Pope Leo XIV’s homily on Our Lady of Guadalupe emphasizes Mary’s maternal presence, calling for unity, protection of life, and renewal of faith amid global divisions.
Newsroom (13/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a solemn Holy Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, December 12, 2025, Pope Leo XIV delivered a profound homily on the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, weaving together biblical reflections on divine Wisdom, Mary’s role in salvation history, and the enduring message of the 1531 apparitions in Mexico.
Drawing from the Book of Sirach, the Holy Father described Wisdom in poetic terms, identifying its fulfillment in Christ, the “wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), who became incarnate through Mary. Christian tradition, he noted, interprets this passage mariologically, seeing in Mary the one who embodies “all the grace of the way and of truth, all hope of life and virtue” (Sirach 24:25). For this reason, the Pope affirmed, tradition rightly calls her “the mother of love.”
Turning to the Gospel account of the Visitation, Pope Leo XIV highlighted Mary’s response to the Word of God: filled with joy at the Annunciation, she hastens to share it with Elizabeth. Her greeting alone causes the infant John to leap in the womb, prompting Elizabeth’s exclamation: “Who am I that the mother of my Lord comes to see me?” (Luke 1:43). This encounter culminates in the Magnificat, where Mary acknowledges God’s faithful gaze upon His people, blessing them with a presence “sweeter than honey.”
The Pope extended this theme to Mary’s ongoing mission, particularly evident at Cana, where she intercedes when “wine has been exhausted” (John 2:3), and at Tepeyac in 1531. There, speaking in Nahuatl to St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe expressed her desire for a “sacred house” to manifest God’s love. Amid persistent conflicts and injustices, her consoling words—”Am I not here, I am your mother?”—echo divine faithfulness and sustaining presence in unbearable suffering.
This maternal declaration, the Holy Father explained, reveals believers as children of God. From the Cross, Jesus’ words to John—”here is your mother”—correspond to Mary’s role, urging obedience: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). Pope Leo XIV implored Mary to guide her children in faith, transforming even “winter” into a season of roses.
In a poignant bilingual appeal, the Pope petitioned the Virgin in Spanish: “Mother, teach the nations that desire to be your children not to divide the world into irreconcilable factions, nor allow hatred to mark their history or lies to write their memory. Show them that authority must be exercised as service, not domination. Instruct their leaders in their duty to safeguard the dignity of every person in all stages of life. Make these peoples, your children, places where every person feels welcomed.”
He further asked Mary to accompany youth, granting them strength from Christ to choose good and stand firm in faith against worldly pressures, shielding them from crime, addictions, and meaningless lives. To those estranged from the Church, he prayed her gaze might reach where human efforts fall short, breaking down walls and restoring them through love. Within the Church, he beseeched her to turn hearts sowing discord toward Christ’s desire for unity: “that all may be one” (John 17:21).
Pope Leo XIV called for strengthened families, modeled on Mary’s example, where parents educate with tenderness and firmness, making homes schools of faith. He invoked inspiration for educators to transmit Gospel truth with sweetness and clarity, encouragement for clergy and consecrated persons in daily fidelity, and protection in prayer, temptation, fatigue, and discouragement.
Concluding with an appeal to conserve the Gospel in hearts as Mary did (Luke 2:51), the Pope urged humility in service, like St. Juan Diego, convinced that the Good News brings beauty, healing, and renewal. “Those guided by you will not sin” (Sirach 24:22), he recalled, praying for assistance to preserve the Church’s holiness despite human frailty.
Finally, addressing Mary as “Mother of the true God by whom one lives,” Pope Leo XIV sought her aid for the Successor of Peter in confirming the faithful toward Christ, the “blessed Fruit” of her womb. Recalling St. John Paul II’s words, he prayed the keys of the Kingdom serve to bind, loose, and redeem human misery, advancing united in Jesus toward the eternal dwelling prepared, where Mary awaits.
The homily, delivered on the eve of the feast day widely celebrated across the Americas, underscored Our Lady of Guadalupe’s role as a beacon of hope, maternal care, and call to authentic discipleship in a divided world.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican news
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