Pope Leo XIV Reveals the Secret of the Heart is Found "by loving the neighbour we meet along the way: brothers and sisters" in "the love of God...who is Love" FULL TEXT

Pope LEO XIV at the GENERAL AUDIENCE
in the Vatican's St Peter's Square on Wednesday, 17 December 2025
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Cycle of Catechesis - Jubilee 2025. Jesus Christ our hope. IV. The Resurrection of Christ and the challenges of the contemporary world. 8. Easter as the refuge of the restless heart

Greeting of the Holy Father to the sick in the Audience Hall before the General Audience

Good morning everyone! Good morning! Welcome!
I will offer a brief greeting, a blessing for each of you.
On this day, we wanted to protect you a little from the elements, especially the cold... It is not raining, but this way you may be a little more comfortable. Afterwards, you can follow the Audience on the screen, or if you wish, you can also go outside, but we would like to make the most of this small, more personal encounter to greet you, to offer you the Lord's blessing, and also our best wishes. Christmas is almost here, and we would like to ask the Lord that the joy of this Christmas season accompany you all: your families, your loved ones, and that you may always be in the Lord's hands with the trust and love that only God can give us.
I give my blessing to all of you now, and then I will come and greet you. Blessing

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Full Text of Pope Leo XIV: Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Human life is characterized by a constant movement that drives us to do, to act. Nowadays speed is required everywhere in order to achieve optimal results in a wide variety of fields. How does Jesus’ resurrection shed light on this aspect of our experience? When we participate in his victory over death, will we rest? Faith tells us: yes, we will rest. We will not be inactive, but we will enter into God’s repose, which is peace and joy. So, should we just wait, or can this change us right now?

We are absorbed by many activities that do not always leave us satisfied. A lot of our actions have to do with practical, concrete things. We have to assume responsibility for many commitments, solve problems, face difficulties. Jesus too was involved with people and with life, not sparing himself, but rather giving himself to the end. Yet we often perceive how too much doing, instead of giving us fulfilment, becomes a vortex that overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives. We then feel tired and dissatisfied: time seems to be wasted on a thousand practical things that do not, however, resolve the ultimate meaning of our existence. Sometimes, at the end of days full of activities, we feel empty. Why? Because we are not machines, we have a “heart”; indeed, we can say that we are a heart.

The heart is the symbol of all our humanity, the sum of our thoughts, feelings and desires, the invisible centre of our selves. The Evangelist Matthew invites us to reflect on the importance of the heart, quoting this beautiful phrase of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21).

It is therefore in the heart that true treasure is kept, not in earthly safes, not in large financial investments, which today more than ever before are out of control and unjustly concentrated at the bloody price of millions of human lives and the devastation of God’s creation.

It is important to reflect on these aspects, because in the numerous commitments we continually face, there is an increasing risk of dispersion, sometimes of despair, of meaninglessness, even in apparently successful people. Instead, interpreting life in the light of Easter, looking at it with the Risen Jesus, means finding access to the essence of the human person, to our heart: cor inquietum. With this adjective “restless”, Saint Augustine helps us understand the human being’s yearning for fulfilment. The full sentence refers to the beginning of the Confessions, where Augustine writes: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (I, 1,1).

Restlessness is the sign that our heart does not move by chance, in a disordered way, without a purpose or a destination, but is oriented towards its ultimate destination, the “return home”. The authentic approach of the heart does not consist in possessing the goods of this world, but in achieving what can fill it completely; namely, the love of God, or rather, God who is Love. This treasure, however, can only be found by loving the neighbour we meet along the way: brothers and sisters in flesh and blood, whose presence stirs and questions our heart, calling it to open up and give itself. Our neighbour asks us to slow down, to look them in the eye, sometimes to change our plans, perhaps even to change direction.

Dear friends, here is the secret of the movement of the human heart: returning to the source of its being, delighting in the joy that never fails, that never disappoints. No one can live without a meaning that goes beyond the contingent, beyond what passes away. The human heart cannot live without hope, without knowing that it is made for fullness, not for want.

