Pope Leo XIV said during an audience with French altar servers in Rome on Aug. 25, the feast day of St. Louis IX, king of France, that the shortage of priests is “a great misfortune” for the Catholic Church, encouraging them to “persevere faithfully” in their service at the altar.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE

“I also wish you to be attentive to the call that Jesus might make to you to follow him more closely in the priesthood. I am speaking to your consciences as enthusiastic and generous young people, and I am going to tell you something that you must listen to, even if it worries you a little: the shortage of priests in France is a great misfortune! A misfortune for the Church, a misfortune for your country!” the pontiff said.

Leo XIV began his address by reminding the young people that the jubilee celebrated by the Church every 25 years is “an exceptional occasion” and that, as we pass through the Holy Door, Jesus “helps us to ‘convert,’ that is, to turn toward him, to grow in faith and in his love so that we may become better disciples, and that our lives may be made beautiful and good in his sight, in view of eternal life.”

He therefore invited the altar servers to take advantage of the opportunity to come to Rome, above all by “spending time speaking to Jesus in the depths of your hearts and loving him more and more,” because he desires only “to become your best friend, your most faithful one.”

‘Only Jesus comes to save us, and no one else’

In the face of the world’s challenges, the pontiff asked: “Who will come to our aid?” He explained that “the answer is perfectly clear and has echoed throughout history for 2,000 years: Only Jesus comes to save us, and no one else: because only he has the power — he is almighty God in person — and because he loves us.”

The “sure proof” that this is so, he went on to explain to the young altar servers, is that “Jesus loves us and saves us: He gave his life for us by offering it on the cross.”

“This is the most wonderful thing about our Catholic faith, something no one could have imagined or expected: God, the creator of heaven and earth, wanted to suffer and die for us, who are creatures. God has loved us to the point of death!” he said.

Regarding the Eucharist, Leo XIV emphasized that it is “the treasure of the Church, the treasure of treasures,” which he described as “the most important event in the life of a Christian and in the life of the Church, because it is the encounter in which God gives himself to us out of love, again and again.”

“Christians do not go to Mass out of obligation but because they absolutely need it; the need for the life of God that is given without return,” the Holy Father emphasized.

After expressing his gratitude for the “very great and generous” service that altar servers provide in their parishes, Leo XIV invited them to “persevere faithfully,” keeping in mind as they approach the altar “the greatness and holiness of what is being celebrated.”

Eucharist: A moment of celebration and also of solemnity

In this sense, he added: “The Mass is a moment of celebration and joy. How can we fail to have a joyful heart in the presence of Jesus? But the Mass is, at the same time, a serious, solemn moment, imbued with gravity. May your attitude, your silence, the dignity of your service, the liturgical beauty, the order and majesty of your gestures, draw the faithful into the sacred grandeur of the mystery.”

It was at this point that the pontiff appealed to the conscience of the altar servers, “enthusiastic and generous young people,” inviting them to heed the possible call to the ordained ministry.

“May you,” the pope added, “little by little, from Sunday to Sunday, discover the beauty, the happiness and the necessity of such a vocation. What a wonderful life is that of the priest who, in the heart of each of his days, encounters Jesus in such an exceptional way and gives him to the world!”

(Before imparting his blessing, Leo XIV dismissed those present with words of encouragement: “Your number and the faith that animates you are a great consolation, a sign of hope. Persevere with courage and bear witness to those around you of the pride and joy that comes from serving at Mass.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.