- 20 July, 2025
Vatican City, July 20, 2025: Presiding at Mass in the Cathedral of Albano on the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to embrace summer as a moment for silence, reflection, and renewed relationships with God and others.
Marking his third Sunday at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father began his homily with a light-hearted reference to a previously postponed visit. “As you know, I was supposed to arrive on May 12, but the Holy Spirit had other plans,” he remarked. “Still, I’m truly happy to be here, and with this sense of fraternity and Christian joy, I greet all of you present.”
Drawing from the day’s readings, Pope Leo reflected on the themes of hospitality, service, and listening as foundations for both spiritual and human relationships.
In the first reading from Genesis, Abraham’s generous welcome to three visitors in the midday heat was highlighted. The Pope noted how this act of hospitality transformed a quiet afternoon into one filled with gestures of love, not only from Abraham but also from Sarah and their household. In this setting, God chose to reveal the long-awaited promise: the couple would bear a son. “God chose the path of hospitality to enter their lives,” Pope Leo observed.
Turning to the Gospel, the Pope drew attention to the familiar story of Martha and Mary. While Martha served and Mary listened at Jesus’ feet, Pope Leo cautioned against pitting one action against the other. Instead, he emphasised that service and listening are “twin dimensions of hospitality.”
These two aspects, he said, should be balanced in daily Christian living. Service must be rooted in a deep relationship with God—one cultivated through prayer, Scripture, and silence. The Pope called on the faithful to reclaim times of stillness and reflection, especially during the summer months, to better hear the Holy Spirit and foster openness to others.
“This is a dimension of the Christian life we particularly need to recover today,” he said, adding that it serves as both personal nourishment and a prophetic sign in our noisy, distracted world.
Pope Leo encouraged everyone to use summer’s slower pace to pause, reflect, and connect more deeply with others. “Make good use of this,” he urged, “by leaving behind the whirlwind of commitments and worries to savour moments of peace.”
Acts of listening, care, and presence, he said, help build peace and unity, bridging divides between individuals, communities, and even religions. Though it requires effort, the Pope stressed, these sacrifices are essential to creating meaningful relationships.
Concluding the Mass, Pope Leo presented Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano with a chasuble as a sign of solidarity and appreciation, thanking him and his people “for your service.”
Courtesy: Vatican News
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