VATICAN/GENERAL AUDIENCE - Pope Leo XIV: "Parables have a great deal to teach us for proclaiming the Gospel today"

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In parables, we can "recognize Jesus’ way of communicating, which has a great deal to teach us for proclaiming the Gospel today," was the message of Pope Leo XIV at his first general audience in St. Peter's Square.

After greeting the 40,000 pilgrims from around the world from the Popemobile, the Pontiff continued the series of catechesis initiated by Pope Francis for the Holy Year, focusing on rereading the life of Jesus in light of Jubilee themes. On this occasion, he returned to the parable of the sower, defining it as "a sort of introduction to all the parables."

Every parable, the Pope explained, "tells a story that is taken from everyday life, yet wants to tell us something more, to refer us to a deeper meaning. The parable raises questions in us; it invites us not to stop at appearances."

The parable of the sower "talks precisely about the dynamic of the word of God and the effects it produces. Indeed, every word of the Gospel is like a seed that is thrown on the ground of our life. Jesus uses the image of the seed many times, with different meanings."

"In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the sower introduces a series of other short parables, some of which talk precisely about what is happening on the terrain," Pope Leo continued. The soil "is our heart, but it is also the world, the community, the Church. The word of God, in fact, makes fruitful and provokes every reality."

This word, the Pope continued, "is for everyone, but it works in each person in a different way." Like the sower in the parable, "God but does not care where the seed falls. This attitude surprises the listener and induces him to ask: how come?"

"We are used to calculating things – and at times it is necessary – but this does not apply in love! The way in which this “wasteful” sower throws the seed is an image of the way God loves us. Indeed, it is true that the destiny of the seed depends also on the way in which the earth welcomes it and the situation in which it finds itself, but first and foremost in this parable Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his Word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours," Pope Leo XIV continues.

"At times we are more superficial and distracted," the Pope continues, "but God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom. This is how he loves us: he does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word. Perhaps by seeing that he trusts us, the desire to be better soil will be kindled in us. This is hope, founded on the rock of God’s generosity and mercy."

In other words, "this parable tells us that God is ready to “waste away” for us and that Jesus is willing to die in order to transform our life." In this context, the Pope recalls Van Gogh's painting "The Sower at Sunset": "it strikes me that, behind the sower, Van Gogh depicted the grain already ripe. It seems to me an image of hope: one way or another, the seed has borne fruit. We are not sure how, but it has." "At the centre of the scene, however, is not the sower, who stands to the side; instead, the whole painting is dominated by the image of the sun, perhaps to remind us that it is God who moves history, even if he sometimes seems absent or distant."

At the end of the audience, the Bishop of Rome called for an end to the hostilities in the Holy Land: "the situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful. I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heart-rending price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick," said Pope Leo.

Finally, the Pontiff recalled Pope Francis exactly one month after the death of his predecessor: "We cannot end our meeting without remembering with great gratitude our beloved Pope Francis, who returned to the Father's house exactly one month ago." (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 21/5/2025)


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