Pope Leo XIV with Nearly 200,000 at Mass says "God has made us free, since freedom is necessary for love...We must therefore use our freedom to say yes to Christ" FULL TEXT Homily in Lourdes, France
Over 150,000 joined Pope Leo XIV at Mass celebrated this Sunday, September 27, in the Prairie of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France during his 4-day apostolic journey. In the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette, the celebration, started at 10:00 a.m., after a meeting with the French bishops. In his homily, the pope looked at the crutches, wheelchairs, and the "hidden tears" of the sick—the 7,000 registered for Mass—and tells them that "they are not obstacles" but transfigured by God's infinite love."
HOLY MASS at Lourdes
FULL TEXT HOMILY OF POPE LEO XIV
Prairie of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Sunday, 27 September 2026
___________________________________
Brothers and sisters, pilgrims from France and from throughout the world, in seeing you gathered here this morning in our Mother’s home, I see the universal face of the Church. Some of you have crossed continents, traveled far, and brought your joys and burdens to this sacred grotto. What a joy it is to be together, as one heart and one family.
I would especially like to greet the pilgrims who have come from every province and diocese of France. Today you stand on this blessed ground that has received so many graces. May this pilgrimage rekindle the flame of faith in your homes and parishes. Take the consolation of Lourdes back to your neighbors, your loved ones and the whole French people.
This Sunday’s readings touch on a central part of the message that the Virgin Mary entrusted to Saint Bernadette: the call to conversion, both tender and urgent. In the Gospel, Jesus looks with truth and deep sorrow upon hearts that have remained closed, “you did not repent” (Mt 21:32). Why does this wound the heart of Christ? Because God does not want his children to be lost. The prophet Ezekiel reminds us, “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it.” However, since “he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ez 18:26, 28). This is why the call to repentance runs through Sacred Scripture and the preaching of the Gospel down the centuries. Its gravity reminds us of the urgency and necessity of conversion. It is today, not tomorrow, that we must repent. Indeed, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation (cf. 2 Cor 6:2). God wants us to live, to open our eyes and return to him. To repent is to leave the paths on which we lost our way, and to follow the way of life, opening our hearts to the sole joy that never passes away.
Jesus himself is quite direct in calling us to repentance. As Saint Luke tells us, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk 13:5). But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life. For while happiness in this world is fleeting and relative, and sadly sometimes out of reach for some, true happiness is promised to everyone in hope, and this is what we should seek above all else, in all our efforts and choices. Did not the Virgin Mary say to Saint Bernadette, “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next”?
This promise, made right here, has a particular force in this land of France, and it challenges the way we think today. In an age and society that seek progress and material wellbeing, but can sometimes forget the horizon of eternity, Mary comes to remind us of the greatness and richness of our calling to life, to eternal life. In the face of current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age, the grotto of Massabielle stands as a place of Christian hope. Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty. Your crutches, your wheelchairs and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed, and where you can experience a transforming encounter with the infinite love of God. Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God, and is called to flourish for ever in the love of the Father.
“I promise you!” Indeed, eternal life is a firm and certain promise that the Lord makes to us. He has already won it for us by his death on the cross and his resurrection, and through the grace of baptism he is bringing it to fulfilment in us each day. It is within our reach, but we must freely welcome it, take hold of it and not stand in its way. For the obstacle to grace and eternal life — the only obstacle to this love — is sin, whereby we turn in upon ourselves, refusing God and shutting ourselves up in our own darkness. Our personal responsibility therefore comes into play, and a great responsibility it is. God has made us free, since freedom is necessary for love; no one can be forced to love. We must therefore use our freedom to say yes to Christ, relying on his grace, like Mary. This is a yes that we renew until our final breath — “now and at the hour of our death” — as we say in the Hail Mary.
We hear the same urgent call to conversion in the words which Mary spoke right here, “Penance! Penance! Penance!” She repeats the word three times. And she asks Bernadette to perform certain acts of penance. Why? Are we slow to understand? Do we too easily think of ourselves without sin? Do we not practice penance enough? The Virgin asks us to do penance not only for ourselves, because we too need it, but also “for sinners,” for a world that is going astray. How can our hearts not be moved by the conflicts that are spreading and destroying so many innocent lives? Yet the evil of our time comes from the human heart. God is not responsible for it. As he says to the Israelites, “Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?” (Ez 18:25). It is therefore human hearts that must change, beginning with our own.
Penance is an act of love, carried out in solidarity with the human family. It is an act of love for God, because we want to make amends for the wounds our sins have dealt to his heart. It is also an act of love for those brothers and sisters of ours who do not heed this call to conversion, and whose sins lead them towards death. This call to conversion also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself. In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth. As Saint Augustine wrote, “Do not be content with what you are, if you want to become what you are not yet” (Disc. 169, 15, 18).
Our Mother’s reminder of our duty to pray and repent fills us with great hope, because she shows us that the way to change the course of things is by uniting ourselves to the passion of Christ. Dear friends who are sick, so many of you here in Lourdes are familiar with suffering. You can live your trials and pains in this spirit of offering, and so take part in the redemptive work that the world so greatly needs. In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable.
Pilgrims, brothers and sisters, you will not leave Lourdes as you arrived. You will leave as missionaries of hope. Indeed, the miracle of Lourdes is that it can awaken the joy of hope in the very midst of suffering and hardship. The Virgin Mary heals our outlook and changes our hearts, giving them peace. In your countries, dioceses and families, become living witnesses to this divine strength and tenderness, which help us to persevere towards our goal. Sustained by the prayers of the sick and the love of our Mother, walk with confidence into the future. Do not be afraid of the storms of the world, for the holy Mother of God watches over your journey, she shelters the Church beneath her mantle of tenderness and, as the radiant Morning Star, guides your steps, so that with joy she may bring you to new birth in the very life of her Son Jesus. Amen.
