The Pope calls for living one's vocation by sanctifying work

This Wednesday, the Pope held an audience in St. Peter's Square with several points of focus. Leo XIV mentioned the beatification tomorrow, the 24th, of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the saint of the day, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and in particular the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday the 27th, with an appeal for responsibility, especially towards minors, the most vulnerable.

In this regard, Leo XIV has made “an appeal to the responsibility of all: that each one feels involved in the lives of these young people, who must always be protected and assisted.”.

The example of Fulton Scheen

Regarding the beatification of the venerable Fulton Scheen In St. Louis, Missouri, the Pope prayed that “the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, may inspire many others to find, in the same way, new ways of spreading the message of the Gospel with joyful enthusiasm.”.

Greetings from the Pope

Furthermore, at the end, before thousands of Romans and pilgrims whom he had previously greeted from the popemobile, the Pope addressed himself in a special way to the participants in the refresher course on canon law, organized by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; to the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) of Predazzo, Gaeta, Orvieto, and Bari; to the Military Academy of Modena; and to the group “Mothers” Prayers.”. 

And also to the pilgrims from the Diocese of Rimini, together with Bishop Nicolò Anselmi, gathered here a month after my pastoral visit to your land. “I renew my gratitude for the welcome you extended to me and I encourage you to grow in faith, rooted in listening to the Word of God, so that you may bear witness to all of the love of the Heavenly Father.”.

Humanity should not emancipate itself from God, on the contrary

At the Audience, The Pope has reflected on the third chapter of the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes from the Second Vatican Council, dedicated to human activity in the world. Man, created in the image and likeness of God, thanks to his freedom and intelligence is capable of knowing, progressing and improving the living conditions of society, he recalled.

“Some thinkers, however, began to mistakenly claim that humanity, in order to demonstrate its knowledge, its freedom, and its progress, should emancipate itself from God.”.

But the Second Vatican Council, on the other hand, the Pope has emphasized, “referring to the mystery of the Incarnation, affirms that men, as well as the works of their hands, are not annulled in the encounter with God, but in Him they find their full truth and freedom.”. 

A call to do the work well, and to become holy in it

Another consequence of this perspective is that "human beings should not abandon earthly occupations, but are called to live their vocation by doing their daily work well and finding in it a path to sanctification.".

In similar words, when addressing, for example, English and Spanish-speaking pilgrims, he stated: “From this perspective, an important truth emerges: to find God, human beings must not abandon earthly occupations, but can fully live their own vocation by doing their daily work well and sanctifying it.”.

Christians, like everyone else, participate in building the city of men, added Leo XIV, “with their eyes fixed on the end of all things and on the encounter with God, and reminding those with whom they share the adventure of progress, science and life of this ultimate goal.”.

Lively and charity-oriented

The Holy Father has drawn attention to this point regarding the practice of charity.

“Finally, let us remember that for true human progress—that is, progress for the whole person and for all people—technical and scientific progress must be animated and guided by charity. Only in this way can it always be used to defend human dignity and promote the living conditions of all, especially the most disadvantaged,” he noted.

It should be noted that the Pope did not mention his pastoral visit to France this weekend. Nor did he refer to it in his address to French-speaking pilgrims, in which he greeted in particular the group of pilgrims from France, the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, and the “Réseau du Cœur” group from Haiti.