reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach...
Pope at Angelus: Let us not retreat into our convictions but be open to Christ
In his Angelus message, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the importance of developing a personal relationship with Christ in order to allow him to transform our lives and the world, even by sometimes embarking on unfamiliar paths.
By Isabella H. de Carvalho
In order to transform our lives and the world we must develop a personal relationship with Jesus and renew it every day, Pope Leo XIV said in his Angelus message on Sunday, August 23, in St. Peter’s Square.
“Let us seek not to retreat into our own convictions and religious certainties, but to remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ,” he highlighted, addressing the many people gathered in the sunny square.
“At times, when it comes to the Christian faith, we may be content with what we have merely ‘heard,’ with common assumptions or with what has been handed down to us, perhaps even with the best of intentions,” he said.
“Yet Jesus calls us to give a personal response, to know him more closely and to allow ourselves to be shaped by friendship with him through an ever new encounter.”
Overcoming the temptation to think that we know everything
Pope Leo XIV was reflecting on this Sunday’s Gospel, taken from Matthew, in which Jesus asks his disciples “But who do you say that I am?”
The Pope emphasized that “this is a fundamental question for the disciples of every age, and for each one of us,” as faith is a process in which we need to continually rediscover Christ’s Gospel, in order to “renew the choices we make in our lives, so that they may be consistent with what we profess.”
“In this way, we can overcome the temptation to think that we already know everything and to reduce faith to mere habit,” the Pope underlined.
Pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during the Angelus (@Vatican Media)
Following new and unfamiliar paths personally and in the Church
Renewing our friendship with Christ daily “may also ask us to follow unfamiliar paths and to make choices different from those we had imagined,” the Pope explained, noting that “this is true both for our personal journey and for the journey of the Church” and our “pastoral choices.”
He warned against the temptation to think “that it is enough simply to continue doing things as we have always done them,” and encouraged us to ask ourselves a series of questions:
“Who is the Lord for me? Do I truly know him? What is his Gospel asking of me today? What steps and what choices am I called to make?
Pope Leo XIV during the Angelus (@Vatican Media)
Discovering Christ who brings love in our daily lives
The Pope pointed out how these questions concerning who Jesus is for us and what he represents in our lives, “emerges especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel.”
However, the Pope reflected that they also arise “when we encounter the wounds and needs of our brothers and sisters, and in those relationships and situations that most deeply challenge our conscience.”
“In our daily lives, in short,” the Pope continued, “we can discover whether the Lord Jesus is for us merely a great figure of history, who said and did important things, or the Christ of God, the One sent to bring us into the love of the Father and to transform our lives and the world in which we live.”
Feastday: August 23 Patron: of Latin America and Philippines Birth: 1586 Death: 1617
Historians remember St. Rose of Lima for her piety and chastity. Born in 1586 in Lima, Peru to Spanish colonists, and named Isabel Flores de Olivia, she was exceptionally beautiful.
Her beauty was so great that she was nicknamed "Rose," a name that remains with her to this day. According to legend, a servant had a vision where her face turned into a rose. At her confirmation in 1597, she officially took the name of Rose.
From an early age, Rose wanted to become a nun. She often prayed and fasted in secret. She performed secret penances, some of which were painful and severe. She performed daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and took daily communion.
As a young woman, her beauty began to attract suitors. To deter these men, St. Rose marred her face, rubbing it with pepper to make it blister. She cropped her hair short.
Her parents opposed her plan to take a vow of chastity. This resulted in a clash of wills, because her parents wanted her to marry. Her father eventually relented and gave her a room to herself.
St. Rose kept herself cloistered in her room, spending long periods in prayer. It was said she slept only two hours per night so as to have more time for prayer.
She quit eating meat altogether, an extreme dietary restriction for that time.
When she turned 20, she was permitted to join the Third Order of St. Dominic. She continued a life of extreme prayer, fasting and penance. On one occasion she burned her hands as a self-imposed act of penance.
She was known to wear a heavy silver crown, with spikes that could pierce her flesh. The spikes reminded her of the Crown of Thorns. At one point, one of the spikes become so lodged in her skull that the crown was removed with great difficulty.
St. Rose died in on August 25, 1617, at the age of 31. According to legend, she accurately predicted the date of her death. Her funeral was a major event attended by all the city's authorities.
