Pope: 'The purity of Mary's soul leads us toward glory of Heaven'
During Mass in Castel Gandolfo for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo XIV marvels how the Blessed Virgin Mary, through God's grace, leads us toward Heaven, insisting that love is "humanity’s most beautiful adornment," stressing that it "transfigures, transforms, ennobles and lifts us up, making us light, free and close to God, even amid life’s ups and downs."
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"For it is the purity of the soul that, in Mary — as in us — by the grace of God, illuminates and transfigures the whole person, leading us to the glory of Heaven."
Pope Leo XIV gave this reminder during Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo on 15 August 2026.
READ POPE LEO XIV'S FULL HOMILY
The Holy Father began his homily by saying that it is with great joy that he celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption with their parish community once again this year.
Blessed Mother assumed body and soul into heavenly glory
This Solemnity, the Pope recalled that the Magisterium of the Church teaches us that Mary, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory, and points out to us, in this Mystery, the fulfillment of the most perfect grace that God bestowed upon her at her Immaculate Conception.”
For this reason, Pope Leo noted, many works of art are inspired by the scene described in the passage from the Book of Revelation that they heard in the First Reading: “A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,” signifying that in Mary’s heart, heaven and earth, time and eternity, meet.
Accordingly, he explained, these works depict her as a beautiful young woman physically rising from the earth toward the heavens at the end of her earthly life.
On the surface, the Pope acknowledged, this image seems to contrast with our experience of what the passing of the years does to us.
"As we age," the Pope said, "our bodies do not become more agile, but heavier; our skin does not become fresher but shows the signs of old age; our hair does not gain color and luster, but turns gray and then white. So, what do we have in common with the beautiful young woman depicted on the altarpieces of our churches?"
Purity of the soul
To understand this, the Pope explained, we must unite the two signs of the incorrupt body of the Mother of God and her immaculate heart.
"For it is the purity of the soul that, in Mary — as in us — by the grace of God," he reiterated, "illuminates and transfigures the whole person, leading us to the glory of Heaven."
"The glorification of Mary, body and soul," Pope Leo underscored, "teaches us that our true beauty does not lie in hiding the signs of aging, but in revealing the signs of love that never end, and are even impressed on our flesh."
With this in mind, the Holy Father urged the faithful to reexamine many of the aesthetic standards, predominantly hedonistic and consumerist in nature, that the world imposes on us.
"These standards," he warned, "risk trapping us in burdensome expectations, causing us to waste precious energy on what does not really matter and does not last forever."
Small glimpses of Heaven
The Holy Father acknowledged how easy it is to see where true beauty lies and where, on the other hand, there is still a need for conversion, forgiveness and healing.
"If we truly wish to discover and nurture the divine beauty that surrounds us and for which we were made, and to share it with those around us, we must learn to see it in the wrinkles of an elderly person as in the tender face of a child, in the maturity of an adult as in the liveliness of a young person, in work clothes and tools as well as in festive decorations."
Moreover, Pope Leo noted, "we must listen to the unique love stories that each of these realities tells us, recognizing in them small glimpses of heaven."
"Love," the Pope therefore insisted, "is humanity’s most beautiful adornment," stressing that it "transfigures, transforms, ennobles and lifts us up, making us light, free and close to God, even amid life’s ups and downs."
Reflecting on the mystery of the Assumption of the Virgin, Pope Leo recalled that Saint Paul VI said that to understand its meaning, “we must transform the terms we use in earthly and temporal language into superlative and absolute ones […] to imagine the eternal on a small scale.”
The Pope also recalled how Pope Francis reflected on the encounter between the infinite and the finite in the Mother of God, writing: “Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love.”
Her innocent heart
Pope Leo explained that the miracle Mary, the maiden of Nazareth, experienced in "her innocent heart, which led her to the glory of Heaven, is a meeting of extremes," as she herself testifies in the inspired words of the Magnificat.
"In this canticle, through the humble expressions of her faith," Pope Leo marveled, "the Mother of God speaks to us in simple terms of the magnificent mysteries she experienced, such as God becoming man in her to save humanity, and the Eternal One revealing Himself within time to reopen the path to eternity for us."
At the same time, Pope Leo recalled, in her position as a “humble servant,” Pope Saint Paul VI said that Mary shows us the “humble dimension” in which we too can encounter the Lord.
The Holy Father said that we need not look far to find the sublimity of the Mystery we celebrate but can encounter it wherever there is true charity.
"For example," the Pope explained, we encounter it "in the eyes of a father and mother returning home after a long day, tired but happy to be with their children" and "in the faces of grandfathers and grandmothers who, despite the aches and pains of old age, are filled with unexpected energy as they care for their grandchildren."
He said that we can also see it in the commitment of young people who strive to grow in morality and sincerity, ready even to go against the grain of “what everyone else does.”
Finally, Pope Leo continued, it can be seen in the daily work of so many men and women who, with faith and dedication, help bring a little bit of Heaven to earth and the earth closer to Heaven.
Beautiful face of Our Lady of the Assumption transcends any possible representation, and is familiar
"Dear friends, the beautiful face of Our Lady of the Assumption is unique; it transcends any possible representation, and yet, at the same time, is familiar to us.
"Even at this very moment," Pope Leo pointed out, "we can see her face in the people who are close to us, such as the brothers and sisters with whom, in faith, we share the daily offering of our lives."
He noted that in her holy human nature, by the grace of God, "we also see our nature," and said that we, therefore, are also "called to live the same grace-filled life that she lived and to share in her glory."
The Pope recalled how St. Augustine, speaking of Christ’s Resurrection, urged the Christians of his time to make it the compass and focal point of their lives, when he said: “Christ rose from the dead so that He might never die again […]. Change course, follow the light! Begin to rise from the very place from which he rose”
With this in mind, Pope Leo told the faithful to accept the saint's invitation and follow the light of the Risen Lord, "changing course if necessary."
Finally, Pope Leo concluding his homily by inviting the faithful to join him "in looking to Mary, whom God has crowned with glory in body and soul, and whom He has given to us as Mother, guide, companion on our journey, and protector on the path to Heaven."
Pope Leo's Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption (@Vatican Media)
