(VIDEO ONLY) Pope Leo XIV delivered his first general audience, in which he resumed the catechesis series on Hope that had been started by Pope Francis.
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATHEQUESIS
Dear brothers and sisters:
I am happy to be with you in this, the first General Audience of my
pontificate. Today, I would like to take up the series of catecheses on the Jubilee theme of “Christ our Hope” begun by Pope Francis, and reflect on Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed. What can strike us is the generosity, even recklessness, with which the sower casts the seed on all kinds of soil, even the rocky terrain that seems most unpromising.
Jesus explains that the seed is God’s word, which is meant to take root in the hearts of all, none excluded. We who hear this parable, and apply it to our own lives, may well feel challenged to become a better and more receptive terrain for the working of his grace. Yet the parable of the sower can also make us think of Jesus himself, who, in his death and resurrection, became the seed that fell to the ground and died in order to bear rich fruit. The
image of the sower – we can think of the famous painting by Van Gogh – is thus one of hope in the promise of a coming harvest. Today, and every day, let us ask the Lord to open our hearts to his saving word and its power to transform and enrich our lives and the world in which we live.
I welcome the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially those from England, Ireland,
Hungary, Norway, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Canada, and the United States. I greet in particular the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Annecy, the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate, the Daughters of Saint Jerome Emiliani, the Couples For Christ group, the pilgrims from the Diocese of Kerry, and an International group of young volunteers from Saint Cassian’s Centre. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Hope may be for you and your families a time of grace and
spiritual renewal, I invoke upon you all the joy and peace of the Lord Jesus.
