Pope Leo XIV returned by car to Castel Gandolfo after celebrating Mass this morning at the Cathedral of San Pancracio Mártir, in Albano Laziale. Before the faithful gathered in front of the Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff said that it is a need to be able to “enjoy a little rest” and regretted that, in this context, the vacation industry wants to sell “all kinds of experiences.”
“The holiday industry wants to sell us all kinds of experiences, but perhaps not what we are looking for. Indeed, every true encounter cannot be bought, it is free: be the one with God, like the one with others, or even with nature,” he explained.
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In this way, he urged “learn more about the art of hospitality.” He added: “You need only to make a guest: make space and also ask for it; welcome and let yourself be welcomed. We have a lot to receive and not only to give.”
When reflecting on the passages of the hospitality of Abraham (Genesis 18,1-10) and the encounter of Jesus with Marta and Mary (Luke 10,38-42), he invited the faithful to take advantage of the summer to cultivate a more contemplative attitude, similar to that of Mary: “Summer time can help us ‘lower our rhythm’ already look more like Mary than Marta.
The Pope stressed the beauty of the term “host”, which in Italian means both the one that is welcomed and the one who is welcomed, and proposed to contemplate the reciprocity of this dynamic: “We can contemplate the game of reciprocal reception, outside of which our life is impoverished,” he explained.
Leo XIV also warned that “humility is necessary both to welcome and to be welcomed. It requires delicacy, attention, openness.”
Referring to the figure of Marta in the Gospel, he explained: “He is so concentrated in what he has to do to welcome Jesus, who runs the risk of ruining an unforgettable encounter.”
He added: “God calls something even more beautiful than generosity itself. He calls her out of herself.”
To conclude, the Pope directed an invocation to the Virgin Mary, a supreme example of hospitality: “We pray to Mary Most Hospital, the Hospital Mother, who welcomed the Lord in her bosom and together with Joseph he gave her a home. In it our vocation shines, the vocation of the church to continue being an open house to all.”
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.