Prairie of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Sunday, 27 September 2026
___________________________________
Brothers and sisters, pilgrims from France and from throughout the world, in seeing you gathered here this morning in our Mother’s home, I see the universal face of the Church. Some of you have crossed continents, traveled far, and brought your joys and burdens to this sacred grotto. What a joy it is to be together, as one heart and one family.
I would especially like to greet the pilgrims who have come from every province and diocese of France. Today you stand on this blessed ground that has received so many graces. May this pilgrimage rekindle the flame of faith in your homes and parishes. Take the consolation of Lourdes back to your neighbors, your loved ones and the whole French people.
This Sunday’s readings touch on a central part of the message that the Virgin Mary entrusted to Saint Bernadette: the call to conversion, both tender and urgent. In the Gospel, Jesus looks with truth and deep sorrow upon hearts that have remained closed, “you did not repent” (Mt 21:32). Why does this wound the heart of Christ? Because God does not want his children to be lost. The prophet Ezekiel reminds us, “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it.” However, since “he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ez 18:26, 28). This is why the call to repentance runs through Sacred Scripture and the preaching of the Gospel down the centuries. Its gravity reminds us of the urgency and necessity of conversion. It is today, not tomorrow, that we must repent. Indeed, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation (cf. 2 Cor 6:2). God wants us to live, to open our eyes and return to him. To repent is to leave the paths on which we lost our way, and to follow the way of life, opening our hearts to the sole joy that never passes away.
Jesus himself is quite direct in calling us to repentance. As Saint Luke tells us, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk 13:5). But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life. For while happiness in this world is fleeting and relative, and sadly sometimes out of reach for some, true happiness is promised to everyone in hope, and this is what we should seek above all else, in all our efforts and choices. Did not the Virgin Mary say to Saint Bernadette, “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next”?
This promise, made right here, has a particular force in this land of France, and it challenges the way we think today. In an age and society that seek progress and material wellbeing, but can sometimes forget the horizon of eternity, Mary comes to remind us of the greatness and richness of our calling to life, to eternal life. In the face of current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age, the grotto of Massabielle stands as a place of Christian hope. Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty. Your crutches, your wheelchairs and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed, and where you can experience a transforming encounter with the infinite love of God. Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God, and is called to flourish for ever in the love of the Father.
“I promise you!” Indeed, eternal life is a firm and certain promise that the Lord makes to us. He has already won it for us by his death on the cross and his resurrection, and through the grace of baptism he is bringing it to fulfilment in us each day. It is within our reach, but we must freely welcome it, take hold of it and not stand in its way. For the obstacle to grace and eternal life — the only obstacle to this love — is sin, whereby we turn in upon ourselves, refusing God and shutting ourselves up in our own darkness. Our personal responsibility therefore comes into play, and a great responsibility it is. God has made us free, since freedom is necessary for love; no one can be forced to love. We must therefore use our freedom to say yes to Christ, relying on his grace, like Mary. This is a yes that we renew until our final breath — “now and at the hour of our death” — as we say in the Hail Mary.
We hear the same urgent call to conversion in the words which Mary spoke right here, “Penance! Penance! Penance!” She repeats the word three times. And she asks Bernadette to perform certain acts of penance. Why? Are we slow to understand? Do we too easily think of ourselves without sin? Do we not practice penance enough? The Virgin asks us to do penance not only for ourselves, because we too need it, but also “for sinners,” for a world that is going astray. How can our hearts not be moved by the conflicts that are spreading and destroying so many innocent lives? Yet the evil of our time comes from the human heart. God is not responsible for it. As he says to the Israelites, “Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?” (Ez 18:25). It is therefore human hearts that must change, beginning with our own.
Penance is an act of love, carried out in solidarity with the human family. It is an act of love for God, because we want to make amends for the wounds our sins have dealt to his heart. It is also an act of love for those brothers and sisters of ours who do not heed this call to conversion, and whose sins lead them towards death. This call to conversion also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself. In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze. Recognizing our own faults is essential to our spiritual growth. As Saint Augustine wrote, “Do not be content with what you are, if you want to become what you are not yet” (Disc. 169, 15, 18).
Our Mother’s reminder of our duty to pray and repent fills us with great hope, because she shows us that the way to change the course of things is by uniting ourselves to the passion of Christ. Dear friends who are sick, so many of you here in Lourdes are familiar with suffering. You can live your trials and pains in this spirit of offering, and so take part in the redemptive work that the world so greatly needs. In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable.
Pilgrims, brothers and sisters, you will not leave Lourdes as you arrived. You will leave as missionaries of hope. Indeed, the miracle of Lourdes is that it can awaken the joy of hope in the very midst of suffering and hardship. The Virgin Mary heals our outlook and changes our hearts, giving them peace. In your countries, dioceses and families, become living witnesses to this divine strength and tenderness, which help us to persevere towards our goal. Sustained by the prayers of the sick and the love of our Mother, walk with confidence into the future. Do not be afraid of the storms of the world, for the holy Mother of God watches over your journey, she shelters the Church beneath her mantle of tenderness and, as the radiant Morning Star, guides your steps, so that with joy she may bring you to new birth in the very life of her Son Jesus. Amen.
Comments