Dear brothers and sisters,

In every part of the world, the Church lives as a people who walk as disciples of Christ, our brother and Redeemer. He, the Risen One, illumines for us the path to the Father and with the strength of the Spirit he sanctifies us so that we may transform our way of life in conformity with his love.  This is the Good News, the Gospel that courses through our veins like blood, sustaining us on the journey.  A journey that has brought me here with you today!  In the joy and beauty of our gathering, united in the name of Jesus, let us listen with open hearts to the Word of salvation for it helps us reflect on the motive and purpose for which we follow the Lord.

Indeed, when the Son of God became man, he performed striking miracles in order to manifest the will of the Father: he made light shine in the darkness by giving sight to the blind, he gave a voice to the oppressed by loosening the tongues of the mute, he slaked our thirst for justice by multiplying bread for the poor and weak.  Anyone who heard about these works set out in search of Jesus.  At the same time, the Lord looks into our heart and asks us whether we seek him out of gratitude or for our own self-interest, with calculation or with love.  In fact, he said to those who were following him: “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (Jn 6:26).  His words reveal the designs of those who do not want to encounter a person, but want to consume things.  The crowd sees Jesus as means to an end, a provider of services.  If he had not given them something to eat, his actions and teachings would not have interested them.

This happens when genuine faith is replaced with superstitious practices, in which God becomes an idol that is sought only when it is advantageous to us and only for as long as it is.  Even the most beautiful gifts of the Lord, which are always for the care of his people, become a pretext, a prize or a bargaining chip, and are misinterpreted by those who receive them.  The Gospel account, then, helps us to understand that there are erroneous motives for seeking Christ, particularly when he is considered to be a guru or a good luck charm.  Even the motivation of the crowd is inadequate: they were not seeking a teacher whom they love, but a leader to applaud for their own advantage.

How different is Jesus’ attitude toward us.  Yet, he does not reject this insincere search, but encourages its conversion.  He does not dismiss the crowd, but invites everyone to examine what stirs in our hearts.  Christ calls us to freedom: he does not want servants or clients, rather he seeks brothers and sisters to whom he can totally dedicate himself.  To respond with faith to this love, it is not enough to hear Jesus speak: one must accept the meaning of his words.  Neither is it enough to see what Jesus does: one must follow and imitate him.  When in the sign of shared bread we see the will of the Savior, who gives himself for us, only then do we draw closer to a true encounter with Jesus, which become discipleship, mission and service.

The admonition that the Lord directs to the crowd is thus transformed into an invitation: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life” (Jn 6:27).  With these words, Christ expresses his true gift to us: he does not call us to be disinterested in our daily bread, which he multiplies in abundance and teaches us to ask for in prayer.  On the contrary, he teaches us the correct way to search for the bread of life, food which sustains us forever.  The desire of the crowd receives a much greater and more surprising response: Jesus does not give us food that passes away, but bread that lasts because it is the food of eternal life.

His gift sheds light on our current situation.  We can see today how the hope of many people is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich.  Consequently, when injustice corrupts hearts, the bread of all becomes the possession of a few.  In the face of these evils, Christ hears the cry of the people and renews our history by lifting us up from every fall, comforting us in every suffering and encouraging us in our mission.  Just as the Eucharist is the living bread that he never ceases to give us, so too his history knows no end.  For this reason, the risen One opens up our lives through the power of his Spirit and removes the end of our history, that is death.  Christ lives!  He is our Redeemer.  This is the Gospel that we share, making all the people of the earth our brothers and sisters.  This is the proclamation that transforms sin into forgiveness.  This is the faith that saves life!

The Easter witness, therefore, certainly pertains to Christ, the crucified one who is risen, but it also pertains even to us because in him the proclamation of our resurrection finds its voice.  We did not come into the world to die.  We were not born to become slaves either to the corruption of the flesh or that of the soul: every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom.  This liberation from death, in fact, does not happen only at the end of our days, but every day of our lives.  What must we do to welcome such a gift?  The Gospel itself teaches us: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Jn 6:29).  Yes, let us believe!  Today, let us say it together with strength and with gratitude to you, Lord Jesus.  We want to follow you and serve you in our neighbor: your word is our rule of life, the measure of truth.

