Christ’s grace awaits in times of trouble, Pope tells audience

October 08, 2025

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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV devoted his weekly public audience on October 8 to a reflection on how Jesus approached his disciples after his Resurrection.

“We would have expected special effects, signs of power, overwhelming evidence,” the Pope said. “But the Lord does not seek this: he prefers the language of proximity, of normality, of sharing a meal.”

By this means, the Pope continued, Jesus showed that “everything can become grace—even the most ordinary things: eating, working, waiting, taking care of a house, supporting a friend.” However, he went on: “there is an obstacle that often prevents us from recognizing Christ’s presence in our daily lives: the assumption that joy must be free from suffering.”

In fact, Jesus is waiting for us even during times of pain and disappointment, the Pontiff said. “This is the greatest surprise: to discover that beneath the ashes of disenchantment and weariness there is always a living ember, waiting only to be rekindled.” He cited the example of the disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and belatedly realized: “Did not our hearts burn within us?”

Pope Leo said:

Brothers and sisters, Christ’s resurrection teaches us that no history is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope. No fall is definitive, no night is eternal, no wound is destined to remain open forever. However distant, lost or unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God’s love.

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