Pope Leo’s Homily at celebration of vespers in Uruguay
with the bishops, the priests, the deacons,
the men and women religious, and the seminarians
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
and Saints Philip and James (Montevideo)
Friday, 6 November 2026
Pope Leo’s Homily,
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 its people’s history.
Among these memories is the baptismal font where José Gervasio Artigas was baptized — a testament to the Church’s positive impact on 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 invites us to share in his life and grow in his likeness.
In doing so, we learn to see, listen, and love as he does.
The psalm we just sang contains a surprising warning.
After describing idols made of gold and silver, the psalm says,
“Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them” (Psalm 135:18).
Those who built the idols ended up becoming like them.
Such is the human heart.
Little by little, it takes on the form of what it loves and trusts.
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 must ask ourselves where our hearts are.
Sometimes our hearts can become attached to a project we consider our own.
to the recognition we receive,
— 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 these concerns.
Our faithfulness to our vocation calls us to return to Jesus Christ;
– to let him be our treasure and the one whom we wish to resemble.
As the psalmist wrote,
“Idols have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
they have ears, but they do not hear” (Psalm 135:16–17).
Idols 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 cries.
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” (Exodus 3:7).
When the Son of God became human, divine compassion was revealed through a human face, human eyes, ears and hands.
Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus, who was hidden among the branches of a tree (Luke 19:5).
He listened to Bartimaeus, when many tried to silence him (Mark 10:48–49).
Jesus reached out to touch a leper (Mark 1:41) and blessed the children who came to him (Mark 10:16).
He spoke the word that cast out demons (Mark 1:25–26) and, from the cross, he pleaded for the forgiveness of his executioners (Luke 23:34).
This is the nature of our God.
Through Jesus’s life of Jesus, we have come to know how he looks upon us and how much he loves us (John 14:9).
Dear brothers,
Through you, Christ has sought to share his love with many people.
Your eyes have watched entire generations grow up and have witnessed 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 often elevated the Body of Christ, helped the sick, prepared meals, and supported those who could no longer walk.
Through the charism of your congregations, those hands have brought God’s tenderness to so many people.
Some bear the marks of age and of hard work. How beautiful are the hands that have grown old doing good!
The Lord brings about a transformation in those who remain close to him.
The brief reading reminded us that testing our faith produces endurance (James 1:3).
We also grow more like Christ in the midst of difficulties, such as when our work seems fruitless, our strength wanes, or we must start anew.
Eventually, endurance leaves its mark.
Over the years, our gaze can become more merciful, our hands more willing to serve, and our words more capable of comforting.
May we always be united with Jesus during trials so that they may help us grow in his love.
The body of Blessed Jacinto Vera rests beneath the vaults of this cathedral.
In that tomb, in the hope of resurrection, lie 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.
A religious sister who knew him for many years left this testimony when recalling his simplicity of speech and even his way of walking:
“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 interactions with 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 to evangelization is to resemble the One 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 Church, this example has special power.
May our gaze, our listening, and our reaching out to those who suffer prompt others to ask about the origin of that love.
When we speak to them of Jesus, may they discover the Lord whose goodness they have begun to experience through us, despite our own limitations.
The desire for others to come to know and follow Jesus has also been expressed through prayers for vocations.
In 2024, when the inter-diocesan seminary received no new candidates, many of the faithful began coming together for days of prayer and fasting, asking the Lord to send workers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).
Since then, they have continued their efforts so that others might hear His call. Today, we give thanks that several young people seated among us have begun their journeys in the seminary and consecrated life.
It is a joy to know that generous responses to Christ’s love continue to emerge!
I offer my heartfelt thanks to those who have supported this initiative and encourage them to persevere.
See these results as proof that God hears the prayers of his people.
I hope this experience in Uruguay will resonate throughout the entire Church.
From this cathedral in Montevideo, I invite my brother bishops around the world to promote days of prayer and fasting in their dioceses to increase vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
May parishes, families, and religious communities unite in this prayer.
May this land’s example inspire many others to pray with the same confidence.
Dear seminarians and novices,
Look to those who have already walked the path of self-giving.
Notice their worn hands, persevering love, and relationship with Jesus. Learn from them how to have an intimate relationship with the Lord.
To those of you who have spent many years in ministry or consecrated life, I ask that you always return to what is essential.
Cherish the silence of prayer, listen to the Word, and encounter Christ in the Eucharist. In that intimacy, the love that led you to dedicate your lives to Him is renewed, and your hearts become like His.
I would like to recall one more image from the psalm.
It is said of those idols that “there is no breath in their mouths” (Psalm 135:17).
On the other hand, the risen Lord breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:22).
The same Spirit that gives life to this clay we are made of (cf. Gen. 2:7) unites us in one body. Be guided by him, and do everything in the bond of love, especially when you are surrounded by trials (Jas 1:2).
Even when you are separated by many kilometers, support one another and always remain in communion with the Successor of Peter, who also needs your prayers.
In a few moments, we will sing the Magnificat.
In the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, those eyes that would look upon us with mercy were formed, as were 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 keep our hearts close to her Son.
When the time comes to close our eyes, may we hear the Lord’s voice calling us by name and abandon ourselves confidently into his hands. Amen.