Pope Leo XIV: Love for neighbor begins with a personal relationship with God

Beginning with the question posed in Sundayʼs Gospel, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Pope Leo XIV focused his reflection before the Angelus on the theme of love.

The faithful gathered in St. Peterʼs Square awaited the words of hope from the vicar of Christ, their pope.

At the heart of love, Leo XIV placed our relationship with God, emphasizing that this is where the true meaning of love is found.

“Indeed, it is not enough to know that God exists, that he is the only God, or that he is the Almighty. The Lord seeks a personal relationship with us: The one true God wants to become our God,” the pope said.

“In our encounter with him, the commandment of love is neither an obligation nor an imposition.”

He then turned to the meaning of authentic love, explaining that “our love can be authentic only when it is a response to his love, which always precedes us. From this arises the need for a total commitment that involves the whole person: heart, soul, and mind.”

Heart, soul, and mind must all be engaged in our relationship with God so that we become capable of looking at ourselves “and our neighbors through the eyes of Christ, from his perspective. In this way, selfishness is overcome and even love for oneself becomes charity: Our existence turns toward the other and becomes a gift for those around us.”

Toward the end of his reflection, the pope quoted St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who wrote: “Love alone” makes “the Church’s members act, and if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel.”

The theme, in this case, concerns the Church itself. Without love, the pope stressed, “our faith would be deprived of its essence, our good works would be reduced to mere moralism, and our hope would be in vain.”

He added: “Dear friends, we cannot truly love God unless this love overflows into love for our brothers and sisters. And we cannot truly love our neighbor except as children of the same Father who loved us first in his Son, Jesus.”

Following the Marian prayer, Leo XIV turned his attention to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

“I am following with concern the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen, particularly in the city of Taiz, where the population is suffering from a lack of food, water, and medical care,” he said.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for hostilities to cease and for the Yemeni people and all the peoples of the region to be guaranteed the right to live in peace.”

The pope also remembered the victims of a terrorist attack against Orthodox Christians in Jordan.

“My prayers go out to all those who were injured or lost their lives last Friday in the terrorist attack on worshippers at the Orthodox Church of St. George in Hamoud, Jordan. I express my closeness to the community and the entire country, which is known for its peaceful coexistence and respect between different religions.”

Finally, Leo XIV urged the faithful to continue praying for peace and recalled the gathering scheduled for Oct. 27 in Assisi, Italy.

The pope had originally been expected to travel to the city of St. Francis, but following his recent surgery, he was advised to avoid traveling for the time being.

“Let us continue to pray together for peace,” he said.

“The day after tomorrow, on 27 October, let us join in spirit with the heads of churches and religious leaders who will gather in Assisi to mark the 40th anniversary of the meeting convened by St. John Paul II. Never before has it been so clear that wars, as well as sowing death and destruction, impoverish and harm the world. May the Lord inspire choices of dialogue and peace!”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/vatican/pope-leo-xiv-love-for-neighbor-begins-with-a-personal-relationship-with-god