The Pope urges us to let ourselves be transformed by our friendship with Jesus

Following his pastoral visit to the Republic of San Marino, he attended the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini (Italy), where encouraged “to always love the Church,” and to the city of Rimini, where he presided over the concelebrated Mass, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Marian prayer on Sunday, August 23, the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, where he encouraged the pilgrims and the faithful to respond personally to Jesus' call.

“Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 16:13–20) poses a question that challenges each of us on our journey of faith: ‘Who is Jesus really for me?’” the Pontiff began his reflection. The Gospel account shows just how crucial this question is to the experience of discipleship, the Pope noted.

Prayer for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and the victims of the earthquake in Italy 10 years ago

After the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father prayed for the many victims of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also encouraged the international community to respond with a preventive plan, involving local communities, to save many lives.

The Pontiff also expressed his solidarity with the people of the Central African Republic, who mourn the victims of the mine collapse in Zamboyé. “May the Lord welcome those who have lost their lives and sustain the commitment to ensuring safety and legality at mining sites,” said the Pope. 

Among his intentions, the Pope also remembered those who died, their families, and all the communities affected by the earthquake that struck central Italy—in Lazio, Umbria, and the Marche—ten years ago. The Pope marked the tenth anniversary of this devastating earthquake, which claimed hundreds of lives.

Before wishing everyone a happy Sunday, Leo XIV welcomed the Primatial Choir of Gniezno Cathedral in Poland, as well as the seminarians and superiors of the Pontifical North American College, and the young people from Bormio and Valfurva.

Jesus calls us to a personal response

In his reflection before the Angelus, as noted, the Pope meditated on the Gospel for this 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, where It is told that the scene of Peter's confession of faith.

Sometimes, when it comes to the Christian faith, we settle for ‘what people say,’ for clichés, for what has been passed down to us—perhaps even with good intentions. 

“But Jesus calls us to a personal response, to get to know him intimately, to allow ourselves to be transformed by our friendship with him—in an ever-new encounter that may require us to travel uncharted paths and make decisions different from those we had imagined,” Pope Leo continued.

This applies both to our personal journey and to the journey of the Church, as well as to pastoral decisions, where we sometimes think it is enough to simply carry on as we always have. ”Instead, it is important to ask ourselves frequently: Who is the Lord for me? Do I truly know him? What does his Gospel ask of me today? What steps and decisions should I take?” asked the Successor of Peter.

“We always need to rediscover the face of Christ and his Gospel”

Regarding this question from Jesus—’And you, who do you say that I am?’ (Mt (16:15), the Pope said, “This is a fundamental step for disciples of all times and for each one of us.”.

“Faith, in fact, is not given to us once and for all; on the contrary, we must always rediscover the face of Christ and his Gospel, delve deeper into his message, and renew the choices we make in our lives so that they are consistent with what we profess, overcoming the temptation to believe that we already know it all and to turn faith into a mere habit.”.

For us, is Jesus just a great historical figure, or is he the Christ of God?

The question we ask ourselves every day—who Jesus is for me and what his presence in my life means—“arises especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel; but also when we face the wounds and needs of our brothers and sisters, or in the relationships and situations that most challenge our conscience.”.

In short, the Holy Father emphasized, “in our daily lives we can see whether, for us, the Lord Jesus is merely a great historical figure who said and did important things, or whether he is the Christ of God, the One who was sent to make us sharers in the Father’s love and to transform our lives and the world in which we live.”.

“Let us call upon the Virgin Mary,” concluded Leo XIV, "who sought God's will in her heart through her Son, so that she may always guide us on the path of faith.".