Leo XIV: Mission is born from the encounter with Christ

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Mission is born from the encounter with Christ. And the encounters of Jesus with his first disciples forever reveal the path, simple yet mysterious, by which Christ's salvation is communicated from person to person, from generation to generation. Pope Leo XIV recalled this today in a video message sent to university students in the United States participating in SEEK 2026, the annual conferences organized by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which are being held these days in Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth.

In his video message, Pope Prevost began with the encounters of Jesus with his first disciples, narrated in a sober and essential way in the Gospel according to John.

“What are you looking for?” is the question Jesus addresses to the apostle Andrew in their first encounter. It is the same question, the Pope told the recipients of his message, that Jesus addresses “to each one of you. Dear young people, what are you looking for? Why are you here, at this conference? Perhaps your hearts too are restless, searching for meaning and fulfillment, for direction in life.” And the possible answer, he added, “is found in a person. Only the Lord Jesus gives us true peace and true joy, and fulfills our deepest desires. The disciples responded by asking him where he lived. It was not enough for others to tell them that Jesus was the Lamb of God; they wanted to know him personally by spending time with him.”

Only an encounter with Jesus, the Bishop of Rome emphasized, can change one’s life forever, as it did for the first disciples. And only from that encounter can the desire to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to those who are near and to those who are far spring forth.

“The first thing Andrew did,” Pope Leo X recalled, “was to go and tell his brother Simon, ‘We have found the Messiah,’ that is, ‘We have found the One we were looking for.’” For this reason, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ first encounters with the disciples also explain “what it means to be missionaries. After meeting Jesus, Andrew couldn’t help but share what he had found with his brother. In fact, missionary zeal is born from an encounter with Christ. We want to share with others what we have received, so that they too may know the fullness of love and truth that is found only in Him.”

“I pray,” the Successor of Peter added, “that when you leave this conference, all of you will be moved by this same missionary zeal to share with those around you the joy you have received from an authentic encounter with the Lord.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 2/1/2026)

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