“Happy are those who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps 119/118:1).  This is the Psalm we sang.  Dear friends, it is the Lord who marks for us the path for this journey, not our exigencies, nor the current fashion.  For this reason, in light of our discipleship the ecclesial journey is a “synod of resurrection and hope,” which Saint John Paul II affirmed in his Apostolic Exhortation on Africa (Ecclesia in Africa, 13).  Let us proceed in this wise direction!  With the Gospel in your heart, you will have courage in the face of difficulties and disappointments: the way that God has opened for us, never fails.  Indeed, the Lord always walks with us, so that we may continue on his path.  Christ himself guides and strengthens our journey, a journey that we want to learn to live more and more as it should be, that is in a synodal manner.

In this regard, “The Church proclaims the Good News of Christ not only by the proclamation of the Word which she has received from the Lord, but also by the witness of life, thanks to which Christ’s disciples bear witness to the faith, hope and love which dwell in them” (ibid., 55, 55).  Sharing the Eucharist, the bread of eternal life, we are called to serve our people with a dedication that lifts up all who have fallen, rebuilds whenever violence destroys and shares with joy our fraternal bonds.  Through us, the initiatives of divine grace bear good fruit especially in adversity, as the example of the first martyr Stephen shows us (cf. Acts 6: 8-15).

Dear friends, the witness of the martyrs and of the saints encourages us and pushes us onto a path of hope, reconciliation and peace, along which the gift of God becomes the responsibility of the headof the household, in the Christian community, in civil society.  Travelling together, in the light of the Gospel, the Church in Angola grows according to the spiritual fruitfulness that begins from the Eucharist and continues in the integral care of each person and of the entire people.  In particular, the vitality of the vocations that you experience is a sign that you are responding to the Lord’s gift, which is always abundant for those who welcome it with pure hearts.  Thanks to the Bread of Life, which we share today, we can continue on the journey of the whole Church, which has as its destination the Kingdom of God, whose light is faith and whose lifeblood is charity.

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Final Words of Gratitude of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters,

This afternoon I will have a final meeting with the Catholic community in Angola, but I would now like to express my profound gratitude to all of you.

Thank you to the bishops, and with them to the priests and deacons, as well as those in consecrated life and the lay faithful, for preparing my visit.

I express sincere gratitude to the Angolan Civil Authorities for their fine organizational efforts.

Angola, remain faithful to your Christian roots! In this way, you will be able to continue contributing ever more effectively to the building up of justice and peace in Africa and throughout the world. Thank you very much!

Madam Director,
Dear brothers and sisters,

Peace to this house and to all who live here!

I warmly thank you for your faith-filled welcome, which touched my heart. It is a great comfort to me as I carry out my mission. Thank you!

It struck me to learn that you call this place “lar,” which means “home.” I thank God for this, and I hope that all of you are truly able to live here in a family atmosphere as much as possible.

Jesus loved to be at the home of his friends. The Gospels tell us that he went to the house of Peter in Capernaum, where one day he healed Peter’s mother in law. They remind us of his friendship with Maria, Martha and Lazarus: in their home in Bethany, he was welcomed as Master and Lord and at the same time with familiarity.

Therefore, dear friends, I would like to think that Jesus also lives here, in this home. Yes, he dwells among you whenever you try to love one another and help one another as brothers and sisters. When you forgive each other and seek reconciliation after a misunderstanding or a small offense, he is here among you. When all of you, or even some of you, pray together with simplicity and humility, he is here among you.

I express my appreciation to the Angolan authorities for the initiatives that benefit the neediest among the elderly, as well as to all staff members and the volunteers. The care of the weakest is a very important sign of the quality of the social life of a nation. Let us not forget that the elderly are not only in need of assistance, but first and foremost need to be listened to, because they preserve the wisdom of a people.

Dear brothers and sisters, I will keep in my heart the memory of this encounter with you. May the Virgin Mary, who filled her home in Nazareth with faith and love, always keep watch over this community. I bless all of you. Thank you!