- 28 September, 2025
Vatican City, September 28, 2025: Pope Leo celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday as the Church marked the Jubilee of Catechists, praising those who guide others in the faith and urging Christians to help one another believe, hope, and love.
In his homily, the Pope reflected on the Gospel reading from Luke 16:19-31, which recounts the story of the rich man and Lazarus. He noted that the same passage had been proclaimed during the Jubilee of Catechists in the Holy Year of Mercy in 2016.
The Pope said the parable reveals how God sees the world: one man lies dying as dogs lick his wounds, while another feasts in luxury just beyond the door. “At the doorstep of today’s opulence stands the misery of entire peoples, ravaged by war and exploitation,” he remarked. “Through the centuries, nothing seems to have changed.”
He stressed that while many “Lazaruses” still suffer unnoticed, the Gospel assures that God will do justice—bringing relief to the poor and ending the arrogance of the rich.
Recalling how the rich man in the parable begged God to warn his brothers after death, the Pope noted that Abraham replied they already had Moses and the prophets. “Listening to Moses and the Prophets means remembering God’s commandments and promises, whose providence never abandons anyone,” he said. “The Gospel announces to us that everyone’s life can change because Christ rose from the dead.”
The Pope affirmed that Jesus’ Resurrection is the saving truth which the Church must proclaim, above all through her catechists. By learning to love this truth, he said, Christians open their hearts to God and to their neighbour.
Reflecting on the word “catechist,” which comes from the Greek meaning “to teach aloud, to make resound,” the Pope described catechists as people who proclaim the Word through their lives, whether as parents or as Church ministers.
“We have all been taught to believe through the witness of those who believed before us,” he said. “From childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood, and even old age, catechists accompany us in our faith, sharing in this lifelong journey.”
He added that catechists and all who teach by example serve the Church’s mission by listening and responding to “the desire for justice and truth that dwells in the human conscience.”
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited catechists to be filled with faith so that they might accompany others in their journey of faith. He recalled the words of St Augustine to the Deacon Deogratias: “Explain everything in such a way that the one who listens to you, by listening, may believe; by believing, may hope; and by hoping, may love.”
Courtesy: Vatican News
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