Pope Clement IX beatified her in 1667 and Pope Clement X recognized her as a saint, canonizing her in 1671. Her feast day is August 23 around the world, although some countries, like Peru, celebrate her on August 30.
St. Rose is the patroness of embroiderers, gardeners, florists, those who suffer ridicule for their piety, and people who suffer family problems.
Pope at Mass in Rimini: ‘At every level, authority is service'
During the Mass concluding his one-day pastoral visit to San Marino and Rimini, Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that St. Peter’s faith is the foundation of our call to our call to service, following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Messiah, who became incarnate to serve humanity.
By Christopher Wells
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for the Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time at the Italian port of Rimini on Saturday evening, concluding a one-day pastoral visit that began in the Republic of San Marino and included an encounter with the participants in the “Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples.”
The Holy Father began his homily by recalling St. Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, recounted in the day’s Gospel.
“We are here,” Pope Leo said, “because we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the eternal Son of the Father, consecrated and sent into the world ‘to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
In Peter’s words, he continued, “we recognize the truth that fills us with joy and hope, and we find the path that leads to life: the path of God who places Himself at the service of humanity.”
The Pope incenses the image of the patroness of Rimini (@Vatican Media)
Pope Leo explained that this is how we should understand Jesus’ handing of the keys of the Kingdom, a gesture that shows us that in the Church, authority is service.
Not only bishops and priests, but every baptized person, he said, is called to embrace, reunite, welcome, liberate, forgive, and emancipate “anyone imprisoned by sin and its consequences.
Turning to the Old Testament reading, which saw the unjust steward removed from his position in favour of the righteous Eliakim, Pope Leo drew the lesson: “everything we have and are is a gift from God to us, so that, in His hands, we can be instruments of salvation for one another in justice.”
Pope Leo went on to explain the “inscrutability” of God’s plans for us—expressed by St Paul in the Second Reading—saying that those plans are not complex because of the reasoning behind them, but because of “the disarming immensity of His love, which surpasses all our capacity and expectations.”
This divine loved, which we are called to imitate, is mirrored in the honesty, generosity, and, benevolence of the people of the Romagna region, the Holy Father sad, as he encouraged them to continue to ensure that the area is welcoming, “not only for its refreshment and entertainment, but also for its spirituality.”
In the context of the summer vacation that is drawing to a close, Pope Leo warned the faithful not to allow a period of rest to lead to “dispersion and ruin,” but rather to take the opportunity to find rest in a genuine encounter with God and other people in the depths of our souls.
He said the Christian community is called to foster this experience, as individuals and institutions, through hospitality, recollection, and the willingness “to help and to offer charity.” This applies not only to our engagement with those seeking rest and refreshment, but also with those “wounded in body and spirit, who seek refuge, food, and assistance far from their homeland.”
Quoting the local Bishop, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful gathered for the Holy Mass to take up the attitudes of prayer, unity, listening, courage, simplicity, gratitude, before thanking them for their welcome and commending them to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and their patron saints.
Pope meets with the sick and poor in Rimini: ‘You are home’
Pope Leo XIV meets with people who are sick, persons with disabilities and people living in poverty assisted by Caritas in the Rimini Cathedral and reminds them of God’s love for them.
By Kielce Gussie
After meeting those participating in the 47th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, Pope Leo XIV travelled to the Rimini Cathedral to meet with people who are sick, persons with disabilities and people living in poverty assisted by Caritas.
Expressing his gratitude for the Meeting, the Pope explained that the Cathedral is where “you are at home” because Jesus welcomed the sick, the poor, and those with disabilities at the center to “heal them and restore to them a life worthy of their dignity.”
In that way, he demonstrated God’s love and infinite mercy. After experiencing those signs and being healed, these people followed Jesus and joined his community of disciples.
Pope Leo urged everyone to follow this example. We are called to let Jesus heal us, to forgive us, and transform us. After that, we are called to walk together in his Church, that is the community he created to bring the Gospel to everyone.
With that in mind, the Pope once again thanked and encouraged everyone to “follow the Lord by taking an active part in the life of the Church—in the parish, in associations, and in places of welcome and service.” It is in these moments that we learn and experience God’s great love and realize that we are all his children and brothers and sisters to one another.
The Diocesan Caritas of Rimini offers a variety of services to help and care for the most vulnerable people in the local community. Some of the initiatives include a soup kitchen, Grandparents’ Outreach Service, prison services, and street outreach.
