Help. Happy birthday. Stand up. Up. Woohoo! Come on! Up. Up. Hallelujah. I need everybody. Beautiful. Papa. Defense. Defense. Up. Up. Let's go. Side to side. I God. Hallelujah. Thank you. You see. Hallelujah. You're welcome. Thank you. Hallelujah. Good. Up. Up. Oh my god. Hey. Thank you. There you go. Yeah. USA. Thank you. Something. Glory to God. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelu. Hallelujah. It's like hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelu. Hallelu. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Lord has been grace and mercy to people from all nations. Hallelu. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Yeah. Thank you. Up. Chaos. Hey, hey, hey. Congratulations. Yeah. We are happy.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. About. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Victori. Count we are. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. For we are. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Halleluah. Sing a new song, Lord, for the love of what his right is our sal we. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelu.
Hello. Thank you. This is wonderful. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Thank you. That's good.
Surely he as it is forever to victory. Last seated. You before he is already. Hallelu. We sus through the earth. Your, he, I see this is our. He is, this is of heaven to the sudden grace. And the wind breeze the sea wing. He is SC. s through the. How are so? es where I'm for the bra. See, you say, love is love. As soon as he very poign.
Chase is. Sorry, there is amazing sh. There is church es of God. To be in the shorel. etch. Glory of God. We know you are. All in the sun. Oh, all of you who accept to be of God, by your songs of joy you praise him ever even more. Glory nothing. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! was he? I'll be your. Take home. We are to be to be. Honey, you. Fore spirit. Fore your church. Adore me for seeing Los.
The gate of the Lord is upon me. The prom of God and all of proclaim me blessed by the Lord God Almighty. Honey, mech. Honey, the super GL is the dark Hail glory. Amen. Thanks. Jesus.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yeah. Perfect.
Praise be Jesus Christ. Praise be Jesus Christ. Welcome to our continued coverage of Pope Leo XIV's apostolic visit to France. We are coming to you live from the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, situated against the green foothills of the French Pyrenees mountains. The sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a meeting place for pilgrims who come from all over the world. Some come here seeking healing — physical healing, or healing about personal challenges in their lives — or perhaps they seek renewal in their faith. Others are pilgrims with a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and we can see them all at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. As they always say about Lourdes, no one goes back home empty-handed from the mother. Pope Leo XIV is spending days in France, and already, as you can see from your screens, and during the past two days since he arrived in France, there has been great enthusiasm welcoming him. Pope Leo will soon celebrate Holy Mass here at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. And Father Paul Samasumo — a warm welcome to our official partner television and radio stations: EWTN and television, Salt and Light TV, Catholic Television of San Antonio, Texas, Catholic Faith Network in America, Shalom World Television, Shalom TV India, Madashan TV, Shikina News India, and of course a warm welcome to our listeners of Luminous Radio India. To those of you following us on our Vatican News website stream, that is the Vatican.va — VA. You are most welcome. If you are catching us on Facebook, X or Instagram, we are so glad that you are here joining Pope Leo for this live broadcast of the Eucharistic celebration in Lourdes, France. And of course, we do not forget our Catholic national diocesan and religious congregations on the radio and television stations. Welcome all. Remember, you can always find more information and clarification regarding today's liturgy on our website vatican.va.
The visit to France by Pope Leo is the first official papal visit to this country since 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI visited. Those of you that have been following, as I said earlier, the live coverage of this apostolic journey have seen the great enthusiasm with which Pope Leo has been greeted wherever he has been so far. This is Pope Leo's third trip to Europe, to the European continent, so to say, following his visit to Monaco in March and another visit to Spain in June. Pope Leo's one year and a half pontificate is unfolding as one that is driven by a great desire to connect concretely with the faithful, and as the universal shepherd, in France he is here to confirm the Christians in their faith. And now the procession is underway.
All. Halleluah. Gloral. Now. Halleluah. Glory to. Glory. Halleluah. Glorious. Halleluah. Gloral. Glory. Halleluah. Oh, praise the Lord for you nations. For us, he is faithful forever. Halleluah. Hallelu. Halleluah. Upon the water. Halleluah. Of his ad. Hallelujah. Halleluah. How did he know? Halleluah. For your day. Halleluah. God.
