Faith frees our hearts from anxiety and illusion, Pope tells pilgrims
May 03, 2026
Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square today that faith “frees our hearts from the anxiety of possessing and acquiring, and from the illusion that we must pursue a position of prestige to have worth” (video).
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Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-12), Pope Leo said during his midday Regina Caeli address that “Jesus speaks of a home, but this time a very large one. It is the house of his Father and our Father, where there is room for all. The Son describes himself as the servant who prepares the rooms, so that every brother or sister, upon arriving, may find their own room ready and feel as though they have always been longed for and are at last found.”
The Pope explained:
Dear friends, in the old world in which we are still journeying, what attracts attention are exclusive places, experiences accessible only to a few and the privilege of entering where others cannot. In the new world into which the risen One leads us, however, what is most valuable is within everyone’s reach. Yet this does not make it any less attractive.
On the contrary, what is open to all now brings joy. Gratitude takes the place of competition; welcome overcomes exclusion; and abundance no longer entails inequality. Above all, no one is mistaken for someone else, and no one is lost. Death threatens to erase one’s name and memory, but in God everyone is fully themselves. Truly, this is what we spend our whole lives searching for, sometimes willing to do anything just to get a little attention and recognition.
Pope Leo continued, “‘Have faith,’ Jesus tells us. That is the secret! ‘Have faith in God; have faith also in me’ (Jn 14:1). It is precisely this faith that frees our hearts from the anxiety of possessing and acquiring, and from the illusion that we must pursue a position of prestige to have worth.”
The Pontiff concluded:
Each person already has infinite worth in the mystery of God, which is the true reality. By loving one another as Jesus has loved us, we impart this awareness to one another. This is the new commandment; in this way, we anticipate heaven on earth and reveal to all that fraternity and peace are our calling.
Indeed, through love, amidst a multitude of brothers and sisters, each one discovers that they are uniquely made. Let us pray, then, to Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church, that every Christian community may be a home open to all and attentive to each person.
The Pontiff then recited, in Latin, the Regina Caeli, the Minor Doxology (three times), and the prayer for the faithful departed, before imparting his blessing.
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