Pope Leo reminded the faithful of the significance of the Our Father prayer, stressing that the Lord is always there for you, but adding that you must be transformed by his goodness.
Newsroom (28/07/2025, Gaudium Press )Pope Leo XIV delivered a profound reflection on the significance of the “Our Father” prayer during his Angelus address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, emphasizing its role as a unifying force for Christians and a call to embody God’s love and mercy.
Drawing from the day’s Gospel, which recounts Jesus teaching his disciples the Our Father, the Pope described the prayer as an invitation to approach God with the intimacy of a child addressing their “Abba,” or Father, with “simplicity, filial trust, and the certainty of being loved.” He noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church echoes this sentiment, stating that the Lord’s Prayer “reveals us to ourselves at the same time that it reveals the Father to us.”
Pope Leo underscored that praying the Our Father with confidence deepens the understanding of God’s boundless love, affirming that “the more we pray, the more we discover that we are beloved children.” He highlighted the Gospel’s vivid imagery—such as a man rising at midnight to help a friend or a parent providing for their child—to illustrate God’s ever-present fatherhood. “God never turns his back on us,” the Pope assured, even when divine responses may seem mysterious, as they are guided by “wisdom and providence” beyond human comprehension.
The Pope urged the faithful to persist in prayer, noting that it offers “light and strength” in all circumstances. He also emphasized that reciting the Our Father is not only an acknowledgment of God’s grace but a commitment to live as siblings in Christ, loving one another with generosity and compassion.
Quoting early Church fathers, Pope Leo reinforced this call to action. He cited Saint Cyprian of Carthage, who said, “When we call God ‘our Father,’ we ought to behave as children of God,” and Saint John Chrysostom, who warned against invoking God’s kindness while harboring “a cruel and inhuman heart.” The Pope stressed that true prayer transforms the faithful, requiring them to reject harshness and insensitivity and instead reflect God’s “goodness, patience, and mercy” in their lives.
In closing, Pope Leo invited those present to draw inspiration from the day’s liturgy, encouraging them to “feel loved and to love as God loves us: with openness, discretion, mutual concern, and without deceit.” His message resonated as a call to live out the Our Father not only in words but through actions that mirror divine compassion.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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