WHAT IF YOU TOLD GOD HOW YOU’RE REALLY DOING?
In his World Youth Day message, Leo XIV writes about loneliness, friendship and the courage to let others see you as you are.
READ THE STORY ↗GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Jesus, Mary and prayer, explored through texts and history.
LEO XIV RETURNS TO SOUTH AMERICA, WITH A STOP IN FRANCIS’S CITY
The Pope visits Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from 6 to 17 November. A tribute to his predecessor is planned in Buenos Aires.
READ THE STORY ↗WHAT CAN YOU GIVE WHEN YOUR ACCOUNT IS IN THE RED?
Leo XIV’s November prayer intention is for the proper use of wealth. His list includes our time and the things we know how to do.
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GOD, I RECEIVED COMMUNION. AND FELT NOTHING
You return to the pew, kneel and try to gather your thoughts. For a few seconds, you manage it. Then you remember a message, something to buy, lunch to arrange. Nearby, someone has their eyes closed and looks completely at peace. You mostly notice the seam of your trousers against your knees.
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GOD, TODAY I BRING YOU MORE THAN MY OWN NAMES.
Some names come immediately. You do not have to search for them or read a list. A date, a song, a recipe prepared a certain way is enough. These are the people you carry with you, those your thoughts return to even during a busy day.
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GOD, CAN I TALK TO YOU AT THE BUS STOP TOO?
The display says five minutes. Then six. Then five again. Meanwhile you have read a message, checked the weather and thought about groceries. Somebody facing an important day comes to mind. “God, stay close to her.” A few words, standing on a pavement. Does that already count as prayer, even with everything happening around you?
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GOD, I TURNED OFF THE LIGHT. MY MIND DIDN’T FOLLOW.
The room is finally quiet. You have checked the alarm, plugged in the phone and pulled up the blanket. Then your mind opens an unscheduled meeting: this morning’s remark, the unanswered message, tomorrow’s tasks. Everybody is here, just when you wanted to sleep.
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GOD, CAN I TALK TO YOU ABOUT MY DOG TOO?
You have barely opened the door and he is there. He knows nothing about your meeting or the message you keep rereading. He knows you are home. While you search your bag for keys, the day changes a little: someone wants to go out, sniff yesterday’s tree, be with you.
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GOD, IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE TALKED.
You had not planned to go in. The church door was open, outside was noisy and you stopped. Now you are sitting with your bag on your knees, unsure what to say. A childhood prayer returns, but feels distant. Eventually you find only this sentence: God, it has been a long time since we talked.
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GOD, I LONG FOR A CHILD. CAN I TELL YOU HOW MUCH IT HURTS?
The news arrives in the group chat while you are doing something else. A photograph, hearts, the first congratulations. You are happy for them. Then you need to put down your phone. You realise your smile stopped halfway and feel sorry about that too: you wish you could simply be happy.
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GOD, I DON’T KNOW HER. BUT TODAY I’M TALKING TO YOU ABOUT HER.
You were scrolling through the news while waiting your turn. A headline, a photograph, a few lines. You kept reading, then put your phone down. You do not know this person. You would not even recognise her in the street. Yet the thought stayed with you.
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GOD, TODAY I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING LOVELY.
The news arrived while you were doing something else. You reread the message, smiled at your phone and immediately looked for the name of someone to tell. Perhaps you had waited weeks for that reply. Or perhaps it is something small that has filled you with joy today.
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GOD, WHY DON’T I LIKE MY BODY?
It was a lovely photograph: your friends, warm light, an evening worth remembering. You immediately zoomed in on one detail and asked for another picture. In the second, you found something else to correct.
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SEOUL IS WAITING. YOU CAN PACK YOUR VULNERABILITIES TOO
From 3 to 988 August, young people will meet in South Korea. Pope Leo XIV invites them to start with everything in their hearts. Even what hurts.
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God, I only came today to be with you.
No request to be made immediately. Just a few minutes in the church, in front of Jesus. Prayer can also begin with the desire to be there.
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God, is that a sign or is that what I hope?
A song, a name that comes back, an unexpected occasion. When something seems to be talking to you, you can listen to what you feel without giving him your whole decision.
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GOD, I’VE SENT ANOTHER CV.
You checked the attachment three times. The candidacy's off. Now the waiting begins, with the desire to work and the effort to feel always under consideration.
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GOD, I FEEL EMBARRASSED TO SAY I BELIEVE.
All you said was that you couldn't do it on Sunday. Then someone asked why, and naming Mass suddenly seemed so complicated.
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GOD, CAN I ALSO ASK YOU TO LET ME FALL IN LOVE?
The important things we bring to God. What about the desire of someone to share life with? We can talk about it with all its tenderness and contradictions.
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I’M ANGRY WITH GOD. CAN I TELL HIM?
You prayed, you waited, and now all you feel is anger. The Psalms make room for the question you can no longer hold back.
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Let us pray for the Pope: staying close
From the 11 October announcement to the 17 October discharge bulletin: a prayer for Pope Leo and for everyone who is ill.
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JESUS WEPT, TOO
Some absences return in a song, a photograph, the instinct to pick up the phone. In Bethany, Jesus encounters this grief. Before calling Lazarus back to life, he weeps. Let us pause there: those tears have something to say to our hearts too.
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GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME? EVEN WHEN I GET DISTRACTED?
A wandering thought, a few words, a minute of silence. Prayer can fit into your day without a perfect script.
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DIFFERENT FAITHS, ONE SHARED TABLE!
A good question can open a world. Listen to someone else’s faith without having every answer ready.
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