Leo XIV invites leaving the whirlwind of commitments and giving space to silence during the holidays

Pope Leo XIV invited to leave the “commitment whirlwind” and to give space “to silence” during the holiday period, which in Europe coincides with the months of July and August.

“These are days in which we have more free time, both for recollection and meditation, and for the encounter with others, travel and visits. Let’s take advantage of all that to enjoy – leaving the whirlwind of commitments and concerns – of some moment of tranquility and recollection, as well as to share, going somewhere, the joy of seeing ours From San Pancracio Mártir, in the heart of Albano Laziale, diocesan headquarters to which Castel Gandolfo belongs.

The Pontiff moved on July 6 to the Pontifical Villa of this town 25 kilometers from Rome and the banks of the Albanian Lake for a period of rest.

The Diocese of Albanian is one of the suburbical episcopal headquarters historically linked to the Roman episcopate that has a special space in the heart of the Holy Father.

When Cardinal was created by Pope Francis in 2023, this cathedral was assigned in which he was planned to take possession of the title on May 12, feast of San Pancracio, patron of the diocese. However, the conclave changed the course of events. This Sunday’s celebration was, in a way, a reunion with that path.

In fact, he was given a silver dish with his pontifical shield, which is the same as bishop, prepared by two local goldsmiths. A gift that had been prepared on the occasion of its Cardinal-Obispo of Albanian possession scheduled for May. They also presented a basket with typical products of the area, made by young people with autism.

The importance of intimacy with God

During the homily, the Holy Father asked to spend time “to listening to the father who speaks and ‘sees in secret'”, especially in these “summer days” that stood out precisely as a “providential moment” to experience “how beautiful and important is intimacy with God, and how much can also help us to be more open and welcoming each other.”

And he added: “Let’s favor the occasions to take care of each other, to exchange experiences and ideas, to offer us understanding and advice; this makes us feel loved, and we all need it. Let’s do it with courage.”

In this way, “being supportive and sharing faith and life, we will promote a culture of peace, also helping those around us to overcome ruptures and hostilities, and to build communion between people, between peoples and among religions,” said Pope Francis for his predecessor.

Local authorities received Leo XIV at the entrance of the cathedral while the pontifical march sounded before starting the celebration, around 9:30 a.m. According to local authorities, some 1,550 people participated in the celebration; 400 inside the cathedral, but most of the streets and the adjacent square, where seats and screens were arranged to follow the live mass.

The pontiff reflected on the biblical texts of the day. Specifically, on the visit of three foreign men to Abraham, he stressed that “God chooses the hospitality way to meet Sara and Abraham and give them the announcement of the gift of fertility, who had desired so much and that they had already stopped waiting.” And it is that these two elders, the Pope highlighted, “after so many moments of grace in which he had visited them, he calls back to his door, asking them to receive and trust” and therefore “recognize in mysterious visitors their blessing, their same presence” and “offer them what they have: food, company, service, shadow of a tree; and receive the promise of a new life and a new life.”

“The service and listening, in fact, are two twin dimensions of the reception”

From the gospel that Jesus did to the house of Marta and Mary in Bethany, Leo XIV pointed out that this biblical episode highlights “one of the sisters welcomes him with countless attention, while the other listens to him sitting at his feet, with the typical attitude of the disciple towards the teacher.” In this regard, he said that “service and listening, in fact, are two twin dimensions of the reception.”

“While we are important that we live our faith in concrete actions and in fidelity to our duties, according to the state and vocation of each one, it is also essential that we do it starting from the meditation of the Word of God and of the attention to what the spirit suggests to our heart, reserving, for this purpose, moments of silence and pray Interior, ”he said.

In this way, during the Mass that concelebrated the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, in addition to other eighty priests of the local clergy, said that “neither service nor listening are always easy; they require tenacity and renunciation capacity.”

“It costs an effort, for example, in listening and service, faithfulness and love with which a father and a mother take his family,” he insisted. “But it is only like that, with these efforts, as it is possible to build something good in life; only in this way can authentic and strong relationships grow between people, and, from below, from everyday life, it can grow, spread and experience the kingdom of God,” he warned after citing some of the homilies of St. Augustine.

Therefore, he concluded that “listening and service are two complementary attitudes that help us, in our lives, to be open to the provident presence of the Lord. His example invites us to reconcile, in our days, contemplation and action, rest and fatigue, silence and industriousness, with wisdom and balance, always having as measure the charity of Jesus, as light his word and as a source of strength his grace, which sustains us beyond our possibilities.