By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“To journey with Jesus means to experience being sustained despite everything—to have our thirst quenched and to be refreshed amid the hardships and struggles that, like heavy stones, threaten to block or divert our path through life.”
Pope Leo XIV offered these consoling words during his General Audience on Wednesday morning in St Peter’s Square, as he continued his catechesis series titled ‘Jesus Christ, Our Hope.’
Reflecting on the realities of human experience, the Holy Father acknowledged the often conflicting emotions and limitations that mark our lives.
“At times, we feel joyful; at other times, sad. We may feel fulfilled or stressed, gratified or demotivated. We live busy lives, focusing on results, sometimes even attaining prestigious goals. Other times, we remain suspended—precarious—awaiting success or recognition that never comes,” he said.
“In short,” he observed, “we find ourselves in a paradox: we long to be happy, and yet lasting happiness often eludes us.”
Wrestling with our limitations
Pope Leo noted that this tension reveals both our limitations and our deep desire to transcend them. “We come to terms with what we lack, while feeling an irrepressible urge to overcome it. We sense, deep down, that something is always missing.”
Yet, he reassured the faithful, this longing is no accident, “We were not created for lack, but for fullness—to rejoice in life, and life in abundance.”
“This deep desire in our hearts,” the Holy Father continued, “cannot be satisfied by roles, power, or possessions. It can only be fulfilled by the certainty that someone sustains this foundational impulse of our humanity—by the assurance that our deepest hopes will not be disappointed.”
The Risen Christ is our certainty and hope
That assurance, Pope Leo affirmed, is found in Jesus Christ.
“This certainty,” he highlighted, “is what we call hope. It’s not mere optimism—optimism often collapses under the weight of disappointment. But hope, Christian hope, promises and fulfills.”
“Sisters and brothers, the Risen Jesus is the guarantee of this deliverance! He is the wellspring that satisfies our thirst—the infinite thirst for fullness placed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”
Christ’s Resurrection, he emphasized, is not simply a historical event, but the transformative mystery at the heart of time.
“The Risen One is a living wellspring—He does not dry up, nor does He change. He is always pure, always present, always ready for those who thirst.”
A taste of eternal peace
Quoting St Augustine’s Confessions, Pope Leo spoke of the deep spiritual longing awakened by divine beauty, “You exhaled fragrance, and I drew in my breath and pant for You. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.”
“Jesus, in His Resurrection, has guaranteed a permanent source of life. He is the Living One (cf. Rev 1:18), the Lover of Life, the Victor over death,” the Pope declared. “He alone can refresh us along our earthly pilgrimage and offer us a peace that endures into eternity.”
Only Jesus, he stressed, responds to the deepest questions of the human heart: “Is there truly a destination for us? Does our existence have meaning? And how can the suffering of the innocent be redeemed?”
Christ walks with us
“The Risen Jesus does not offer answers ‘from above,’ detached from our pain,” Pope Leo said. “Instead, He walks with us—on a road that is often difficult, painful, and mysterious.”
“When our flask is empty, when thirst becomes unbearable,” the Pope reminded, “only He can fill it.”
The Holy Father emphasized that Jesus is not only our companion but our destination. “Without His love,” he said, “life becomes aimless—a tragic journey without a true end.”
He acknowledged human fragility, noting that “the wound of sin” can cause us to fall, give up, or despair. But we are not meant to remain fallen.
Only the peace He gives
Thus, Pope Leo encouraged, we are to “rise again” and “stand on our feet,” for the Risen Christ “guarantees that we will arrive” and “leads us home, to a place where we are awaited, loved, and saved.” – Vatican News
