In the last Angelus Pope Leo XIV meditated on Sunday's Gospel, in which Jesus sends out 72 disciples. "To work every day in God's field," "one does not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral concepts," he said. "One needs, above all, to pray to the Lord of the harvest, the relationship with the Lord, to cultivate dialogue with Him."
"Then He will make us His workers and send us into the field of the world as witnesses of His Kingdom," he continued.
Pope Leo turned to our Mother, and encouraged the faithful: "Let us ask the Virgin Mary, who gave herself generously, saying 'I am the handmaid of the Lord,' and thus participated in the work of salvation, to intercede for us. And may she accompany us on the path of following the Lord, so that we too may become joyful workers in the Kingdom of God".
All called, the harvest is plentiful
Earlier, the Pontiff had focused on three issues. First of all, "today's Gospel (Lc 10:1-12.17-20) reminds us of the importance of mission, to which we are all called, each according to his vocation and in the concrete situations in which the Lord has placed him".
Secondly, the words of Jesus, in which he reveals that "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the owner of the fields to send out laborers for the harvest" (v. 2). "There is something great that the Lord wants to do in our life and in the history of humanity, but few are those who realize it, those who stop to welcome the gift, those who announce it and bring it to others," the Pope stressed.
"Laborers willing to work are needed."
And thirdly, "the Church and the world do not need people who fulfill their religious duties by displaying their faith as an outward label; they need, instead, workers eager to work in the mission field, disciples in love who bear witness to the Kingdom of God wherever they are."
Perhaps there is no lack of "Christians of occasion", said the PopeBut there are few who are willing to work every day in God's field, cultivating in their hearts the seed of the Gospel and then taking it to daily life, to the family, to the workplace, to study, to the various social environments and to those in need.
And to do this, "we do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral concepts; above all, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest. In the first place, then, is the relationship with the Lord, cultivating a dialogue with him".
Condolences for the catastrophe in Texas, and prayers for peace
After praying the Angelus, Leo XIV greeted "all of you, faithful of Rome, pilgrims of Italy and of various countries. With the great heat of this period, your journey through the Holy Doors is even more courageous and admirable".
In a special way, the Holy Father expressed "my sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, especially the girls who were at the summer camp during the catastrophe caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas, United States. Let us pray for them.
He has also prayed for peace. In this sense, he encouraged to ask "the Lord to touch the hearts and inspire the minds of those in power, so that they may replace the violence of arms with the search for dialogue".
Finally, he commented that in the afternoon he would be transferred to Castel Gandolfowhere I plan to stay for a short period of rest. I wish everyone to enjoy some vacation time to replenish their physical and spiritual strength".
