By Cindy Wooden, OSV
While enjoying a summer break from school or work, Catholics should not neglect "the Lord's invitation to prepare our hearts by actively participating in the Eucharistic sacrifice and performing generous acts of charity," said Pope Leo XIV.
Speaking in English in his general audience weekly on August 6, the Pope summarized his keynote address, which focused on how Christ prepared to sacrifice himself for love of humanity and how Christians, in response, must prepare space in their hearts and lives for him.
The Gospel stories of Jesus and his disciples preparing for the Passover and the Last Supper-and for Jesus' passion and death, he said-"show us that love is not the result of chance, but of a conscious choice."
Jesus, the Pope affirmed, "does not face his passion out of fatalism, but out of fidelity to a path freely accepted and followed".
Believers should take comfort in knowing that "the gift of their life is born of a conscious intention, not a sudden impulse," Pope Leo told the thousands gathered for the audience in St. Peter's Square.
As Easter and his death approached, Jesus "already had it all figured out, everything had been arranged, everything had been decided," the pope said. "However, he asks his friends to do their part. This teaches us something essential for our spiritual life: grace does not eliminate our freedom, but awakens it. God's gift does not eliminate our responsibility, but makes it fruitful."
The Mass
Catholics today are also called to prepare to receive Christ's sacrifice, he said, and not only at Mass. "The Eucharist is not only celebrated at the altar, but also in daily life, where it is possible to live everything as an offering and thanksgiving," Pope Leo said.
Often, that preparation is not about doing more, he said, but rather about creating space by "eliminating what gets in our way, reducing our demands and letting go of unrealistic expectations."
"Every gesture of availability, every gratuitous act, every forgiveness in advance, every effort patiently accepted, is a way of preparing a place where God can dwell," Pope Leo affirmed.
"May the Lord grant us to be humble preparers of his presence," the Pope prayed. "And, in this daily preparation, may that serene trust also grow in us, enabling us to face everything with a free heart. For where love is prepared, life can truly flourish."
