Pope Leo XIV celebrated Sunday Mass at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda together with the poor and Caritas workers, saying Christ’s “fire of love” is what can create peace in society.
During his Aug. 17 homily, the Holy Father said the Church of Jesus is a “Church of the poor,” whose faithful should not seek their own comfort and security at the expense of those most in need.
“The world accustoms us to exchange peace for comfort, goodness for tranquility,” he said. “Some will advise us not to take risks, to spare ourselves, because it is important to be at peace and others do not deserve to be loved.”
”Jesus, on the other hand, immersed himself courageously in our humanity,” he said.
Expressing gratitude to Caritas staff and volunteers working in the Diocese of Albano, Leo encouraged them to imitate Jesus Christ in his boundless love for the poor.
“I encourage you not to distinguish between those who assist and those who are assisted, between those who seem to give and those who seem to receive, between those who appear poor and those who feel they have time, skills, and help to offer,” he said.
In order to live with a greater sense of unity and communion within the Church, the Holy Father also said genuine love “humbles itself” and lets go of prejudices that cause division and misunderstanding among people.
“The Mass nourishes this decision,” he said. “It is the decision to no longer live for ourselves, to bring fire into the world.”
“Only together, only by becoming one Body in which even the most fragile participate with full dignity, are we the Body of Christ, the Church of God,” he added.
According to Leo, the “poverty of Christ” enables Christians to reflect deeper on its value in their own lives and communities.
“Let us allow him to enter into the poor, and then we will also make peace with our own poverty, the poverty we fear and deny when we seek tranquility and security at all costs,” he said.
Pope’s Angelus message: ‘Acting in truth has its costs’
At noon, Pope Leo returned to his summer residence to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in Piazza della Liberta.
Reiterating his Sunday message on self-giving love, the Holy Father encouraged his listeners to continue doing good though it may not always receive a “positive response” from others.
“Acting in truth has its cost, because there are those in the world who choose lies, and the devil, who takes advantage of the situation, often seeks to block the actions of good people,” he said.
“Jesus, however, invites us with his help not to give in and conform ourselves to this mentality, but to continue to act for our good and the good of all, even those who make us suffer,” he said.
Asking his listeners to remain faithful to the truth in love, Leo said Christians should not “respond to insolence with vengeance” but live the Gospel message and teachings on charity in spite of opposition.
“Brothers and sisters, let us together ask Mary, Queen of Martyrs, to help us be faithful and courageous witnesses of her Son in every circumstance, and to sustain our brothers and sisters who suffer for the faith today,” he prayed.
At the end of his Angelus address, Pope Leo asked people to pray for the people of Pakistan, India, and Nepal affected by severe flooding in parts of the Asian region.
“I pray for the victims, for their families, and for all those who suffer because of this calamity,” he said.
“Let us pray that efforts to bring wars to an end and to promote peace may bear fruit, and that in negotiations the common good of peoples may always be placed first,” he added.
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This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
