(OSV News) — The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Angelus address given Sunday, Sept. 20, at St. Peter’s Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
In today’s liturgy, through the words of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord gives us great cause for hope, telling us that his thoughts are not our thoughts, that his ways are not our ways (cf. Is 55:8). Yes, God’s plans are infinitely greater — and, let us say, more “human”— than those that we men and women, marked by sin, can conceive or bring to fruition. Thus, the prophet’s call, which is more relevant than ever, is that we abandon our warped ways and return to the Lord, who is mercy and forgiveness (vv. 6-7).
In the Gospel, Jesus’ parables describe the newness of what God has in store for us; yet they also reveal the resistance we generally offer to a more generous justice and greater love. Today, in particular, we hear the story of the laborers called to work in the vineyard (cf. Mt 20: 1–16) — some for a full day, some for only a few hours, and some only as the sun was setting. But the heart of the parable lies in the moment of payment, when the landowner keeps his word to the workers hired at the first hour and pays them as agreed; yet he wants them to see his goodness and, right before their eyes, treats the last ones in the same way.
One detail especially should not escape our notice. The landowner gives the steward a specific order that the workers are to be paid “beginning with the last and then going to the first” (Mt 20:8). The negative reaction of those who had worked all day, then, could easily have been avoided; it was intentional, however, because the revelation of God’s goodness is for everyone, not just for a few. God has different ways and fresh ideas even for those who consider themselves to be first and believe they have earned what they have, that they deserved the results they have achieved. Instead, we all gain joy, wisdom and a better future when the law of love interrupts that of calculation, when the experience of mercy broadens that of merit, and when the gift of peace suspends rivalries and brings us closer together in gratitude.
Brothers and sisters, it is indeed a grace to be God’s co-workers, to labor in his vineyard, to serve his Kingdom of justice and peace! There is no room for envy or division where God’s newness breaks forth. Therefore, let us seek the Lord while he may be found; let us call upon him while he is near; let us abandon crooked paths and wicked thoughts (cf. Is 55:6-7).
Let us look to our Most Holy Mother, for she is a creature like us yet without blemish. Thus, she can help us to hope in God and to entrust ourselves to his mercy, so that his ways may become our ways and his thoughts may become our thoughts.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
With great concern, I am following the humanitarian crisis unfolding in certain areas of Somalia, where acts of violence and extreme weather events are exacerbating the already precarious living conditions of the population, particularly of women and children. I hope for the generous involvement of the international community, so that our brothers and sisters may not lack the necessary assistance.
Now, I extend my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims.
I welcome the Bishop and the faithful from the Diocese of Torun, Poland, who are visiting the sites of Eucharistic miracles in Italy; as well as the families from the Diocese of Spiš, Slovakia.
I greet the Jesuit Fathers, who are beginning their new course of studies in Rome, and the group from the Roman parish of the Holy Family of Nazareth, along with the “Centocelle” sports club and the “San Giuseppe Manyanet” Oratory.
I send my blessing to the people of Pescantina, near Verona, who today gather around the Monument to the Former Internees to remember those who were deported and held prisoner during the Second World War. I do so in order to emphasize that we must not forget, but rather learn from history so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Dear friends, thank you for coming. I wish everyone a happy Sunday!