Supporting the Pope’s Mission
In his welcoming address to the Pope, Bishop Nicolò Anselmi recalled the figures who inspire the Diocese spiritually: from the two young people recently beatified, Sandra Sabattini and Alberto Marvelli, to the witness of the Servant of God Fr. Oreste Benzi, a priest from Rimini and founder of the Pope John XXIII Community. They are an inspiration to so many of the brothers and sisters present, “who are going through a difficult period in their lives”: from illness to addiction, as well as imprisonment. “Jesus is asking you to care for these people,” the bishop said.
Bishop Anselmi explained to Pope Leo that the cathedral houses two important relics: one of Saint Nicholas of Bari, “which offers us the opportunity to engage in ongoing ecumenical dialogue,” and a cloth bearing the blood of Saint John Paul II, “displayed here in an exhibition that includes a photograph of Pope WojtyÅ‚a alongside a very young Robert Prevost.”
Finally, the bishop addressed the Pope with words of trust and commitment: “We want to help you carry out this great task. We too, with you and like Peter, want Jesus and want to love one another. Bless us, Your Holiness, in this desire for love that we wish to live in our families, in our diocese and in the world.”
Pope to Rimini Meeting: Our identity as God’s children unites us
During his visit to the Rimini Meeting of Friendships Among Peoples, Pope Leo XIV urges the participants to always love the Church and commends young people who with their love for Christ and the Church, attract others to the faith.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Leo XIV addressed participants in the 47th “Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples” on Saturday afternoon at the Rimini Exhibition Centre.
The Pope's visit to the week-long event, organized annually by the Communion and Liberation Movement at the end of August, takes place in the context of his Pastoral Visit to the Republic of San Marino and to the city of Rimini.
In his remarks to the Meeting, the Pope encouraged those present in their faith and urged them to learn from Jesus' example of promoting peace in times of conflict and injustice.
"Today too, peace is fostered and spread by people who love to encounter one another and are not afraid to engage with one another. In his Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis taught us to cultivate social friendship, which is the public, dynamic and concrete expression of fraternity."
“Before borders, definitions, and institutions, there are always people.”
"When we recognize one another in the dignity of being children of God," Pope Leo observed, "we come into contact with that which fundamentally unites human beings, beyond every difference, division or conflict."
'Evil is not fought with evil'
The Pope reminded those present that "love moves" and reflected on how Jesus described the perfection of God, revealing the gulf between the generosity of his action and the narrowness of human thoughts.
Reality, he noted, suffocates within our calculations and breathes in God’s gratuitousness.
The Holy Father said it is "no coincidence" that my predecessors—Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis—all pointed to divine mercy as the point of impact between the Gospel and the “new things” of this dramatic and wonderful age.
Pope Leo greeting the participants of the Rimini Meeting (@Vatican Media)
"To follow Jesus Christ in the wake of the tragedies and new beginnings of the twentieth century," Pope Leo underscored, "requires a clear awareness that evil is not overcome by evil."
"As in heaven, so on earth," he insisted, "love is the law of life and the means of redemption — the way of the crucified Messiah."
Christ's love commits and purifies us
"Catholic culture must counter the false realism that rearms minds, words and nations, with the realism of mercy which recognizes that there can be no enemies, and that everyone, even those who oppose us, is a brother or sister to be looked in the eye and encountered in truth."
While he acknowledged that sin certainly exists, he said Christ’s redeeming love is stronger.
Christ's love, he emphasized, "commits us to purifying our thoughts, interests, habits, associations, plans and investments — indeed, every aspect of our lives – from all that the culture of power has tainted."
Glory of God must shine forth, unjust power relationships must be 'unmasked'
The Pope observed that there is no shortage of expertise, responsibility and resources among those gathered at the meeting to place at the service of an authentic conversion of a people.
“Obsession with preserving one’s glory, one’s ‘dignity’, one’s influence," he said, "must not play a part in our sentiments. We must seek the glory of God, and this does not coincide with our own."
Pope Leo is the second pontiff to personally take part in the event since Pope John Paul II (@Vatican Media)
He said that the glory of God that shines forth in the humility of the cave of Bethlehem or in the dishonor of Christ’s cross always surprises us.
Accordingly, he urged all faithful to join in freeing "our lives from suspicion, culture from arrogance, education from ideology, work from the idolatry of profit, and technology and finance from the business of death."
