By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics across the globe to join him this November in praying for the proper use of wealth.
He released the monthly “Pray with the Pope” video on Tuesday, which is prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
In his prayer, Pope Leo recalls that everything we have comes from the Lord, including “fertile land, the talents we’ve received, the effort of those who came before us.”
“Nothing is ours alone — everything is a shared gift,” he said.
Yet, so often, the Holy Father observed, “we let the wealth we seek or attain harden our hearts, lock us in selfishness, and make us forget the most vulnerable.”
“Forgive us for storing up”
“Forgive us for storing up instead of sharing,” Pope Leo said, and “for using goods as power rather than as service.”
The Pope recalled that Jesus reminds us “that true wealth is not found in what we keep, but in what we give with love.”
He added that a heart detached from possessions “transforms the world,” for it “opens paths of justice, tears down walls of indifference, and sows hope among the poor.”
Therefore, he said, we ask you, Lord, that your Spirit teach us to use what we have, be it money, time, talents, or opportunities, as “instruments of fraternity.”
“May each economic, family, or community decision,” the Pope continued, “spring from a free heart, able to recognize that every good is meant for all, and that only by sharing we build the future.”
Finally, the Holy Father prayed, “Make us witnesses of a wealth transformed into service and mercy, so that our lives, united to the lives of others, may be a sign of your Kingdom of justice and peace. Amen.”
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
Founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Work entrusted to the Society of Jesus.
In December 2020, Pope Francis established this Pontifical Work as a Vatican Foundation and approved its final statutes in July 2024.
It is present in over 92 countries, forming a spiritual community of more than 22 million people who seek to live each day with availability to God’s mission.
At the center of its mission are the monthly prayer intentions of the Pope, inviting its members to focus on the pressing challenges facing humanity and the Church’s mission. – Vatican News
