Pope Leo’s Angelus Reflection for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Tim
St Peter’s Square – Sunday, 8 February 2026
“Acts of openness and attention to others will rekindle joy”
1st Reading: Isaiah 58:7-10
Thus says the Lord:
Share your bread with the hungry and shelter the homeless poor.
Clothe the man you see to be naked and do not turn from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’
If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.
Sunday Gospel. Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again?
It is good for nothing and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men. ‘You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lampstand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’
Pope Leo’s Angelus Reflection:
Dear brothers and sisters,
After proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses those who put the beatitudes into practice. He says that, thanks to them, the earth is no longer the same, and the world is no longer in darkness. “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world”
Genuine joy gives life flavor and brings to light something that was not there before.
This joy comes from a way of life and a way of inhabiting the earth and living together that must be chosen and desired.
This life shines in Jesus, evident in the new flavor of his words and deeds.
After encountering Jesus’s poverty of spirit, meekness, and simplicity of heart; his hunger and thirst for justice, which unlock mercy and peace as powers of transformation and reconciliation; those who would distance themselves from all this seem bland and dull.
The prophet Isaiah lists concrete actions that can overcome injustice:
– sharing bread with the hungry, inviting the poor and homeless into our homes, and clothing those who are naked. We should not neglect our neighbors or those in our own homes).
The prophet continues, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, will quickly spring up”
On the one hand, there is light that cannot be hidden because it is as powerful as the sun that dispels the darkness every morning.
On the other hand, there is a wound that was once burning and is now healing.
Indeed, losing flavor and giving up joy is painful; but this wound can exist in one’s heart.
Jesus seems to warn his listeners not to give up joy. He says that salt that has lost its flavor “is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled underfoot”.
How many people—perhaps even ourselves—feel worthless or broken?
It’s as if their light has been hidden. However, Jesus proclaims a God who will never throw us away—a Father who cares about our names and our uniqueness.
Every wound, even the deepest, can be healed by embracing the teachings of the Beatitudes and returning to the path of the Gospel.
Moreover, acts of openness and attention to others will rekindle joy.
At the same time, such gestures, through their simplicity, put us at odds with the world.
Jesus himself was tempted in the desert to follow other paths, to assert his identity and to laud it and have the world at his feet.
But, he rejected paths that would have caused him to lose his true essence—the essence we find every Sunday in the broken bread, a life given and silent love.
Brothers and sisters, let us be nourished and enlightened by our communion with Jesus.
Without any boasting, we will then be like a city set on a hill – visible and inviting.
We will be the city of God where everyone desires to live and find peace.
Now, let us turn our gaze and prayers to Mary, the Gate of Heaven.
May she may help us become and remain disciples of her Son.
Pope Leo added the following ‘thanks’ to the staff and families of the florist and building services
Singing accompanies us and it is very beautiful… Continue to sing.
As managers, employees and workers in these two operational sectors of Vatican City,
you have demonstrated great passion to your roles, particularly during the recent Jubilee Year.
Thanks to your shared dedication, millions of pilgrims were able to pass through the Holy Door in an orderly and serene manner while participating in liturgical celebrations, audiences, and other events.
My heartfelt gratitude inspires future projects concerning the constant updating of technical and logistical services and the careful maintenance of Vatican environments, especially spaces dedicated to prayer and meetings with the Pope.
The decorum of these spaces and the safety of the structures are most meaningful in supporting the devotion of the faithful and the pastoral work of the Church.
St. Peter’s Basilica, in particular, is a sacred place that must be guarded first and foremost as a temple of contemplation, meditation, and spiritual wonder.
The square in front of it, with its stupendous colonnade embracing the world, is our “business card” for welcoming everyone. I therefore invite you to join me as you carry out your daily work.
