The day after the violent earthquakes, Pope Leo XIV sent a initial humanitarian aid, and expressed his solidarity with the Venezuelan people. Yesterday, he called for “the international community to show solidarity with that beloved nation.” And today, at the Angelus This Sunday, he once again offered prayers for the deceased, the injured, and their families in Venezuela.
His words to the pilgrims and faithful in St. Peter’s Square—whom he thanked for “coming out in this heat!”—were as follows:
“Dear brothers and sisters. I wish to express my solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters affected by the recent earthquakes, which have caused numerous casualties and injuries, as well as extensive property damage.”.
”As I pray to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I reaffirm my spiritual closeness to their families, to the injured, and to all those who have been affected by this tragedy.".
”I would also like to express my gratitude and encouragement to all those who are generously working on search and rescue efforts.".
“Let there be no lack of international solidarity”
"We offer our prayers ”For the victims, for their families, and for all those who are suffering the consequences of this tragedy,“ he had said alongside the cardinals the day before. ”We also entrust to the Lord all those involved in the relief efforts, and we ask that the international community continue to show solidarity with that beloved nation.”.
The Pontiff bid farewell to the faithful with the words, “See you tomorrow for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul,” during which he will confer the pallia on the new archbishops.
Love for Jesus requires at least three things: “detachment, loss, and hospitality”
In his opening remarks, before reciting the Marian prayer of the Angelus, Pope Leo recalled today’s Gospel (Mt 10:37–42), in which “we hear some of Jesus” exhortations to follow him and be witnesses to his Kingdom.”.
“It is not about outward actions, but about committing our whole being to a loving relationship with Him. And to bear fruit, love requires at least three things: detachment, loss, and hospitality.”.
Detachment. The Pope recalled Jesus“ words: ”Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (v. 37).
When the Lord begins to send his apostles out on mission, he wants them to be free from any ties.
And he gave the example of married life: “It can only be lived to the fullest by “leaving” one’s parents” home (cf. Mt 19:6) to commit to the marital relationship.”.
And this also applies to raising children: we help them find fulfillment and happiness by teaching them to be self-reliant and make their own decisions. St. Augustine says: “It is a sad thing to lose what you love; but sometimes even the farmer loses what he sows” (Sermon 330, 2). ”Only by “losing” that seed, sown in the ground, will he be able to see it blossom,” he noted.
“Love bears fruit only through self-sacrifice”
“Love is also loss. We find it hard to understand this, especially in a world where losing seems to be a weakness and people are obsessed with having and possessing.”.
However, the Pope has emphasized that “love bears fruit only through self-giving: when we are willing to lose a little of ourselves to make room for another, to lose a little time to listen to a friend, to lose a little comfort to share in a difficult situation. ”Whoever keeps life only for himself,” says the Gospel, “actually loses it (cf. v. 39), because it does not open itself to the joy of love and becomes barren”—
That is why Jesus invites us to embrace the Cross, said the Successor of Peter. “He offered himself, he lost himself, and precisely because of that, we have been able to receive his life in abundance. It is “the logic of the gift.””.
“A commitment made up of small, everyday gestures”
And finally, hospitality, as Leo XIV has said. “Love, in fact, is expressed through concrete choices and actions, through a commitment made up of small, everyday gestures, such as offering a glass of water to someone who is thirsty (cf. v. 42).”.
“Dear friends, let us pray to the Virgin Mary, who loved her Son even as she knew she would lose him; may she help us to be humble and joyful witnesses to the love of Christ.”.
St. Peter's obolus
This Sunday, in anticipation of tomorrow's feast day, the Church celebrates the St. Peter's obolus, “a donation that may be small in amount but has profound symbolic value: it expresses love and trust in the Holy Father as the successor of the Apostle Peter,” the Vatican news agency notes.
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