Pope Leo XIV reflects on Jesus’ final words from the Cross—“I thirst” and “It is finished”—, emphasizing their significance as a divine expression of love, vulnerability, and humanity’s path to salvation.
Newsroom (03/09/2025, Gaudium Press )At his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV delivered a profound reflection on Jesus’ final words from the Cross—“I thirst” and “It is finished”—as recorded in the Gospel of John, emphasizing their significance as a divine expression of love, vulnerability, and humanity’s path to salvation.
Addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope described Jesus’ words as encapsulating the essence of His earthly mission. “As He hung upon the Cross, in humanity’s most luminous yet darkest moment, Jesus spoke these two sentences filled with an entire lifetime, revealing the existence of the Son of God,” he said.
The Pope highlighted that Jesus, in His moment of greatest suffering, appears not as a triumphant hero but as a “supplicant for love.” He explained that Jesus’ cry of “I thirst” transcends physical need, reflecting a deeper yearning for love, relationship, and communion. “It is the silent cry of a God who, having wished to share everything of our human condition, also lets Himself be overcome by this thirst,” Pope Leo said. “Our God is not ashamed to beg for a sip, because in that gesture, He tells us that love, to be true, must also learn to ask and not only to give.”
Reflecting on the phrase “It is finished,” spoken after Jesus received a sponge soaked with vinegar, the Pope underscored the Christian paradox: salvation is achieved not through power but through vulnerability. “Love has made itself needy,” he said, “and precisely for this reason, it has accomplished its work.” He emphasized that Jesus saves not by overpowering evil with force but by embracing the “weakness of love to the very end.”
Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to embrace their own fragility, noting that salvation lies not in self-sufficiency but in recognizing and expressing one’s need. “Jesus saves us by showing us that asking is not unworthy, but liberating,” he said. “It is the way out of the hiddenness of sin, so as to re-enter the space of communion.” He added that sin fosters shame, but true forgiveness arises when individuals confront their needs without fear of rejection.
The Pope connected Jesus’ thirst to humanity’s universal longing for “living water,” a cry that draws people closer to God. “In expressing His thirst, Jesus shows that we cannot be self-sufficient or save ourselves,” he said, encouraging the faithful to find fulfillment in trust, fraternity, and simplicity.
In his closing remarks, Pope Leo XIV called on Christians to embrace humility and reject shame in asking for help. “Let us not be afraid to ask, especially when it seems to us that we do not deserve,” he said. “Let us not be ashamed to reach out our hand. It is right there, in that humble gesture, that salvation hides.”
The Pope’s message resonated as a call to live authentically, fostering relationships built on mutual vulnerability and love, and trusting in God’s grace to transform human weakness into a bridge to heaven.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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