And the Holy Mass now begins. A loud applause from the many pilgrims that are here. An estimate of 150,000 in this sprawling square. We now pause for a moment to examine our hearts in contrition. ... the mighty living God who willed that through water, the source of life and means of purification, we should be cleansed from sin and receive the gift of eternal life. Then we pray to bless this water that it may be for us.
We pray that you bless this water, that it may be for us a mark of your protection on this day dedicated to you, O Lord. Through this water, renew in us the living fountain of your grace, and defend us from every evil of soul and body, and that we may approach you with a pure heart and worthily receive your salvation through Christ our Lord.
This is the rite of asperges, the sprinkling with holy water. It reminds us of our baptism with water and the symbolic cleansing from sin. The Holy Father blessing himself with the holy water before he starts to sprinkle the congregation here with the holy water that has been blessed; the asperges is part of the penitential rite.
And now we prepare for the Gloria.
May Almighty God cleanse us of our sins, and through the celebration of this Eucharist make us worthy to share the table of his kingdom, through Christ our Lord.
Glory inend. Saint was there. She was there. Glory. As I and glory of God. Glor. I'll be there. Glory is. She's. Sing of Peace. Glorost. Sorrows. Peace. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Let us pray. O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us, and make those hastening to attain your promise heirs to the treasures of heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever.
And we just had the opening prayer earlier. We had the Gloria — two choirs, two separate choirs, but singing in unison. Very impressive indeed. And the liturgy of the word. The first reading is from the book of Ezekiel. These are readings taken from the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Thus says the Lord: You say, 'The Lord's way is not fair.' Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather is it not your way that is unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life. Since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
The first reading. And now Psalm 24. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Was all connected to Jesus. Blessing on the shore. Those who love the the Savior. Your savior.
The second reading is taken from the letter of Paul to the Philippians, chapter 2.
Brothers and sisters, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness, out of vain glory. Rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but also for the others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God something to be grasped; rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance. He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, because of this. God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And now we have the acclamation before the Gospel. 'My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.'
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Halleluah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Halleluah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Halleluah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelu.
The Gospel reading is from St. Matthew, chapter 21. And just now the deacon in the book of the Gospels.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, 'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will? They answered, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.' When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him, but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not let it change your minds and believe in him.
Just read the Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew.
And now we listen to the homily of the Holy Father.
Brothers and sisters, pilgrims from France and from all over the world, in seeing you gathered here this morning at our mother's home, I see the universal face of the Church. Some of you have crossed continents, traveled far, and brought your joys and burdens to this sacred grotto. What a joy it is to be together as one heart and one family. I would especially like to greet the pilgrims who have come from every province and diocese of France. Today you stand on this blessed ground that has received so many graces. May this pilgrimage rekindle the flame of faith in your homes and in your parishes. Take the consolation of Lourdes back to your neighborhoods, to your loved ones, and to the whole French people.
This Sunday's readings touch on a central part of the message that the Virgin Mary entrusted to St. Benedict: the call to conversion, both tender and urgent. In the Gospel, Jesus looks with truth and deep sorrow upon the hearts that have remained closed. 'You did not repent.' Why does this wound the heart of Christ? Because God does not want his children to be lost. The prophet Ezekiel reminds us: 'When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. However, when the wicked person abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and upright, he saves his own life; he shall not die.' This is why the call to repentance runs through sacred Scripture and the preaching of the Gospel down the centuries. Its gravity reminds us of the urgency and necessity of conversion. It is today and not tomorrow that we must repent. Indeed, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.
God wants to lead us, to open our eyes and return to him, to repent, to leave the paths on which we lose our way and follow the way of life, opening our hearts to the joy that never passes away. Jesus himself is quite direct in calling us to repentance. As St. Luke tells us: 'Unless you repent, you will all perish.' But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life. For while happiness in this world is fleeting and relative and, sadly, sometimes out of reach for some, true happiness is promised to everyone in hope, and this is what we should seek above all in all our efforts and choices.
Did not the Virgin Mary say to St. Benedict, 'I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next'? This promise made right here is particularly forceful in the land of France, and it challenges the way we think today, in an age and a society that seeks progress and material well-being but can sometimes forget the horizon of eternity. Mary comes to remind us of the greatness and the richness of our calling to life, to eternal life, in the face of current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering, and old age. The grotto of Massabielle stands as a place of Christian hope. Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty. Your crutches, your wheelchairs, and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed, and where you can experience a transforming encounter with the infinite love of God.
Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God, and it is called to flourish forever in the Father. I promise you, indeed, eternal life is a firm and a certain promise that the Lord makes to us. He has already won it for us by his death and in his resurrection. Through the grace of baptism he brings this eternal life to fulfillment in each day. It is within our reach, but we must freely welcome it, take hold of it, and not stand in the way. For the obstacle to grace and eternal life, the only obstacle to love, is sin, whereby we turn in upon ourselves, refusing God and shutting ourselves up in our own darkness. Our personal responsibility, therefore, comes into play, and a great responsibility it is. God has made us free. Since freedom is necessary for love — no one can be forced to love — we must therefore use our freedom to say yes to Christ, relying on his grace as Mary did. This is a yes that we renew until our final breath, now and at the hour of our death.
As we always say in the Hail Mary, we hear the same urgent call to conversion in the word which Mary spoke right here: 'Penance, penance, penance.' She repeats the word three times, and she asked Benedict to perform certain acts of penance. Why are we slow to understand? Do we too easily think of ourselves without sin? Do we not perhaps practice penance enough? The Virgin asks us to do penance not only for ourselves, because we too need it, but also for sinners, for a world that is going astray. How can our hearts not be moved by the conflicts that are spreading and destroying so many innocent lives? Yet the evil of our time comes from the human heart. God is not responsible for this. As he says to the Israelites: 'Is it not your ways that are unjust?' It is the human heart, therefore, that must change, beginning with our own.
Penance is an act of love carried out in solidarity with the human family. It is an act of love for God, because we want to make amends for the wounds that our sins have dealt to his heart. It is also an act of love for brothers and sisters of ours who do not heed his call to conversion. This conversion concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself. In order to heal the deep wounds of infidelity and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord's purifying gaze. Recognizing our faults is essential to our spiritual growth. As St. Augustine wrote: 'Do not be content with what you are, if you want to become what you are.' Yet our Mother reminds us of our duty to pray and to do penance, and this fills us with great hope, because she shows us that the way to change the course of things is to unite ourselves to the passion of Christ.
Dear friends who are sick, so many of you here in Lourdes are familiar with suffering. You can leave your trials, your pains, in the spirit of offering, and so take part in the redemptive work of the world which it so greatly needs. In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable. Pilgrims, brothers and sisters, you will not leave Lourdes as you arrived; you will leave as missionaries of hope. Indeed, the miracle of Lourdes is that it can awaken the joy of hope in the very midst of suffering and hardship. The Virgin Mary heals our outlook and changes our hearts, giving them peace. In your countries, dioceses, and families, become living witnesses to this divine strength and tenderness which help us to persevere towards our goal, sustained by the prayers of the sick and the love of our Mother. Walk with confidence into the future. Do not be afraid of the storms of the world. For the Holy Mother of God watches over your journey. She shelters the Church beneath her mantle of tenderness, and as the radiant morning star she guides your step, so that with joy she may bring you to new birth in the very life of her Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
A very profound homily there from the Holy Father. And judging by the applause from the 150,000-strong pilgrims who are here, the Holy Father speaking, among other things, that the consolation of Lourdes should be taken back to our neighborhoods, our loved ones, and reminding the French pilgrims to do the same — to take this love back to their families. Also, the Holy Father said to those who are sick: 'Your crutches, your wheelchairs, and your hidden tears are not obstacles. They are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed.' The Holy Father also spoke at length about the urgent need for repentance and conversion in our lives. And now the creed.
And the praise be. Happy single day. In the fantasy. Glory to the glories. So what's. Sh. Glor. We expect us. is. Respect.
The creed. As we prepare for prayers of the faithful, in unison, let us offer our prayer to the Lord for all people, that everyone may lead a quiet and peaceful life and attain eternal happiness.
We pray for the Church, that the baptized may be faithful to their mission of proclaiming the Gospel, so that the world may have life to the full. Let us pray to the Lord.
The next prayers in Ukrainian.
We pray for the pope, for our Holy Father Pope Leo, that he may guide the Church with courage and pastoral zeal, in order that the world may have life to the full; that the ministry of the shepherds be a source of joy and holiness. Let us pray to the Lord.
