Vatican City: During his Sunday Angelus address from St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV called upon Christians across the globe to move beyond passive expressions of faith and become dedicated workers in the mission field of daily life. Rooted in the Gospel of Luke, his reflection focused on the moment when Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples, a gesture the Pope described as symbolic of the Church’s universal missionary vocation.
“The hope of the Gospel is not meant for a few, but for all peoples,” the Pope emphasized, underlining the expansive compassion of God and the immense spiritual harvest awaiting laborers.
Recalling Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few,” Pope Leo acknowledged the paradox of a world bursting with distractions yet still hungry for deeper meaning, justice, and eternal life. He painted a picture of God as a divine sower, who has planted seeds of longing for truth and salvation in every human heart. Yet, he lamented, few are prepared to see the world through Christ’s eyes and recognize the ripeness of that spiritual harvest.
The Pope issued a candid warning against reducing faith to a “mere external badge” or treating it as an occasional practice. What is needed today, he said, is not a crowd of spectators but hands-on disciples, those ready to witness to God’s kingdom in their families, workplaces, and communities.
“We don't need part-time believers or event-based Christians,” he said. “We need devoted labourers disciples in love with the mission of God, present and active in the world every single day.”
He expressed concern over the growing number of “intermittent Christians”—those who participate in religious life sporadically or based on emotion—while highlighting the urgency of daily commitment in building God’s Kingdom.
Pope Leo also cautioned against over-reliance on pastoral strategies and planning. True transformation, he said, flows from intimacy with the Lord through prayer. “It’s not about having endless theoretical ideas. What we truly need is to pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest,” he urged.
According to the Pontiff, such prayer nurtures a deep, living relationship with God, empowering believers to go into the world not as mere volunteers, but as authentic ambassadors of Christ’s love and truth.
Before concluding, Pope Leo turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary, describing her as the ultimate model of missionary readiness. He invited the faithful to entrust their missionary calling to her maternal care, saying: “May Mary, who gave her full and generous ‘yes’ to God’s call, intercede for us and walk with us, so that we too may become joyful labourers in the vineyard of the Lord.” With these words, Pope Leo reminded Christians everywhere that the mission field is not far away it is the world around them, and the call to serve begins now.