Like the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, we need to balance our busyness with rest and prayer, Pope Leo said
VATICAN CITY — Summer should be spent cultivating time with God, relaxing and caring for others, Pope Leo XIV said at Mass in a breezy hilltown during his brief summer break.
“During the summer, we have more free time in which to gather our thoughts and reflect and also to travel and spend time with each other,” he said in his homily during Mass July 20 in the Cathedral of St. Pancras Martyr in the town of Albano Laziale, southeast of Rome.
“Let us make good use of this, by leaving behind the whirlwind of commitments and worries in order to savor a few moments of peace and reflection, taking time as well to visit other places and share in the joy of seeing others, as I am doing here today,” he said.
The cathedral had been named the future pope’s cardinal titular church Feb. 6, and then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost had been scheduled to take possession of it May 12, on the feast of St. Pancras. However, he was elected pope May 8.
In his homily, which reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Luke 10:38-42) of Martha and her sister Mary, he said, “Service and listening are, in fact, twin dimensions of hospitality.”
It would be wrong, he said, to see Martha’s approach of serving Jesus and Mary’s desire to sit at the Lord’s feet to listen to Him “as mutually exclusive or to compare the merits of the two women.”
“Although it is true that we must live out our faith through concrete actions, faithfully carrying out our duties according to our state of life and vocation, it is essential that we do so only after meditating on the Word of God and listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to our hearts,” he said.
That is why Christians “must make room for silence” and prayer, away from noise and distractions, to “recollect ourselves before God in simplicity of heart,” he said.
“Summer can be a providential time to experience the beauty and importance of our relationship with God, and how much it can help us to be more open and welcoming to others,” the pope said.
“Serving and listening do not always come easily; they require hard work and the ability to make sacrifices,” he said.
It takes a lot of work to be good parents and students and to “understand each other when there are disagreements, to forgive when mistakes are made, to help when someone is sick, and to comfort one another in times of sadness,” he said.
“But it is precisely by making an effort that something worthwhile can be built in life,” he said. “It is the only way to form and nurture strong and genuine relationships between people.”
“Let us make summer an opportunity to care for others, to get to know each other and to offer advice and a listening ear, for these are expressions of love, and that is something we all need,” the pope said.
“Let us do so with courage,” he said, “so through solidarity and the sharing of faith and life, we will help to promote a culture of peace, helping those around us to overcome divisions and hostility and to build communion between individuals, peoples and religions.”
The pope arrived at the papal villas July 6 for a two-week stay, and he was scheduled to return to the Vatican the afternoon of July 20. But after reciting the Angelus to those gathered in the main square of Castel Gandolfo, the pope said he would head back to Rome “in a few days,” specifically, the evening of July 22.
