Pray and meditate on God’s Word daily, Pope emphasizes to pilgrims

January 15, 2026

At the conclusion of his January 14 general audience, Pope Leo XIV repeatedly emphasized the importance of a cultivating a life of prayer and meditation on the Word of God.

To French-speaking pilgrims, he said:

We have just begun the ordinary liturgical season, a time when we are called to cultivate our relationship of friendship with God in our daily lives and commitments. We can put personal prayer at the center of each of our days, to listen to the Word of God resound in us and live an authentic filial relationship with Him.

To German-speaking pilgrims, he said:

At the beginning of this new year I invite you to cultivate prayer and meditation on the Word of God. In this way we will be able to grow day by day in friendship with the Lord.

To Spanish-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I encourage you to cultivate friendship with the Lord, who is the source of joy and salvation, by dedicating quiet moments to prayer and meditation on the Word, so that you may listen to Him and speak with Him in the silence and intimacy of your hearts.

To Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I invite you to be assiduous in prayer and in listening to the Word of God. Only with a series of daily acts of attention to the Lord can we grow in friendship with him, learning to love one another as he loves us.

To Polish-speaking pilgrims, he said:

God treats us as His friends and invites us to know Him through prayer and participation in the liturgy. May your winter holidays be an opportunity to discover the beauty of friendship with the Creator and with our brothers and sisters, friends in the faith.

The Vatican did not include these words of the Pope in its English translation of his remarks.

 

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Further information:

• UDIENZA GENERALE (Dicastery for Communication - Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1/14/26)