Pope Leo XIV’s greeting from the popemobile marked the start of the weekly audience. During his route, he stopped to bless a set of bells brought to him by a group of visitors.
These are not just any bells. They were originally blessed by Pope Francis in 2016 and are part of the traveling “Bells of Mercy” concert.
Pope Leo's words focused on the humility of the Risen One and on His presence in our everyday lives, which often goes unnoticed.
POPE LEO XIV
We often think that the Lord visits us only in moments of recollection or spiritual fervor, when we feel worthy, when our lives seem orderly and bright. Yet the Risen One draws near precisely in the darkest places: in our failures, in worn-out relationships, in the daily struggles that weigh on our houlders, in the doubts that discourage us. Nothing we are, no fragment of our existence, is foreign to Him
With the example of the Risen Christ, Pope Leo said that He teaches us that hope can reach even the stories most marked by disappointment or sin.
POPE LEO XIV
No fall is final, no night is endless, no wound is destined to remain open forever. However far we may feel, lost or unworthy, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God’s love.
At the end of the audience, the Pope greeted several groups of pilgrims from different countries, blessed religious objects, and encouraged everyone to carry the joy of the Resurrection into their workplaces, families, and service to others.
TD: VL
