As every Wednesday, St. Peter’s Square welcomes thousands of pilgrims who come to meet the Pope.
In his catechesis, Leo XIV raised a very specific question: Can human beings progress and exercise their freedom without God?
Drawing on Gaudium et Spes, the Pope stressed that we do not need to abandon the world or our daily responsibilities in order to encounter God. Our Christian vocation can also be lived out through our work, our intellect, and our efforts to improve society.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we continue our series of catecheses on the Second Vatican Council, today we consider the meaning and value of human activity as presented by the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes.
Revolutionary advances in science and technology in the past century have led some to assume that belief in God is now obsolete, and that true human autonomy can be affirmed only by emancipation from God. The Council Fathers emphasized, on the contrary, that “the achievements of the human race are a sign of God’s greatness and the fulfilment of his mysterious design”.
Indeed, far from inhibiting believers from being engaged in human activity, the Gospel message compels us to contribute to authentic human flourishing through our involvement in society. Let us carry out our daily activities with true charity, offering our work to the Lord both as a means for personal sanctification and as an expression of our desire ever more fully to bring about God’s kingdom, especially through pursuing the common good, caring for the needy and defending human dignity.
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from England, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Malta, Tanzania, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States of America.
Tomorrow in Saint Louis, Missouri, Venerable Fulton Sheen will be beatified. May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
