened from the Churches of all continents did indeed pave the way for a new ecclesial season.

07.01.26

Pope Leo Angelus 06.01.26

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

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

Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!

During this holy season we have celebrated several feast days. Today’s Solemnity of the Epiphany, as its name suggests, shows us what makes joy possible even in difficult times. As you know, the word “epiphany” means “manifestation,” and our joy indeed comes from a Mystery that is no longer hidden. The life of God has been revealed in many times and in different ways, yet with definitive clarity in Jesus, so that we now know how to hope, even in the midst of many tribulations. “God saves” has no other meaning, no other name [than that of Jesus]. Only what frees and saves us can come from God and is an epiphany of God.

Kneeling like the Magi before the Infant of Bethlehem means, also for us, to profess having found that true humanity in which the glory of God shines forth. In Jesus, the true life appears, the living man, the one who does not exist for himself but is open and in communion, who teaches us to say, “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). Indeed, the divine life is within our reach; it is made manifest so that we might be included in its dynamic freedom, which loosens the bonds of fear and enables us to encounter peace. This is a possibility and an invitation, for communion cannot be constrained. What else could we desire more than this?

In the Gospel account, and in our nativity scenes, the Magi present to the Baby Jesus several precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (cf. Mt 2:11). They may not seem to be useful for a baby, but they express a desire that gives us much to reflect on as we reach the end of the Jubilee year. The greatest gift is to give everything. Let us recall that poor widow, noticed by Jesus, who put into the Temple treasury her last two pennies, all that she had (cf. Lk 21:1-4). We do not know anything about the possessions of the Magi, who came from the East, but their departure, their risk-taking and their gifts themselves suggest that everything, truly everything that we are and possess needs to be offered to Jesus, who is our inestimable treasure. For its part, the Jubilee has reminded us of the justice founded on gratuitousness, of the original jubilee prescriptions, which included a call for the integration of peaceful living, a redistribution of the land and its resources, and a restoration of “what one has” and “what one is” to the designs of God, which are greater than ours.

Dear friends, the hope that we proclaim must be grounded in reality, for Jesus came down from heaven in order to create a new story here below. In the gifts of the Magi, then, we see what each one of us can share, what we can no longer keep for ourselves but are to give to others, so that the presence of Jesus can grow in our midst. May his Kingdom grow, may his words come to fulfillment in us, may strangers and enemies become brothers and sisters. In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace. As weavers of hope, let us journey together towards the future by another road (cf. Mt 2:12).

06.01.26 a

Pope Leo Holy Mass 06.01.26

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Gospel (cf. Mt 2:1-12) described for us the great joy the Magi experienced when they saw the star once again (cf. v. 10), and at the same time how Herod and all in Jerusalem were troubled by their searching (cf. v. 3). Indeed, every time Sacred Scripture speaks of God manifesting himself, it does not hide the contrasting reactions, such as joy and agitation, resistance and obedience, fear and longing. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, aware that in his presence nothing stays the same. This marks the beginning of hope, for God reveals himself and nothing remains unchanged. His presence puts an end to that type of melancholic complacency which causes people endlessly to say, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles 1:9). Something new begins which determines the present and the future, as the Prophet announced: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Is 60:1).

06.01.26 m

Pope Leo

Message for World Day of Peace 01.01.26

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

Peace be with you all:

Towards an “unarmed and disarming” peace

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