Pope at Angelus: Invest the treasure of your life in love and mercy
Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to share not only material
goods but time, presence, and empathy.
By Vatican News
Addressing the faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square for
his Sunday Angelus, Pope
Leo reflected on the Gospel passage from Luke, inviting the
faithful to ask themselves how they are investing the “treasure” of their
lives.
Quoting Jesus’ words, “Sell what you own and give
alms”, the Pope urged Christians not to cling to the gifts they have
received from God, but to use them generously for the good of others -
especially those most in need.
“It is not only about sharing material possessions,” he
said, “but about putting into play our abilities, our time, our affection, our
presence, our empathy.” Each person, he continued, is “a unique, priceless good
in God’s plan - a living, beating capital” that must be cultivated and
invested, “otherwise it dries up and loses its value.”
The Pope then warned the faithful that this treasure can be
squandered, or even taken by those “who, like a thief, turn it into an object
of consumption.” The gift of God that we are, he stressed, needs space,
freedom, and relationship to flourish - and above all, it needs love, “which
transforms and ennobles every aspect of our existence, making us ever more like
God.”
Recalling that Jesus spoke these words on His way to
Jerusalem, where He would give Himself completely on the cross, Pope Leo
pointed to the works of mercy as “the safest and most fruitful bank” for the
treasure of our lives. Even the smallest gesture, he said, can have infinite
value, as in the Gospel’s image of the poor widow who, with two small coins,
becomes “the richest person in the world".
Citing Saint Augustine, the Pope noted that while people
might rejoice to exchange bronze for silver or silver for gold, “what is given”
in love yields something infinitely greater: eternal life. “It will be
changed,” Augustine explained, “because the giver will be changed.”
Pope Leo then invited the faithful to see this truth in
everyday life - in the mother who holds her children close, or in two people in
love who feel like “a king and queen” when they are together. “We could give
many other examples,” he added.
Wherever we find ourselves - at home, in our parish, at
school, or in the workplace - the Pope encouraged us “not to miss any
opportunity to love.” This, he said, is the vigilance Jesus asks of us: being
attentive, ready, and sensitive to one another, as He is with us at every
moment.
Bringing his address to a close, the Pope entrusted this
desire to Mary, “the Morning Star,” asking her to help all believers to be
“sentinels of mercy and peace” in a divided world.
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