Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board

SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY TRINITY
POPE LEO XIV
ANGELUS
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 31 May 2026

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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Easter season concluded last week with the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today, we celebrate the Mystery of the Triune God, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on the journey we have made. We begin with God’s life which was given to us in Christ Jesus. This life is a dynamic, inexhaustible and faith communion that draw us in. Indeed, the Spirit who unites the Father and the Son has been poured into our hearts. In this way, the Church becomes a sacrament of communion, a place of encounter, love and life where heaven and earth already touch.

Today’s Gospel (Jn 3:16-18) introduces us to Nicodemus, an important person in Israel who felt a profound attraction to Jesus. Indeed, eager to better understand this mysterious Teacher and to ask him questions, Nicodemus went to find him at night, so as not to be seen. The Lord welcomed him and took his search for answers seriously. Jesus surprised Nicodemus by suggesting that it was even possible for an adult to be reborn and led him to realize that the life of God could transform his own life. When Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit, Nicodemus’ interior darkness was illuminated with the truth –– the same truth that resounds throughout the Church in our celebration of today’s feast: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (vs. 16). And again: “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (vs. 17).

Dear brothers and sisters, in the Mystery of God –– Father, Son and Holy Spirit –– we are at home, just as Nicodemus felt at ease when he was in Jesus’ presence. The life of God is marvelous and captivating; it gives peace to our heart, which is often very restless, and it allows us to encounter our brothers and sisters in the joy of the Spirit. The Trinity helps us to love everyone and everything: we discover that every creature is made for communion, relationship and encounter. On the other hand, we understand why division, polarization and contempt for diversity bring destruction, sadness and barrenness to the world.

Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of the high priests of Israel. When he heard contemptuous words directed at Jesus in the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus urged everyone to listen first before condemning him. He had received the Spirit of communion from God through Christ himself, which opens the heart to new truths and to true renewal. Whoever does not welcome this Spirit grows old quickly, in sorrow, feeling all alone and without joy in their hearts. Instead, today, dear brothers and sisters, is a day of celebration. God’s feast is also ours. For this reason, Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying: Rejoice, strive for perfection, encourage one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you (cf. 2 Cor 13:11).

And now, with the prayer of the Angelus, we turn to the Virgin Mary: like her “yes” to the Divine will, may our “yes” to the love of the Most Holy Trinity also bear fruit.

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After the Angelus prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this month of May, a united chorus of prayers for peace has resounded throughout the Church. Above all, through the prayer of the Holy Rosary – like an unbroken chain – the peoples ravaged by war have been entrusted to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. May Divine Wisdom enlighten the consciences of those in authority and guide their decisions toward a sincere search for a just and lasting peace.

Today, Italy celebrates the 25th “National Day of Relief.” I offer my spiritual closeness to the sick and those who care for them; and I thank and encourage all who promote a culture of solidarity and care.

I warmly greet all of you who have gathered today in Saint Peter’s Square, both Romans and pilgrims!

In particular, I welcome the Bishop and the pilgrims from the Diocese of Kumba, Cameroon; as well as the parish choir from Dunajska Luzna, Slovakia. I greet the Poles present and the participants in the great pilgrimage to the Shrine of Piekary, where Mary is venerated as the Mother of Social Justice.

I extend my greetings to the Rivoli Alpine Group, the young people from San Zeno Naviglio, and the participants in the “Relay for Inclusion,” whose banners were created by Italian high school students.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday.

 

 

POPE LEO XIV
REGINA CAELI
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 24 May 2026

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Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

On this Solemnity of Pentecost, we are called to contemplate the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was poured out in abundance upon the early Church and is bestowed anew upon its members today, granting us light and strength throughout our everyday circumstances.

Let us reflect on an image of the Spirit that today’s liturgy sets before us: the Spirit opens doors. The Gospel, in fact, tells us that “the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews” (Jn 20:19). At the same time, the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells us that the Spirit came like a mighty wind (cf. Acts 2:2), which opened those doors, impelling the disciples to go out and proclaim the Good News of the risen Christ.

We can ask ourselves: what doors does the Holy Spirit open today?

The first door is that of God himself, for the Spirit gives us access to the mystery of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ. Through the gift of his Spirit, God grants us true faith, helps us understand the meaning of Scripture, reveals himself as our neighbor and allows us to share in his very life. The Holy Spirit helps us to have a personal experience of God, to encounter him in Jesus and not merely in the observance of a law, to recognize him within us, and to discover the signs of his presence in daily life.

The second door is that of the Upper Room, that is, of the Church. Without the fire of the Spirit, the Church remains a prisoner of fear, timid in the face of the world’s challenges, closed in on itself, and thus also incapable of entering into dialogue with changing times. The Spirit opens the doors of the Church so that it can be welcoming and hospitable to all, even to those who have closed their doors on God and neighbour, on hope and the joy of living. As Pope Francis recalled, we are called to be “a Church that blesses and encourages… The doors of the Church are open to everyone” (Homily at the Opening of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October 4, 2023).

Finally, the Holy Spirit opens the door of our heart, helping us to overcome resistance, selfishness, mistrust and prejudice, while enabling us to live as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, fraternity is born among individuals, groups and peoples of the Earth, and all speak the same language of love, which unites and brings harmony despite our differences.

Brothers and sisters, even in our own day, especially on this day of Pentecost, we must invoke the Holy Spirit and ask him to open all the doors that are still closed. We need to rediscover God as the Father who loves us, so that we can form a Church where everyone feels at home, and build a fraternal world where peace reigns among all peoples.

Like the first disciples, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Dwelling of the Holy Spirit and Mother of the Church.

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After the Regina Caeli prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today marks the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which occurs on the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians. She is venerated with great devotion at the Sheshan Shrine in Shanghai. Let us join our prayers with those of Chinese Catholics as a sign of our closeness to them and their communion with the universal Church and with the Successor of Peter. May the intercession of the Queen of Heaven obtain for the community of believers in China the grace of unity and grant them the strength to bear witness to the Gospel in their daily struggles, so that they may be seeds of hope and peace. In particular, I pray for the eternal rest of the victims of the accident that occurred recently in a mine in northern China.

To Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians, we also entrust the Christian communities of the Holy Land, Lebanon and the entire Middle East, who are suffering due to the ongoing conflicts.

And now I extend my greetings to all of you, the faithful of Rome and pilgrims from various countries! In particular, I greet the group of people with disabilities from Poland, as well as the pilgrims who came by bicycle from Kelmis, Belgium – well done!