Pope Leo’s Homily at Holy Mass
Basilica of the Sagrada Família (Barcelona) – Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Scripture Reading: Psalm 8
1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!
2 Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted by the mouth of babes and infants.
Thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?
5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.
6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!
_______________________________
Pope Leo’s Homily
I greet all of you, dear brothers and sisters, with the praise of this psalm, so full of joy and wonder.
I express my gratitude to Their Majesties.
I thank Cardinal Juan José Omella, the Archbishop of Barcelona; my fellow bishops; and all those joining us in prayer, including priests, deacons, and religious men and women.
On this evening of celebration for the entire city of Barcelona, I extend my grateful greetings to the public authorities and to the members of other Christian communities and religions who are participating in our act of thanksgiving.
Today, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia welcomes us to this beautiful city.
It opens its doors as though they were its arms, inviting each of us to the altar, to hear the Word of God. This Word makes us a family loved by the Lord, nourished by his own life in the Eucharist.
Thus, Barcelona and all of Catalonia gather in this temple as a sign of unity and harmony, lifting their gaze to encounter the face of God the Father shining forth in his Son, Jesus Christ, made man.
As we give thanks to the Lord for his love for us, we praise him for his work in our lives.
Inn particular we thank him in particular for this extraordinary basilica, consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
We recal that it is a visible sign of the invisible God, for whose glory its towers rise.
In continuity with the prayer of my predecessor I will soon bless the tower of Jesus Christ, the highest one.
This church is one building made of many stones.
It is a house that has grown steadily over the years, following a single plan.
We are all the living stones of this edifice, which has Christ as its foundation and crowning glory, its beginning and end.
The Basilica of the Sagrada Família is much more than a monument. It remains a work in progress, reminding us that the Christian life is a journey because God is carrying out a project through us.
Therefore, we do not dwell in an unfinished work, but rather in a temple that is still under construction. Its incompleteness is not a flaw, but rather a testament to our desire. It does not signify a shortcoming, but rather a promise we wish to honor.
Thus, our gratitude becomes a commitment as we cooperate in God’s plan—that is, in the edification to which he calls us.
Since we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, this work consists of our lives. God conceives of them as a masterpiece to be created together.
He calls us to collaborate with him.
(1 Cor 6:19-20 – 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body),
(1 Cor 3:9 – we are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field, God’s building.).
In this regard, we cherish in our hearts the words the Lord addressed to King David: “Are you the one to build me a house to live in?” (2 Samuel 7:5-6 – “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.).
On the contrary, “the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house” (2 Samuel 11).
In this passage, Scripture teaches us that we do not make a dwelling for God as if he were one thing among many or part of something greater than himself.
Instead, God makes a place for us in his own heart. He gives us the place of the Son, for those who were strangers, and the place of the Beloved, for those who are sinners.
This desire of his is fulfilled through Jesus.
Then, we can understand the meaning of what we heard in the Gospel when the Lord tells the Pharisees:: “you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he” (John 8:24).
These are strong words, but they are by no means intended as threats or blackmail.
They are an invitation to salvation—that is, a call to freedom extended by Christ, who desires the ultimate, eternal good for us.
When we are threatened by evil, the Lord is always with us and on our side.
“I am”: This is the most holy name that God shared with Moses from the burning bush, revealing his unshakable faithfulness.
As God made man, he becomes Emmanuel for us, the source of grace and forgiveness, of salvation and new life.
That is why, if we do not believe in Jesus Christ, we remain in sin.
Not only do we die, but we bring about the death of our neighbor.
Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot believe in Jesus and promote war.
We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent even before birth.
We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.
Tonight, then, let us remember that the cross of Christ, which adorns this Basilica, represents the Ultimate transformation: sinners becoming saints and the dead rising again.
The three facades of the Sagrada Familia bear witness to this: at the Nativity, the first becomes the last for us; through his sacrifice, he redeems us through his Passion; and his death gives us eternal life and makes us sharers in divine glory.
As we admire the tower of Jesus Christ, we lift our gaze toward him—toward the one who reveals the truth about God and ourselves to us.
Looking at Christ enables us to see the world with renewed eyes. The tower of the cross becomes a banner of charity because God loves us in this way, transforming an instrument of death into a sign of hope.
Our faith reaches its summit in Jesus’ cross, as professed by the inscription at the base of the spire
“You alone are Holy, You alone are Lord, You alone are Most High.”
By day, this cross reflects sunlight, and by night, it illuminates the city like a lighthouse overlooking the Mediterranean.
(John 1:4-5 ‘In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it).
Yes, the light of Christ shines in the darkness, even though the darkness has not accepted it.
However, this rejection does not mean that God’s love is lacking.
The Lord said: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me” (John 8:28).
To be enlightened by the glory of the risen One, it is necessary to pass through the passion of the crucified One.
From the beginning, the Father has taught us to give our lives, and the Son, who receives life from him, gives it to all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is precisely why the cross is the radiant sign of his love.
Faith shapes the stones and gives meaning to the edifice we inhabit together.
Through prayer, we discover the original bond between all things and God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
The Son, who receives life from the Father, gives it to all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is precisely why the cross is the radiant sign of his love.
God is the artist who has imprinted his splendor upon the cosmos.
Created in God’s image, humanity responds to God’s work with its own ingenuity.
This is how artists transforms talent into praise and creativity into a testimony to the Creator.
Inspired by faith, the venerable architect Antoni Gaudí designed this place to narrate the mysteries of the Lord’s life.
He has proposed a spiritual pilgrimage for us, leading to an encounter with Christ, who was born, died, and rose again for our sake.
This evening, together with Gaudí, we commemorate the centenary of his death and give thanks to all the supporters, benefactors, artists, and workers who helped build this architectural masterpiece, an eloquent catechesis made of stones, colors, and light.
In her wisdom, the Church thus renews the The poor man’s Bible of the ancient cathedrals, which are rich messages of evangelization in themselves.
In this age where image is so prevalent, it becomes even more evident how art and beauty are privileged channels of evangelization.
Dear brothers and sisters,
This beauty of this church inspires us to learn the art of living according to his Gospel more and more from our Master and Lord.
As we look up to the crucified and risen Christ, let us dedicate ourselves to lifting up those who are downtrodden. (1 Samuel 2:8 – He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world).
Let us demonstrate that the Sagrada Família is the world’s tallest church.
This is not to stand out in worldly rankings, but rather to guide the steps of the people of God making their pilgrimage in Spain.
The cross will illuminate their path like a brightly burning lamp as we await the return of the bridegroom.
