Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called on the faithful to embrace the demands of Christian mission with courage, saying that witness to the Gospel must be lived out “with words and above all with our lives.”
Celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican Grottoes, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday.
“We must be courageous in the witness we give,” he said. “With words and above all with our lives: giving our lives, serving, sometimes with great sacrifices, to truly live this mission.”
The pope linked his message to the broader missionary vocation of the Church, pointing to the example of St. Paul and Barnabas as early preachers of the Gospel “to the whole world.”
He also emphasized the importance of attentive listening as a foundation for discernment and service. “Jesus says: ‘My sheep listen to my voice.’ And I think it’s important for all of us to learn more and more to listen,” he said.
The pope said that listening must happen not only with God, but also with others: “To see where the Lord is calling us… to listen without judging, not shutting doors by thinking that we possess all the truth and no one else can say anything to us.”
The pontiff also used the occasion to briefly greet a mother in attendance. “Happy Mother’s Day!” he said, calling a mother’s love “one of the most wonderful expressions of the love of God.”
Pope Leo concluded with an invitation to journey together in faith: “Let us walk together in the Church. Let us ask the Lord to give us this grace: to be able to listen to his Word in order to serve all his people.”
