(OSV News) — The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Angelus address given Aug. 23 at St. Peter’s Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
This Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 16:13-20) confronts us with a question that speaks to each of us on our journey of faith: Who is Jesus, truly, for me?
The Gospel passage makes us understand how decisive this question is for the experience of discipleship. Indeed, although the 12 apostles had already shared so much of the life and ministry of their teacher, Jesus did not take for granted that they truly knew him or had understood the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Thus, after asking them what people were saying about him, he addressed them directly: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15).
Brothers and sisters, this is a fundamental question for the disciples of every age, and for each one of us. Faith is not something given to us once and for all. Rather, we continually need to rediscover the face of Christ and his Gospel, to enter more deeply into his message and 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 question that is put to us each day — who is Jesus for me, and what does his presence mean in my life? — emerges especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel. Yet it also arises 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, 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.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us seek not to retreat into our own convictions and religious certainties, but to remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ. 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. 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. This may also ask us to follow unfamiliar paths and to make choices different from those we had imagined.
This is true both for our personal journey and for the journey of the Church, as well as for our pastoral choices, when we may sometimes think that it is enough simply to continue doing things as we have always done them. Instead, it is important to ask ourselves often: 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?
Let us invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary, who sought the will of God in her heart through her Son, that she may always guide us along the path of faith.
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
In my prayers, I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in light of the spread of the Ebola epidemic, which is sadly claiming many lives. I encourage on the part of the international community a response that also involves local communities in efforts of prevention, so that many human lives may be saved.
I am also close to the people of the Central African Republic, who are mourning the victims of the collapse at a mine in Zamboyé. May the Lord receive those who have lost their lives and sustain efforts to ensure safety and respect for the law at mining sites.
Tomorrow marks the tenth anniversary of the earthquake that struck central Italy, affecting Lazio, Umbria and the Marche. I pray for the deceased and for their families, as well as for all the communities involved. May faith and solidarity continue to sustain the work of reconstruction.
I greet all of you with affection, Romans and pilgrims from various countries.
In particular, I extend a warm welcome to the Primatial Choir of Gniezno Cathedral in Poland; to the seminarians and faculty of the Pontifical North American College; and to the young people from Bormio and Valfurva.
I wish everyone a happy Sunday!
