Pope at Audience: The Word of God Responds to our Thirst

Vatican, Feb 11, 2026: Emphasising the close relationship between the Word of God and the Church, Pope Leo XIV said during the Wednesday General Audience on February 11, that Sacred Scripture speaks to the life of every believer, drawing them into dialogue with the Lord and strengthening the Church in her mission.

“The Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning, for the truth about our life,” Pope Leo said.

“We live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are empty! At times,” he acknowledged, “we even listen to wise words, which do not however affect our ultimate destiny.”

Continuing his catechetical series on the Documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Pope once again focused on the 1965 Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation. In this week’s reflection, he explored what he described as the profound and life-giving connection between the Word of God and the Church.

He recalled that the Second Vatican Council teaches that the Church “has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord” and that she “never ceases to reflect on the value” of the Word of God.

The relationship between Sacred Scripture, Christ, and the Church

The Pope explained that the true foundation of the authority and vitality of Sacred Scripture lies in its close union with Jesus Christ, a connection experienced fully within the life of the Church.

“Christ is the living Word of the Father, the Word of God made man,” he said. All the Scriptures “proclaim his Person and his saving presence, for each one of us and for all humanity.”

He noted that the Church is the proper home of Sacred Scripture because the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, arose from the People of God and is intended for them.

“In the Christian community” the Sacred Scripture “has, so to speak, its habitat,” the Pope said, stressing that “indeed, in the life and the faith of the Church it finds the space where it can reveal its meaning and manifest its power.”

He added that the Church ardently desires the Word of God to reach all her members and sustain their journey of faith.

At the same time, the Word continually sends the Church outward, opening her to mission and directing her towards everyone.

Scripture as dialogue with God

Pope Leo emphasised that within the ecclesial community, Scripture fulfils its purpose of making Christ known and fostering a living dialogue with the Lord.

Citing St Jerome’s teaching that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ,” the Pope explained that the ultimate aim of reading and meditating on Scripture is to know Christ and, through Him, to enter into a relationship with God — a relationship understood as conversation and dialogue.

He observed that Dei Verbum presents Revelation as a dialogue in which God speaks to humanity as friends, adding that this becomes a lived reality when the Bible is read with an inner attitude of prayer.

A guiding source for ministers of the Word

The Pope reiterated that Sacred Scripture, entrusted to the Church and preserved and explained by her, plays an active role in sustaining and strengthening the Christian community, particularly through the celebration of Mass and the Sacraments.

He underlined the importance of love for and familiarity with Scripture for those engaged in the ministry of the Word, including bishops, priests, deacons and catechists.

“The work of exegetes and those who practise biblical sciences is invaluable, and Scriptures have a central place in theology, which finds its foundation and soul in the Word of God,” he said.

Courtesy: Vatican News