Jesus Christ, with his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, has given us a solid foundation for this hope. The restless heart will not be disappointed, if it enters into the dynamism of the love for which it was created. The destination is certain, life has triumphed, and in Christ it will continue to triumph in every death of daily life. This is Christian hope: let us always bless and thank the Lord who has given it to us!

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Special greetings:

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from Nigeria, Indonesia and the United States of America. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming of the new born Jesus, Son of God and Savior of the world. God bless you all!

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Summary of the Holy Father's words:

Dear brothers and sisters, in our catechesis on the Jubilee theme of “Jesus Christ our Hope,” today we reflect on the Resurrection as the firm foundation of our hope in our daily lives. In our fast-paced society, we can often feel overwhelmed by pressures and expectations for greater efficiency and optimal results. When we feel this way, let’s us remember the words that we just heard from the Gospel of Saint Matthew: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21). Our heart’s treasure is not the goods of this world, neither prosperity, nor success, nor admirable achievements! Indeed, Saint Augustine described our hearts as restless. That restlessness is not arbitrary and disordered; it is oriented towards heaven, whose doors are open to us thanks to the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we enter into the dynamism of his love and grace, he will be victorious in us — not just at the hour of our death, but also today, right now, and every day hereafter.

Greetings

I cordially greet the French-speaking people, especially the parishes and the young people who have come from France. As Christmas approaches, let us be careful not to get caught up in frenetic activism in the preparations for the feast, which would end up being lived superficially and leaving room for disappointment. Instead, let us take the time to make our hearts attentive and vigilant in waiting for Jesus, so that his loving presence will forever become the treasure of our lives and our hearts. God bless you!

Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, Advent invites us to prepare for Christmas by welcoming Jesus without reservation. He is our hope. Therefore, let us joyfully await the feast of his birth and pray together, full of trust: "Come, Lord Jesus ."]

I cordially greet the pilgrims of the Spanish language. Let us ask the Lord who taught us to decide with Saint Augustine: «We have the right to you and our heart is restless until it melts into you», and with this desire we will enter into the dynamism of love for that which we were created, walking with Christ, the hope that does not defraud us. May God bless them. Much thanks.

I extend my cordial greeting to the Chinese-speaking people. Dear brothers and sisters, in this season of Advent, open your hearts to the Lord who comes to bring the gifts of peace and joy. My blessing to all !

Dear Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, welcome! We are at the Christmas novena, which, rich in traditions in some of your communities, becomes for everyone a renewed opportunity to lighten our hearts, preparing for the imminent birth of the Son of God. May Our Lady of Hope accompany you in this spiritual commitment, and always watch over you and your families. May the Lord bless you !

I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful. Christians are called to open their hearts to the love of God and neighbor, so that they may be filled with true peace and joy. May the Lord bless you all and always protect you from all evil!

I cordially greet the Polish people! May the last days of Advent be for you a time of reflection and prayer. Prepare yourselves for the coming of Jesus, especially through the sacrament of penance and spiritual retreats, thanks to which you will experience true peace, joy, and meaning in life. My blessing to all!

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I extend a warm welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful. In particular, I greet the faithful from Torino di Sangro; Teramo; San Marco Argentano, with Bishop Stefano Rega; and Fermo Centro, with Archbishop Rocco Pennacchio. I affectionately welcome the Army Non-Commissioned Officers' School of Viterbo and the 72nd Public Security Guard Cadet Course of the State Police.

Finally, I greet the sick, newlyweds, and young people, especially the students of the Cicerone Institute in Sala Consilina and those of the Capriotti Institute in San Benedetto del Tronto. In a few days, it will be Christmas, and I imagine that in your homes, the nativity scene, a moving representation of the Mystery of Christ's Nativity, is being or has already been completed. I hope that such an important element, not only of our faith, but also of Christian culture and art, will continue to be a part of Christmas, to remember Jesus who, becoming man, came "to dwell among us."

My blessing to everyone!