To know God in Christ, we must welcome his entire humanity, said Pope Leo in continuing his reflection on Vatican II’s Dei Verbum.

Continuing his reflection from last week, drawn from the Vatican II document on Revelation, Dei Verbum, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to a growing discovery of God and self, through Jesus Christ.

Before a packed Paul VI Hall, the Pope continued this new series of catechesis on the Second Vatican Council.

During the first general audience of 2026, he announced his desire to “rediscover the beauty and importance” of the Second Vatican Council, and invited the faithful to read or re-read its documents.

He described this ecclesial event as the “beacon that guides the Church’s path” since it was held in 1962-1965.

Where to start?

Earlier this year, Aleteia included a survey at the end of our articles with a simple question: Have you ever read a Vatican II document? More than 60% answered that they had not!

The reflections of this and last week indicate that Dei Verbum is the place to start!

Moreover, the Pope’s prayer intention for this month is “Prayer with the Word of God”:

Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.

While last week he focused on how God addresses men as friends, this week, the Pope centered his reflection on the Revelation made possible by Jesus Christ, in his full humanity.

Christ’s humanity is the “revealer of the Father,” he said. “To know God in Christ, we must welcome his entire humanity.”

It is this humanity “that reveals to us the truth of the Father.” Thus, it is not only the death and resurrection of Jesus that saves us, “but his very person” who became incarnate, lived, died, and rose again.

“Brothers and sisters, by following Jesus’ path to the end, we come to the certainty that nothing can separate us from the love of God,” the Pope affirmed. Quoting St. Paul, he called for placing all our trust in God the Father.

At the end of the audience, the Pope invited Catholics to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, under way through January 25, feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

“Let us ask the Lord to grant the gift of his Spirit to all the Churches scattered throughout the world so that, through him, Christians may overcome their divisions and forge strong bonds of unity,” the pontiff said.

On the feast day, he will close the week of prayer with the celebration of Vespers in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in the presence of representatives of other Christian denominations.