"Beginning with the organizations that we have created and in which we work," the Pope invited, "let us expose unjust structures of power that lie at the root of poverty, inequality, war and environmental disasters."
Need for courageous pioneers
In this context, Pope Leo also called for disarming technological development when it becomes pervasive and destructive.
"We need courageous pioneers who, by first changing course in their own lives," he insisted, "can make the transformation required of everyone convincing and credible."
"Let there not be only those who fan the flames of weariness and despair; let there also be those who rekindle dreams and visions!" Pope Leo said, recognizing the two paths are incompatible, "because one feeds upon division, alienation and despair, while the other serves the Kingdom of God and his justice."
The Holy Father acknowledged the great participation of young people present, many of whom are volunteers.
"You are a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat!" he insisted, despite the many who, he said, no longer believe this, both among adults and among young people.
"Silently, “the love that moves the sun and the other stars” still inspires hope," the Pope said, stressing how intensely he experienced this meeting with young people during his Apostolic Journeys to Lebanon, Africa and Spain.
'Young people, put yourselves on the line!'
"Love moves us, urges us on, awakens us from our slumber," and "inspires new vocations and calls us to take risks," Pope Leo said.
Thus, he appealed, "do not be afraid to give yourselves fully! Open yourselves to a truly catholic spirit, broadening your networks beyond every overly narrow sense of belonging. Let your Movement, your groups and your communities be a springboard from which you can dive into the whole of reality."
With this sentiment, he said, "resist whatever would separate you from brothers and sisters of different cultures, sensibilities and backgrounds, especially the poorest among them. Instead, go forth to meet everyone!"
"In every corner of the world, especially on the margins and among those who suffer," he said, "you will find people who are ready to help build the civilization of love."
Do not allow anyone to diminish that God is love
The Pope cautioned against this love being diminished, and stressed that in love there is never coercion, indoctrination; never seduction, deception or recruitment.
"Love exists only in freedom, in genuine encounter and in the generous gift of self." he said.
“Love exists only in freedom, in genuine encounter and in the generous gift of self.”
Young people's adherence to Christ
The Holy Father observed to young people how the world today seems astonished by their adherence to Christ, by the attraction you feel towards Him and his Word, and by your belonging to the Church.
"For many today, the very fact that you are Christians comes as a surprise! Yet, without fanfare, 'the word of the Lord sounded forth from you'," he said, quoting Saint Paul's letter to the community of Thessalonica, where he also told them: “Your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.”
"This is not a matter of numbers, although it is moving to see thousands of your peers seeking Baptism in societies considered among the most secularized in the world," but, he said, "a matter of freedom because the truth can be encountered only in freedom."
The Church grows by attraction
The Holy Father recalled that his predecessors have repeated on several occasions, “the Church does not engage in proselytism. Instead, she grows by ‘attraction’.”
Pope Leo acknowledged that we are human and often marked by limitation and sin. "Yet," he encouraged, "it is the Lord who always raises us up, both as individuals and as communities!"
With this encouragement, Pope Leo told those gathered, "always love the Church" and "love and safeguard the unity of the “community” through which Christ has reached you and draws you to himself."
“It is worth saying it again: ‘Always love the Church!’ Dear friends, love and preserve unity.”
The Pope closed reminding everyone present that a fundamental element in every Christian community is prayer, before inviting those present to join in praying the Lord's Prayer.
Pope in San Marino: Respond to conflict by following Gospel
As he meets with the Catholic community of San Marino, Pope Leo XIV urges everyone to "walk with even greater conviction on the path of the Gospel,” following in the footsteps of the Saints Marinus and Leo, the founders of the Republic.
By Christopher Wells
During his visit to San Marino on August 22, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the legacy of Saints Marinus and Leo, the founders of the Republic.
As laymen and stonemasons—who were only later called to ordained ministry—“they knew how to translate the Gospel message into a new communal and political model strongly characterized by the Christian principles of freedom, mutual respect, and communion.”
Pope to youth: Open your hearts to the infinite
The Holy Father began his address to the ecclesial community of San Marino with an invitation to young people to open their hearts to the infinite, rather than being satisfied with “partial, immediate answers.” This, he said, can lead them to an encounter with God, who can help them leave their mark on history.
