Pope Leo XIV says "the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday. Let us rejoice, since Jesus is our hope, especially in times of trial" FULL TEXT

POPE LEO XIV at the ANGELUS
in St Peter's Square on 3rd Sunday of Advent, 14 December 2025
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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today’s Gospel places in jail with John the Baptist, who finds himself imprisoned because of his preaching (cf. Mt 14:3-5). Nevertheless, he does not lose hope, thus becoming for us a sign that a prophet, even in chains, retains the ability to use his voice in the pursuit of truth and justice.

From prison, John the Baptist hears “about the works of Christ” (Mt 11:2), which are different from what he expected, so he sends his disciples to ask him: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?” (v. 3). Those who seek truth and justice, those who long for freedom and peace, have questions about Jesus: Is he truly the Messiah, the Savior promised by God through the prophets?

Jesus responds by directing our gaze toward those whom he loved and served. It is: the least, the poor, the sick who speak on his behalf. Christ announces who he is by what he does. And what he does is a sign of salvation for all of us. In fact, by encountering Jesus – lives previously deprived of light, speech and taste regain meaning – the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear. The image of God, seemingly disfigured by leprosy, regains wholeness and vitality. Even the dead, who are completely lifeless, come back to life (cf. v. 5). This is the Gospel of Jesus, the good news proclaimed to the poor. Thus, when God comes into the world, it is clearly seen!

The words of Jesus free us from the prison of despair and suffering. Every prophecy finds its expected fulfillment in Him. It is Christ who opens the eyes of man to the glory of God. He gives voice to the oppressed and to those whose voices have been silenced by violence and hatred. He defeats ideologies that make us deaf to the truth. He heals the ailments that deform the body.

In this way, the Word of life redeems us from evil, which causes the heart to die. For this reason, in this Advent season, as disciples of the Lord, we are called to combine our anticipation of the Savior with attention to what God is doing in the world. Then we will be able to experience the joy of freedom in encountering our Savior: “Gaudete in Domino semper – Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). This invitation introduces today’s Holy Mass, the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday. Let us rejoice, since Jesus is our hope, especially in times of trial, when life seems to lose meaning and everything appears darker, words fail us, and we struggle to understand others.

May the Virgin Mary, model of expectant hope, attentiveness, and joy, help us to imitate the work of her Son by sharing bread and the Gospel with the poor.

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After the Angelus:

Dear brothers and sisters!

Yesterday in Jaén, Spain, Father Emanuele Izquierdo and fifty-eight companions were beatified, together with Father Antonio Montañés Chiquero and sixty-four companions. All of them were killed in hatred of the faith during the religious persecution from 1936-38. Also yesterday Raymond Cayré, priest, Gérard-Martin Cendrier, of the Order of Friars Minor, Roger Vallé, seminarian, Jean Mestre, layman, and forty-six companions were beatified in Paris. They were killed in hatred of the faith in 1944-45 during the Nazi occupation. Let us praise the Lord for these martyrs, courageous witnesses to the Gospel, persecuted and killed for remaining close to their people and faithful to the Church!

I am following with deep concern the resumption of fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. While expressing my closeness to the people, I urge the parties in the conflict to cease all forms of violence and to seek constructive dialogue, respecting the ongoing peace process.

I greet all of you with affection, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and other parts of the world, especially the faithful from Belo Horizonte, Zagreb, Split, and Copenhagen, as well as those from South Korea, Tanzania, and Slovakia. I greet the groups from Mestre, Biancavilla, and Bussi sul Tirino; the former students of the Mornese Italia Association, the Pugliese Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oasi Nazareth Foundation of Corato, the young people of the Salesian Oratory of Alcamo, and those preparing for confirmation from the Parish of San Pio da Pietrelcina in Rome.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday.