In his Angelus address on the afternoon of Aug. 24, Pope Leo reflected on passing through the “narrow gate” in Luke’s Gospel and explained that it represents the difficult or self-sacrificial decisions that come with maintaining authentic faith.
The pontiff said that Jesus’ words “are meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts and feel that is all that is needed.”
“They have not realized that it is not enough to perform religious acts unless they change hearts,” Pope Leo continued. “The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters.”
He invited the faithful to consider the challenge that Jesus poses in the Gospel to routine actions of religion. He reminded them that “Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our decisions, when it makes us women and men committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did.”
Pope Leo said that Jesus loved “to the point of walking through the ‘narrow gate’ of the Cross.” He acknowledged that imitating Jesus’ life as the “true measure of our faith” can come with making hard or unpopular decisions and practicing self-sacrifice and perseverance, but added that passing through the “narrow gate” allows life to flourish anew.
“From that moment on, we will enter into the immense heart of God and the joy of the eternal banquet that he has prepared for us,” he said. “Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us find the courage to pass through the ‘narrow gate’ of the Gospel, so that we may open ourselves with joy to the wide embrace of God our loving Father.”
After the Angelus, Pope Leo expressed his sympathy for the people of Mozambique. As Vatican News reported, new terrorist attacks have recently led to more than 50,000 people being displaced in the country’s northern province.
The pope also prayed for Ukraine, reminding listeners that on Aug. 22, the Feast of Our Lady of Peace, Catholics around the world fasted and prayed for those affected by wars.
“Today, we join our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who, with the spiritual initiative ‘World Prayer for Ukraine,’ are asking the Lord to grant peace to their tormented country,” he added.
Pope Leo extended greetings to the pilgrims who traveled to Rome from across the globe, especially visitors from Kazakhstan, Budapest, and seminarians and faculty of the Pontifical North American College.
