(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.25.2025).- At noon on Sunday, May 25, Pope Leo prayed the Marian prayer of the Regina Caeli from a balcony of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square. It was the first time he did so from that location. We now offer the English translation of the address he delivered.
Following his reflection and the prayer, the Pope recalled the beatification of Father Stanislaus Kostka Streich in Poland; the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, instituted by Benedict XVI; and the 10th anniversary of the encyclical *Laudato si’*, on care for our common home.
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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
I am still at the beginning of my ministry among you. Before all else, I would like to thank you for your demonstration of affection and ask you to keep supporting me with your prayers and closeness.
In whatever the Lord calls us to do, in both our daily lives and our journey of faith, there are times when we feel inadequate. Yet this Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Jn 14:23-29) tells us not to rely on our own abilities but on the mercy of the Lord who has chosen us, and to be certain that the Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us all things.
On the eve of the Master’s death, the Apostles, in their bewilderment and distress, wondered how they were to continue to bear witness to the kingdom of God. Jesus then spoke to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit. He made this wonderful promise: “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (v. 23).
In this way, Jesus freed the disciples from their anxiety, telling them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (v. 27). For if we remain in his love, he comes to dwell in us and our life will become a temple of God. His love enlightens us, influences the way we think and act, spreads outwards to others and embraces every situation in our lives.
This dwelling of God within us, brothers and sisters, is precisely the gift of the Holy Spirit, who takes us by the hand and enables us to experience God’s presence and closeness amid our daily lives, for he makes us his home.
It is wonderful to think that, when we consider our individual calling, the situations we encounter and the people entrusted to our care, our commitments and responsibilities, and our service in the Church, each of us can say with confidence: “Despite my weakness, the Lord is not ashamed of my humanity. Instead, he comes to dwell within me. He accompanies me with his Spirit; he enlightens me and makes me an instrument of his love for others, for society and for the world.”
Dear friends, on the basis of that promise, let us walk in the joy born of faith, in order to become a holy temple of the Lord. Let us resolve to bring his love everywhere, never forgetting that each of our sisters and brothers is a dwelling place of God and that his presence is manifested above all in the little ones, in the poor and the suffering, who ask us to be thoughtful and compassionate Christians.
And let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of Mary Most Holy. By the power of the Holy Spirit, she became “a dwelling-place consecrated to God.” With her, may we too come to know the joy of welcoming the Lord into our lives and of being signs and instruments of his love.
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