Below, we offer the full text of the homily delivered by Pope Leo XIV at the closing Mass of his apostolic journey to Spain, celebrated in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Dear brothers and sisters:
It is a grace to meet on this day when the Heart of Jesus allows us to contemplate it as the heart of history. I am happy to celebrate the Eucharist with you, giving thanks for the faith and charity of which I have received so many testimonies on this apostolic journey, and which also make this archipelago, so well known for its beauty and its hospitality, a place where the Risen Lord precedes us and manifests himself. Before us, the sea evokes infinity, as does the sky; but infinite above all is the desire that unites the heart of God to so many human hearts, whose joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties find an echo in the heart of the Church (cf. Gaudium et spes , 1). No human being is an island; the geographical location of this diocese and the pastoral challenges it faces testify that we were born for encounter and that there is no obstacle, distance, danger, or threat that can prevent each one of us from our journey. Whether remaining in the same place for a lifetime, or choosing or being forced to leave, no one ever remains still. This is the secret of the heart: the intimate call to exodus and encounter.
But the Heart of Jesus reveals to us how not to get lost in a sterile dynamism: “God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” ( 1 John 4:9). There is life when life is given. Otherwise, we spin in emptiness. Indeed, “as the Council reminds us, human beings are called to communion with God and ‘cannot find their own fulfillment except in the sincere gift of themselves’; their deepest vocation is to enter into the Trinitarian movement of love received and shared” ( Magnifica Humanitas , 48). Pope Francis observed: “Many people experience a profound imbalance that drives them to do things at breakneck speed in order to feel busy, in a constant rush that in turn leads them to trample over everything around them. This has an impact on the way in which the environment is treated” ( Laudato Si’ , 225). These words also speak to Tenerife’s tourism vocation, both for those who choose to spend a holiday here and for those who live and work on the island, in contact with visitors from so many countries around the world. What does the human heart seek? How can we answer its thirst in a genuine way? How important it is, especially for those who are guided by the Gospel, not to reduce everything to commerce and profit. “Those who enjoy each moment more and live it better are those who stop flitting from one thing to another, always seeking what they lack, and experience what it means to value each person and each thing, learn to connect with others, and know how to find joy in the simplest things. In this way, they are able to lessen unmet needs and reduce weariness and obsession” ( ibid. , 223). Interpret your vocation to welcome in this way, dear brothers and sisters.
Today’s Gospel seems to radicalize this challenge and reminds us of the richness of the poor: a paradox that points directly to the life of Jesus, to his truth, to the path on which he continues to ask us to follow him. In the passage we have just heard, he blesses the Father for this: it is to the little ones—which in this context means the least among us, those whom no one considers capable of thought and speech—that God has revealed himself. He has enriched them with that which remains hidden from those surrounded by admiration and success. With the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te, I wanted to draw attention to this privileged place of the poor in divine Revelation and in the mission of the Church.
It is a mystery that resonates in a completely specific way on these islands, at the heart of migratory routes that make them a place of first refuge for brothers and sisters whose journey is generally fraught with unspeakable dangers and violence. Faced with those who exploit desperation, we as Christians can offer not only a reflection of the Lord who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” ( Mt 11:28). The greatest grace is that we allow ourselves to be evangelized by those we help, that we recognize the mysterious wisdom of God written in their very flesh: “Growing up in extreme poverty, learning to survive amidst the most difficult conditions, trusting in God with the certainty that no one else takes them seriously, helping one another in the darkest moments, the poor have learned many things that they keep in the mystery of their hearts.” Those among us who have not experienced similar situations, a life lived on the edge, surely have much to receive from that source of wisdom that is the experience of the poor. Only by comparing our complaints with their sufferings and deprivations is it possible to receive a rebuke that invites us to simplify our lives ( Dilexi te , 102). The Lord, who rebukes and corrects those he loves (cf. Rev 3:19), desires to make our lives simple and joyful.
Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for who you are and for what you do, making this island a place where we encounter the heart of Christ in the friendly and welcoming faces of fraternal individuals and communities. “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us” ( 1 John 4:16): may this confession of faith, transmitted by the First Letter of John, always shine forth in you and inspire you to prayer and action. Pay attention to teenagers and young adults, to the rich and the poor, to residents and guests: all of them need to be known with a gaze that sees beyond appearances and recognizes the depth of their restless hearts, which are often already oriented, perhaps unconsciously, toward the Kingdom of God and its justice. May it be palpable among you that “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” ( 1 John 4:16). This is the heart of the Gospel, the heart of Christ. Those who immerse themselves in Him no longer live for themselves. Open this sea of love to everyone! This is my wish and my prayer for you and for all those you meet along your path.