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Pope Leo’s Homily at Mass on Saturday, 26 September 2026
“Place de la Concorde” (Paris)
“If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).
First Reading: Ezekiel 47, 1-2, 8-9. 12
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
Isaiah: 12:2-6
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted.
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Gospel John 7:37-39s
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Pope Leo’s Homily,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I thanks God for the grace of being here with you today, in the Place de la Concorde, to celebrate the Eucharist.
It is truly good and pleasant when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity to proclaim God’s greatness.
(Ps 133:1 – Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!)
Indeed, I hope that my visit will strengthen your faith and encourage you to share the life, peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).
Brothers and sisters, when we are thirsty, we turn to Christ, the source of living water. This water quenches our thirst and makes life flourish. It is the water of God’s love, which has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 5:5 – hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.).
The desire for God dwells deep within our hearts.
We cry out with the psalmist: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2).
This is the cry of a humble and passionate heart whose deepest and most existential thirst continues to grow.
Through his Incarnation, Jesus Christ comes to meet each person in the midst of their own story and reveals himself as the true source of living water, capable of quenching our thirst.
This thirst dwelling in every human heart is not so much for material things as it is for meaning, truth, and fulfillment.
Jesus responds to our profound desire for a relationship with God, in whom the fullness of life resides forever.
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel saw water flowing from the temple and spreading across the desert.
The water purified and brought life to everything it touched.
(See Ezekiel above).
Later, Saint John saw water flowing from Jesus’s pierced side as he gave up his spirit (John 19:30-34 – When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water).
Now, everyone can drink from this fountain to receive the gift of the Spirit, be born anew, and become children of God and a new creation.
Brothers and sisters, we must acknowledge that nothing in this world can ever fully satisfy us.
Even when we think our work is finally finished and our efforts have been rewarded, that inner emptiness often returns, deeper than before.
In an attempt to fill that emptiness, we may seek new pleasures, want to possess more things, or distract ourselves in every way possible to numb our restlessness.
Today’s Liturgy of the Word invites us to look into our hearts and ask ourselves:
What is my deepest desire?
What am I really seeking in life?
We all long for happiness, love, and fulfillment.
But where do we seek to quench our thirst?
Are we content with material goods, immediate satisfactions, and the countless little idols that promise us everything but leave our hearts empty?
Although we have been baptized and received the living water spoken of in the Gospel, have we truly encountered Christ personally?
Essentially, humans are beings of desire, and only God can fill the emptiness within us.
Yes, brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who leads us to the source of happiness and peace, just as a shepherd leads his sheep.
He knows each of us by name. Nothing about us is hidden from him—neither our secrets, intentions, nor weaknesses. He searches the depths of our hearts.
He gave his life for us, and he continues to give it to us through the sacraments.
He carries the weary and wounded on his shoulders and gently brings back those who have gone astray. Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us.
In his eyes, we are not merely numbers or entries in a register, but unique and irreplaceable individuals.
My brothers and sisters, heirs to France’s long and beautiful history of faith, seeing you gathered here, I say to you: Drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus.
You thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion, and for happiness.
You long to rediscover a horizon filled with light and to build a renewed nation with roots nourished by faith.
Do not keep your faith in Jesus Christ to yourselves.
Let it overflow so that those you meet may be refreshed and have their thirsts satisfied.
You are called to bring hope wherever discouragement and spiritual dryness prevail.
Indeed, we can only be authentic and look honestly at our lives by accepting to live truthfully under the gaze of Jesus.
Our lives are fragile and vulnerable, destined to end in death.
Yet, they are also wonderful and miraculous.
They are capable of renewal through our relationships and of opening themselves to true love.
“If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).
As we drink from the source that is the heart of Christ, we ourselves become, wells, springs and rivers for others.
The believer who drinks from this source also becomes a source of life through their living relationship with Christ communicating that same life to others.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The living water of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in abundance, bearing fruit in the Church through missionaries and witnesses of every culture and among every people.
The Spirit brings life to all those whom it touches, transforming them and enabling them to bear fruit.
This is the holiness of those who worship the true God and serve their brothers and sisters generously in charity.
In this beautiful country of France, many have drunk from this living water throughout the centuries and devoted their lives entirely to the well-being of others.
The first martyrs, such as Blandina, Pothinus and Irenaeus are among them.;
– the holy founders and foundresses of religious orders;
– holy bishops such as Martin and Francis de Sales;
– and men and women whose hearts were attentive to the needs of others, such as Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam and Jeanne Jugan.
Even today, there are so many people in your society, in parishes and in every sphere of life, who continue to devote themselves to the causes of life, the family, truth, peace, fraternity and justice.
From this beautiful city of Paris, I fervently pray that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France.
I think of you, dear families, who, courageously persevere in your vocation and mission despite the many difficulties you face each day.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you accomplish.
May the tangible presence of Jesus within you never run dry.
Dear young people, you are the Church of today.
It is beautiful to see your enthusiasm, energy, and commitment and the joy you bring to Christian communities.
I also think of you, dear catechumens and newly baptized individuals, who have begun your journey of faith, conversion, and Christian initiation.
May you bear witness to those around you to the journey you are making and inspire them to ask themselves questions as well.
May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you witnesses ready to spread a civilization of love around you.
Brothers and sisters, let us turn to the Mother of God, the Fountian of Salvation, who guides us toward her Son, the source of all grace.
Through her free and trusting “yes”, she became the humble vessel, chosen by God, in which the Father’s love took flesh and was given to the world.
Let us invoke her with confidence, so that through her intercession springs of living water may well up within the people of God and cause seeds of faith, hope and charity to blossom throughout France. Amen.
