The Lord carries the cross with us, Pope tells pilgrims
July 06, 2026
Giving of oneself, out of love, “constitutes Jesus’ yoke, which is the essence of his teaching and the heart of his wisdom,” Pope Leo XIV said during his July 5 Angelus address (video).
Reflecting on Matthew 11:25-30, the Gospel reading of the day, Pope Leo asked pilgrims gathered in the St. Peter’s Square, “Brothers and sisters, how can the weight of the cross be ‘easy’ and “light’“ (v. 30)? For one reason alone: because the Lord himself carries it with us, never leaving us alone in what burdens us.”
The Pope continued:
As a true teacher, Jesus takes upon himself humanity wounded by evil in order to heal and care for it. The wisdom he gives us is therefore a proclamation of salvation, and his yoke lifts us up from every fall.
For this reason, our journey of following Christ is not an asceticism that mortifies. Rather, it is a school of freedom that takes seriously the drama of history and continually sheds light on its meaning, especially in its darkest moments. Indeed, only in the cross of Jesus is evil overcome; only in his passion does our mortal weariness find consolation and redemption.
Reflecting on the verse, “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (v. 27), the Pope concluded: “Dear friends, as we thank the Lord for the loving trust he has placed in us, let us ask Mary, Queen of Peace, to intercede for the good of the Church and of the whole world.”
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