- 27 July, 2025
Vatican City, July 27, 2025: Pope Leo XIV, during his Angelus address on Sunday, reflected on the meaning of the “Our Father” prayer, urging Christians to allow God’s goodness to transform their hearts.
Addressing pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope focused on the Gospel of the day, where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray the Our Father. “This is the prayer that unites all Christians,” he said, noting that it invites us to call God “Abba” — Father — with childlike trust and the confidence of being loved.
Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo reminded the faithful that the Lord’s Prayer reveals both God as our Father and our true identity as His children. “The more we pray with confidence,” he said, “the more we discover that we are beloved children and come to know the greatness of His love.”
Turning again to the Gospel, the Pope reflected on two vivid images of God’s fatherhood: a man who gets up at midnight to help a friend and a parent who gives only good things to their children. These, he said, reveal a God who never turns away from us. Even when His response is hard to understand, “He acts with wisdom and providence beyond our understanding.”
Pope Leo urged the faithful to continue praying with trust, saying that God is always present to offer light and strength.
He then highlighted that reciting the Our Father is not only about recognising God’s love but also about committing to love one another. “We express our commitment to respond to this gift by loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said.
Citing Saint Cyprian of Carthage and Saint John Chrysostom, the Pope warned against hypocrisy: “You cannot call the God of all kindness your Father if you preserve a cruel and inhuman heart.” Christians, he said, must not pray to God as “Father” and then act with harshness towards others.
He concluded by encouraging believers to reflect God’s mercy in their lives. “Let yourselves be transformed by His goodness, His patience, His mercy, so that His face may be reflected in ours as in a mirror.”
Finally, the Pope called on all present to let the liturgy inspire them to love as God loves — “with openness, discretion, mutual concern, and without deceit.”
Courtesy: Vatican News
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