Joining people and Marian shrines all around the world, Pope Leo XIV prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, specifically remembering those living in areas affected by war and violence.

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” (Ps 85:8)

The Pope opened his reflection at the end of the five decades with this Psalm, which, he noted, expresses the “hope of which we stand in need, especially in the face of current difficulties and violence.”

He urged everyone—those present in the Vatican Gardens and all those connected around the world—to “dispose their hearts” to be open to hearing the word of God, so that through prayer “we may come to understand the meaning of the events of history” and see God’s providence guiding and sustaining us.

Through the lens of Mary

The Virgin Mary, Pope Leo highlighted, is the model example of a believer who turns their heart to listen to “what God says.” For us, she is an example of obedience as she welcomed Jesus into her womb.

Looking at the Mysteries of the Rosary with Mary helps us to see in Jesus the “one final Word spoke by the Father, a Word of peace for all who return to him with contrite hearts.” That is, God never abandons us, even when we ignore or forget him or when we lose our way. He looks for us and brings us back to him.

One word: Peace!

Peace, the Pope stressed, “is not a theory to be tested in a laboratory, nor a naïve illusion, nor a matter to be pursued out of self-interest.” Rather, it must be looked for with a sincere heart. It is a daily commitment. Peace comes from justice and love. It is the harmony that brings families, people, communities, and nations together.

Even in the midst of the current global situation—violence, war, and conflict—Pope Leo explained that “peace becomes possible when we choose to listen to the cry of those deprived of it: innocent children, anguished mothers and fathers, abused prisoners, refugees and people of every age who suffer.”

All these groups “have but one word upon their lips: peace!”

Peace is always possible because it is a gift from God. His peace has a face—the face of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is Jesus who shatters the walls of hostility and defeats arrogance with humilty. He redeems all creation from sin.

Make possible what is humanly impossible

When Jesus is with us and we live like true disciples of his love, then the Holy Spirit is able to make possible what seems humanly impossible. Conversely, when we distance ourselves from God, we also move away from others and become indifferent to their struggles and suffering.

“Every time we return to the Lord, his peace becomes our responsibility, according to the duties and tasks of each person,” the Pope reminded everyone. That means our prayer is more than prayer—it becomes our mission and our prophecy.

The cry of innocent people must no longer be heard in cities. No one should be forced to leave their homes due to the threat of bombs. The thirst for power and the “violence of words” must stop and make room for justice and truth.

Everyone can and must do their part to achieve peace, the Pope urged. It must start with “small but important things, abstaining from every form of verbal or physical violence in daily life and also on social media.”

True peace, he explained, starts with a heart that loves: When people speak words of reconciliation and when we look at the world with gentleness and wisdom. “This is true strength, the strength of truth and love.”

Closing, Pope Leo stresses that God is looking for peacemakers. He asked Mary, our Blessed Mother, to “help us to answer him each day with our own “Here I am,” not only in words but in deeds.”