- 13 July, 2025
Vatican City, July 13, 2025: Pope Leo XIV, spending his summer holidays in Castel Gandolfo, led the faithful in the traditional Angelus prayer on Sunday, reminding Christians that eternal life comes not from evading death but from serving others with love.
Addressing pilgrims gathered in Freedom Square in the hilltop town near Rome, the Pope reflected on the Gospel question posed to Jesus: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
He noted that the question reveals a deep human longing for an existence free from failure, evil, and death. Yet, he emphasised, eternal life cannot be seized by force or bargained for—it must be inherited.
“Eternal life, which God alone can give, is bestowed on us as an inheritance, as parents do with their children,” Pope Leo said.
He explained that Jesus calls believers to do God’s will, which means loving God wholeheartedly and loving one’s neighbour as oneself.
“When we do these two things, we respond to the Father’s love,” said the Pope. “God’s will is the law of life that the Father Himself was the first to follow, by loving us unconditionally in His Son, Jesus.”
Pope Leo urged Christians to turn to Jesus as the model of authentic love—a love that is generous, forgiving, and expansive, never leaving individuals isolated or self-absorbed.
Just as God drew near to humanity through Christ, he said, believers are called to reach out and care for those around them.
“Imitating the example of Jesus, the Saviour of the world,” the Pope continued, “we too are called to bring consolation and hope, above all to those who are experiencing discouragement and disappointment.”
He concluded his Angelus reflection by underscoring that the supreme commandment to love God and neighbour surpasses all human laws and imparts true meaning to them.
“In order to live eternally, we do not need to cheat death, but to serve life, by caring for others in this, our time together.”
By choosing to serve life, Pope Leo affirmed, Christians become “artisans of peace in our daily lives.”
Courtesy: Vatican News
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