Pope Leo XIV: God never ceases to believe in us
By Linda Bordoni
Reflecting on the Gospel parable of the Sower during Sunday's Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV said God never tires of sowing the seed of His Word in the human heart, because He knows that "the power of his love is stronger than our weakness."
Addressing pilgrims gathered in Castel Gandolfo on the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Pope explained that Saint Matthew's account of the Parable of the Sower reveals "the generosity and trust with which God sows his Word in our hearts and his power in us."
Read the full text of the Pope's Angelus address
At the centre of that mystery, he said, is Christ Himself.
"Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, who gave his life for our salvation, is the seed that the Father continues to sow throughout the world so that, by dying, he may bear much fruit," he explained.
The Pope acknowledged that God's Word does not always find welcoming hearts. At times, he said, it encounters "hard and unresponsive soil," or hearts distracted like "the beaten path, the rocky ground, or the thorny bushes." Yet there are also moments when it falls on "receptive and fertile ground," where "miracles of love are set in motion that have the power to transform everything."
It is for this reason, he continued, that "the Father never ceases to sow, because he knows that the power of his love is stronger than our weakness."
God sees the good within us
Quoting Saint John Chrysostom, Pope Leo reflected on the apparent paradox of sowing seed where it seems unlikely to grow. While such an action would make little sense in agriculture, he noted, God works differently, since even "rocky ground may be transformed into fertile soil."
The Pope said this is because God's confidence in humanity is rooted in His intimate knowledge of every person. "God's generosity towards us is not naïve but wise," he said. "He sees within us the potential of a good that, at times, we ourselves might fail to recognise."
For that reason, he added, "the Lord, who knows the soil of our hearts better than we, never ceases to believe in us—in who we are and in who we can become, day by day, if we entrust ourselves to him in faith."
Bearing the fruits of the Spirit
When God's Word is welcomed with humility and openness, the Pope said, it bears the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And recalling Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians, he listed those fruits as "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
"How greatly our world stands in need of these fruits," he said, "to be filled with them and transformed by them!"
A summer invitation
Referring to the current summer season, Pope Leo encouraged Christians to make good use of time for rest by nurturing their spiritual lives.
"Let us therefore resolve, especially during these summer days of vacation, to make room for listening to, reading, and meditating on the Word of God," he said, while also fostering "meaningful moments of silence and prayer."
Such moments, he explained, renew both body and spirit, preparing Christians to return to their daily lives "ready to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and ever more capable of contributing to the growth of the Kingdom of God."
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