CELEBRATION OF VESPERS WITH THE BISHOPS, THE PRIESTS, THE DEACONS,
THE MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS, AND THE SEMINARIANS
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Saints Philip and James (Montevideo)
Friday, 6 November 2026
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Homily of the Holy Father
Impromptu remarks of the Holy Father to the young people gathered in front of the Apostolic Nunciature (Montevideo)
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Homily of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
It is a joy to celebrate Evening Prayer with you in this Cathedral, which holds so many memories of the history of its people. Among them is the baptismal font where José Gervasio Artigas was baptized — a sign of the Church’s fruitful contribution to the good of the country. A new life began for him then as a child of God. We too have received that same grace in our lives. Through Baptism, Christ makes us sharers in his life and invites us to grow in his likeness, so that we learn to see, to listen and to love as he does.
The Psalm we have just sung contains a surprising warning. After describing the idols of gold and silver as works of human hands, it says: “Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them” (Ps 135:18). People who built those images ended up becoming like them. Such is the human heart: little by little, it takes on the form of what it loves and in what it places its trust. That is why Jesus tells us: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21).
We who have entrusted our lives to the Lord need to ask ourselves where our heart is. Sometimes it can become attached to a work we consider to be our own, to the recognition we receive or to the peace of mind that comes from having everything under control. Without realizing it, we begin to view others from a perspective rooted in those concerns. Faithfulness to our vocation calls us to return again and again to Jesus Christ; to let him be our treasure, the one whom we wish to resemble.
Idols, the Psalm continues, “have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear” (Ps 135:16–17). They are made of gold and silver, but they lack life. How different is the God in whom we have placed our trust! He sees the suffering of his people and hears their cry. This is how he revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush: “I have observed the misery of my people… I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7).
When the Son of God became man, that divine compassion was revealed in a human face, in eyes, ears and hands like our own. Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus, hidden among the branches of a tree (cf. Lk 19:5). He listened to Bartimaeus, even when many wanted to silence him (cf. Mk 10:48–49). He reached out to touch a leper (cf. Mk 1:41) and blessed the children who came to him (cf. Mk 10:16). He spoke the word that cast out demons (cf. Mk 1:25–26) and, from the Cross, uttered a plea for forgiveness for his executioners (cf. Lk 23:34). This is the nature of our God.Through the life of Jesus, we have come to know how he looks upon us and how much he loves us (cf. Jn 14:9).
Dear brothers, through you, Christ has sought to reach many people with his love. Your eyes have watched entire generations grow up and have discovered tears that went unnoticed. Your ears have heard confessions that were difficult to utter. How many people have entered the confessional with fear and left rejoicing because of the forgiveness they received. The same is true of your hands, which have so often elevated the Body of Christ, assisted the sick, prepared a meal or supported those who could no longer walk. Those hands have brought God’s tenderness to so many people through the charism of your congregations. Some bear the marks of age and of hard work. How beautiful are the hands that have grown old doing good!
There is a transformation that the Lord brings about in those who remain close to him. The brief reading reminded us that the testing of our faith produces endurance (cf. Jas 1:3). Our likeness to Christ also matures in the midst of difficulties, such as when work seems fruitless, when our strength wanes or when we must start anew. Eventually endurance leaves its mark. Over the years, a gaze can become more merciful, hands more willing to serve and words more capable of comforting. May trials always find us united to Jesus, so that they may help us to grow in his love.
Beneath the vaults of this cathedral rests the body of Blessed Jacinto Vera. In that tomb, in the hope of the resurrection, are the feet that traveled the roads of Uruguay to bring the Gospel to his people; the hands that blessed, helped the poor and administered the sacraments; the ears that listened to countless confessions; and the eyes that noticed those in need of help. When recalling his simplicity of speech and even his way of walking, a religious sister who knew him for many years left this testimony: “Just by looking at him, it seemed as though he were always in prayer” (Positio, I, 154). His relationship with God had shaped his face, his gestures and the way he was among others. Those who approached him encountered something of Christ’s goodness, even before hearing a word of his preaching.
Dear brothers and sisters, one of the secrets of evangelization is to resemble the One whom we proclaim. In this land, where many of our contemporaries barely know Jesus Christ and so many young people have grown up far from the life of the Church, that witness has a special power. May the way we look at others, the way we listen or the way we reach out to those who suffer prompt them to ask about the origins of that love. When we speak to them of Jesus, may they discover the very Lord whose goodness they have begun to experience through us, despite our own poverty.
That desire for others to come to know and follow Jesus has also been expressed in prayer for vocations. When the inter-diocesan seminary received no new candidates in 2024, many of the faithful began to come together for days of prayer and fasting to ask the Lord to send workers into his harvest (cf. Mt 9:38). Since then, they have persevered in their efforts in order that others might hear his call. Today we give thanks because several young people who are seated among us have begun their journey in the seminary and in consecrated life. What a joy it is to know that generous responses to Christ’s love continue to come forth! I offer heartfelt thanks to those who have supported this initiative, and I encourage them to persevere. See in these fruits the proof that God hears the prayers of his people.
I hope that this experience in Uruguay will echo throughout the entire Church. From this Cathedral in Montevideo, I invite my brother bishops throughout the world to promote days of prayer and fasting in their dioceses for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life. May parishes, families and religious communities unite in this prayer. May the example of this land inspire many others to pray with the same confidence.
Dear seminarians and novices, look to those who have already been walking on the path of self-giving. See their worn hands, their persevering love and their way of relating to Jesus. Learn from them that intimacy with the Lord. To those of you who have spent many years in ministry or in consecrated life, I ask that you always return to what is essential. Cherish the silence of prayer, listening to the word and encountering Christ in the Eucharist. In that intimacy, the love that led you to give your lives to him is renewed, and your hearts come to take on the traits of his heart.
There is still one image from the Psalm that I would like to recall. It is said of those idols that “there is no breath in their mouths” (Ps 135:17). The risen Lord, on the other hand, breathed on his disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). That same Spirit gives life to this clay that we are (cf. Gen 2:7) and unites us in one body. Let yourselves be guided by him and do everything united in the bond of love, especially when you find yourselves surrounded by all kinds of trials (cf. Jas 1:2). Even when many kilometers separate you, support one another and always remain in communion with the Successor of Peter, who also needs the support of your prayers.
In a few moments we will sing the Magnificat. In the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary were formed those eyes that would look upon us with mercy, those ears that would hear our pleas and those hands that would reach out to save us. May Our Lady of the Thirty-Three help us to keep our hearts close to her Son, so that when the time comes to close our eyes, we may hear the Lord’s voice calling us by name and confidently abandon ourselves into his hands. Amen.
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Impromptu remarks of the Holy Father to the young people gathered in front of the Apostolic Nunciature (Montevideo)
Where are the young people? Where are the Pope’s young people? Louder!
Good evening, everyone! Thank you very much!
Thank you very much for the warm welcome. I can see that Uruguay is a country of young people who have faith.
Very well, it is a pleasure to greet you all; I hope to see you again in the coming days.
The Nuncio says he wants to sleep, but sing as long as you like! Well, maybe not quite that long, because the neighbors will want to sleep, too. But thank you very much. Thank you for your enthusiasm; thank you for being here.
May God bless you all! And may the blessing of God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever.
Good night!