Pope Leo went on to invite all those present to enthusiastically embrace the mission given them by God, and to have the courage to make demanding choices, such as marriage, consecrated life, ordained ministry, a career, or political and social engagement. He called them to prepare as best they can so that they would be able to bear witness “to a peace that speaks to the world”, the motto of his journey.
Educating children in Christian values
After thanking priests, catechists, and other teachers for their work in supporting parents—who, he noted, were the primary teachers of their children—the Pope said that a “wise pastoral approach” to education involves parents in such a way that their own faith would be renewed and they would have “the joy” of passing on their Christian values to their children.”
In particular, he called on them to foster baptismal and sacramental life, and to “carefully cultivate” liturgy as an experience of unity.
Responding to conflict by following the Gospel with greater conviction
Pope Leo insisted that Jesus is the definitive answer to the questions of the meaning of life, and that the Gospel is the “path of freedom” for all men and women. As such, it is a gift we can give to all those we meet. And it is why Christians practice charity in all its diverse forms but always aimed at “the ultimate and integral good of the people to whom we offer our support.”
In a world marked by conflict, he said, “our response can only be to walk with even greater conviction on the path of the Gospel”.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his address by once again recalling the importance of communion in order to overcome individualism and “distrustful and divisive parochialism,” and “to breathe new life into our hopes for fraternity and peace.”
This, he said, is a part both of the legacy of Saints Marinus and Leo, and of “our mission to continue with perseverance and dedication to build upon what they began.”
Pope Leo: San Marino offers world an example of ‘care of human person’
Pope Leo XIV begins his pastoral visit to San Marino by meeting with civil authorities and praises the world’s oldest Republic for offering an example of good politics aimed at the care of the human person.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Leo XIV traveled to the Republic of San Marino on Saturday, August 22, for a half-day pastoral visit, followed by a visit to the Italian city of Rimini in the afternoon.
He met first with the civil authorities of San Marino at the Public Palace, offering his gratitude to the Captains Regent, the two joint Heads of State, a tradition that dates back to 1243.
In his address, Pope Leo expressed his joy to visit the world’s oldest Republic, following in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II who visited in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.
Known as the “Most Serene Republic,” San Marino has remained rooted in its motto “Libertas” (Liberty), which the Pope said sums up its history and aspirations for the future.
“First, I wish to emphasize that there can be no true civil freedom without personal freedom—that is, without respect for and the promotion of the dignity of the human person, of which freedom is an essential component,” he said, noting that this freedom is “given and guaranteed by God.”
Pope Leo said promoting liberty means defending the realm of conscience, recalling the many men and women who have given their lives in martyrdom.
He pointed to St. Thomas More, Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians, as well as to the many people who stay true to their conscience and the freedom that comes from being children of God.
Freedom, he said, is fulfilled through “self-giving, communion, encounter, and dialogue,” and flows from the Triune God.
“This theological reference may perhaps seem excessive,” he said, “but I believe it is necessary today in the face of the idolatry that corrupts at their roots those political and economic projects presented in the name of freedom but which, in reality, are enslaved to idols and power.”
Pope Leo XIV upheld the Christian vision of freedom and communion, which he said, “stand or fall together.”
He recalled the founders of San Marino, St. Marinus and St. Leo, whose industriousness and ingenuity live on in the Republic’s people.
Liberty, added the Pope, involves an “unwavering commitment to active and constructive participation in building peace.”
He said San Marino and the Holy See share a desire for diplomacy and multilateralism to promote understanding among nations.
Pope Leo XIV then invited the Republic of San Marino to serve as a “laboratory of good politics,” drawing on the principles of Catholic social teaching, especially the pursuit of the common good, the universal destination of goods, the harmony between subsidiarity and solidarity, and social justice.
At the same time, he urged San Marino to pursue the central objective of “care of the human person,” expressed in the protection of every human life, from conception to natural death.
“This care for others has been a distinctive feature of San Marino’s history from its very beginnings,” he said. “As has been noted, it is evident in the tradition of welcome that, throughout the centuries, has never failed those who suffer or face hardship.”
The Pope recalled especially its support and hospitality offered to the Ukrainian people and its commitment to international humanitarian law at a time when it has come under increasing threat.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV thanked San Marino’s civil leaders and citizens for their courageous and far-sighted efforts on behalf of every person, calling them a fruit of the country’s Christian tradition.
