Pope Leo XIV catechesis: Jesus, giving a strong scream, expired

At the general hearing of this Wednesday, September 10, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the cry of Jesus on the cross before returning with the Father, and invited the faithful not to be afraid of shouting God in pain, provided that it is born of love.

Next, the complete catechesis of the Holy Father:

Dear brothers and sisters:

Today we contemplate the summit of Jesus’ life in this world: his death on the cross. The gospels collect a very valuable detail, which deserves to be contemplated with the intelligence of faith. On the cross, Jesus does not die in silence. Do not go out slowly, as a light that is consumed, but leaves life with a cry: “Jesus, giving a strong cry, expired” (Mc 15,37). That cry contains everything: pain, abandonment, faith, offering. It is not only the voice of a body that yields, but the last sign of a life that is delivered.

The cry of Jesus is preceded by a question, one of the most lacerating that can be pronounced: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” It is the first verse of Psalm 22, but on the lips of Jesus acquires a unique weight. The son, who has always lived in intimate communion with the father, now experiences silence, absence, abyss. It is not a crisis of faith, but the last stage of a love that is delivered to the bottom. The cry of Jesus is not despair, but sincerity, truth taken to the limit, confidence that resists even when everything is silent.

At that time, the sky darkens and the veil of the temple is torn (cf. Mc 15,33.38). It is as if creation participated in that pain and at the same time revealed something new: God no longer lives behind a veil, his face is now fully visible in the crucifix. It is there, in that torn man, where the greatest love is manifested. It is there that we can recognize a God who does not remain distant, but crosses our pain to the back.

The centurion, a pagan, understands. Not because he has heard a speech, but because he saw Jesus die in that mode: “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mc 15,39). It is the first profession of faith after Jesus’ death. It is the fruit of a cry that did not dispersed in the wind, but touched a heart. Sometimes, what we are not able to say in words we express it with the voice. When the heart is full, shouts. And this is not always a sign of weakness, it can be a deep act of humanity.

We are used to thinking about the cry as a breakdown, which must be repressed. The Gospel gives our cry an immense value, reminding us that it can be an invocation, a protest, a desire, a delivery. Moreover, it can be the extreme form of prayer, when we no longer have words in that cry, Jesus put everything he had left: all his love, all his hope.

Yes, because there is also this in the cry: a hope that does not resign. It is shouted when someone can still hear. It is shouted not by despair, but by desire. Jesus did not shout contra The father, but toward He. Even in silence, he was convinced that the father was there. And so he showed us that our hope can scream, even when everything seems lost.

Screaming then becomes a spiritual gesture. It is not just that first act of our birth – when we get to the world crying -: It is also a way to stay alive. It is shouted when it is suffered, but also when loved, it is called, it is invoked. Shout that we are, that we do not want to go out in silence, that we still have something to offer.

On the trip of life, there are times when keeping everything inside can consume us slowly. Jesus teaches us not to be afraid of the cry, while he is sincere, humble, oriented to the Father. A cry is never useless if it is born of love. And he is never ignored if he gives himself to God. It is a way not to yield to cynicism, to continue believing that another world is possible.

Dear brothers and sisters, we also learn this from the Lord Jesus: let’s learn the cry of hope when the time of the extreme test arrives. Not to hurt, but to entrust us. Not to shout at someone, but to open their hearts. If our cry is true, it may be the threshold of a new light, of a new birth. As for Jesus: when everything seems finished, in reality, salvation was about to start. If it manifests itself with the trust and freedom of the children of God, the suffering voice of our humanity, together with the voice of Christ, can become a source of hope for us and for those who are by our side.