This Saturday, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful gathered in the Piazza della Concordia to recognize their deepest thirst for meaning, truth and fulfillment, and to seek in Christ, “the fountain of living water”, true happiness and peace.
In the Mass before more than 700,000 people, the Pontiff asked French Catholics to let their faith “overflow” to bring hope to those who are experiencing discouragement and spiritual drought.
Dear brothers and sisters:
I give thanks to God for the gift He has granted me of being here in this Place de la Concorde to celebrate the Eucharist. Yes, how good and sweet it is for brothers and sisters to live together in unity (cf. Ps 132:1), to proclaim the greatness of God! May my presence among you strengthen your faith and encourage you to radiate and share without ceasing the life, peace, and love of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” ( Jn 7:37). Brothers and sisters, our thirsty community makes its way to Christ, the source of living water; that water which quenches thirst and makes life flourish, that water of God’s love which “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” ( Rom 5:5).
The desire for God dwells in the depths of our hearts, and we cry out with the psalmist: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” ( Psalm 42:3). It is the cry of a humble and passionate person, whose deepest and most existential thirst never ceases to grow. Now, it is Jesus Christ, through his incarnation, who comes to meet each person in their life and reveals himself as the true source of living water capable of quenching their thirst. This is not so much a material thirst, but a thirst for meaning, for truth, and for fullness that dwells in the heart of each one of us. Jesus responds to this profound desire for relationship, for communion with God, in whom resides the fullness of eternal life.
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel saw water flowing from the Temple and, as it spread across the desert, purifying and fertilizing everything (cf. Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12). Later, St. John would see water flow from Jesus’ pierced side as he gave up his spirit (cf. Jn 19:30-34). All can then drink from this fountain to be reborn and receive the gift of the Spirit, so as to become children of God, new creations.
Brothers and sisters, we must acknowledge that nothing here on earth truly satisfies us. When we believe we have finally finished our work and that our efforts have been rewarded, the inner emptiness very often resurfaces, even deeper. Then, to fill it, we may seek new pleasures, desire to possess new things, and do everything possible to “have fun” so as not to feel that inner unease.
Today’s Liturgy of the Word invites us to examine our hearts: What is our deepest thirst? What do we truly seek in life? We all yearn for happiness, love, and fulfillment. But where do we turn to quench our thirst? Do we settle for material possessions, for immediate gratification, for those countless little idols that promise the moon and the stars but leave our hearts empty? Through baptism, we have received the living water of which the Gospel speaks, but have we truly encountered Christ personally? Human beings are, in essence, beings of desire, and only God can fill that inner void. Yes, brothers and sisters: Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us, as a shepherd leads his sheep, to the source of happiness and peace. He knows each and every one of us by name. None of our secrets, our intentions, or our weaknesses escapes him. He searches the depths of our hearts. He gave his life for us and continues to give it through the sacraments. He carries the weary and wounded on his shoulders and gently brings back those who have strayed. Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us. To him, none of us is a number on an ID, nor a serial number, but a person—a unique and irreplaceable person.
Seeing you gathered here, my brothers and sisters, heirs to a long and beautiful history of holiness in France, I say to you: quench your thirst at this fountain, which is the pierced Heart of Jesus. Yes, you thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion, for happiness. Aspire to rediscover a luminous horizon, to build a renewed nation from its roots, nourished by faith. Do not keep this faith in Jesus Christ to yourselves; rather, let it overflow to quench and fill the hearts of those you encounter. It is up to you to bring hope to those places where discouragement and spiritual drought reign.
In fact, by accepting to live in truth under the gaze of Jesus, we can be authentic; we can see our lives with clarity. Certainly, our lives are fragile, vulnerable, destined to pass through death, but they are also wonderful, miraculous, capable of renewal in our relationships and of opening ourselves to true love.
“Let him who believes in me drink; […] ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” ( Jn 7:37-38). By being filled with the fountain that is the Heart of Christ, we ourselves become, as Origen wrote, wells, springs, and rivers for others (cf. Homily 12, 1, 2-3). Indeed, the believer who drinks from it also becomes a source of life through his existential bond with Christ and transmits that same life to his neighbor.
Dear brothers and sisters, the living water of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in abundance and continues to bear fruit in the Church through missionaries and witnesses present in every culture and among every people. This water makes fruitful all that it touches and transforms to produce its fruit, namely, the holiness of those who worship the true God and serve their brothers and sisters with charity and generosity. In this beautiful country of France, many have been nourished by this living water throughout the centuries and have consecrated their lives entirely to good: the early martyrs like Blandina, Pothinus, and Irenaeus; the holy founders of religious orders; the holy bishops like Martin of Tours and Francis de Sales; the men and women with hearts sensitive to the needs of their fellow human beings, like Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam, Jeanne Jugan, and many others. Even today, there are many in our society, in our parishes and in our various activities who continue to commit themselves to life, family, truth, peace, fraternity and justice.
From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow over all of France. I am thinking of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face daily, persevere courageously in your mission. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the good that is accomplished through you; may the concrete presence of Jesus never be exhausted in your lives. I am thinking of you, dear young people: you are the Church of today. How beautiful it is to see your enthusiasm, your dynamism, your commitment, and the joy you bring to Christian communities! I am also thinking of you, dear catechumens and neophytes, who are embarking on the path of faith, conversion, and Christian initiation. May you bear witness to those around you of the path you are walking and inspire them, in turn, to ask questions. May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you living witnesses, ready to spread the civilization of love all around you.
Brothers and sisters: let us turn our gaze to the Mother of God, Source of Salvation, she who guides our lives to her Son, author of all grace. With her free and trusting “yes,” she became the humble vessel chosen by God, in whom the Father’s love was incarnate to give itself to the world.
Let us invoke her with confidence so that, through her intercession, springs of living water may arise within the People of God and cause the shoots of faith, hope, and charity to flourish throughout France. Amen.