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Jesus is the treasure, the pearl, and the net, Pope tells pilgrims
July 26, 2026
Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims gathered in Liberty Square in Castel Gandolfo for his Sunday Angelus address (video) that Jesus is “the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net that gathers those who are scattered.”
Reflecting on Matthew 13:44-52, the Gospel reading at Mass today, Pope Leo said that “at the heart of Jesus’ teachings lies the mystery of the Kingdom of God, which today’s Gospel likens to treasure and a pearl.”
“This is a first important aspect of how God is near and makes himself known: encountering his Kingdom marks a turning point that does not limit life but enlarges it,” the Pope said. “If anything must change on our part, it is only so that our lives may be opened to greater possibilities, not fewer.”
Citing various parables, Pope Leo said that “the Kingdom of God reveals its inestimable beauty in different ways, but calls everyone—men and women, young and old, rich and poor—to a profound renewal.Today, too, the Church is a communion of people who differ in origin, culture, abilities and responsibilities. Yet all are called to recognize themselves as ‘one’ in Jesus Christ.”
The Pontiff concluded:
Brothers and sisters, all we have to do is ask for this gift, the very same one sought by the young King Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 3:5, 7–12). It is the gift of recognizing the pearl of great price, of discerning the treasure for which it is worth selling everything. While the consumer culture influences our tastes, constantly creating new needs only to sell us solutions that never satisfy, and that sometimes even poison the heart, we must learn to grasp what truly matters: the treasure of a relationship with God that opens us to joy and helps us to live our relationships with one another more fully.
May the intercession of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, direct our desire for life toward Jesus, so that in him it may find its complete fulfilment.
Pope Leo then recited, in Latin, the Angelus, the Minor Doxology (three times), and the prayer for the faithful departed, before imparting his blessing.
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