Hoarding riches will not lead to happiness, Pope Leo XIV tells young people in Rome

Pope Leo XIV told more than 800,000 young pilgrims gathered for the Jubilee Mass this morning at Tor Vegata that the ‘fullness of existence’ does not depend on possessions.

“Rather, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share,” he said in his homily. “Buying, hoarding and consuming are not enough. We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the ‘things that are above’, to realise that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in ‘compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience’ and peace, all in imitation of Christ.

“And in this way we will grow in an ever deeper understanding of what it means that hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Just before the Mass ended, he added further thoughts, in relation to conflicts and other suffering around the world and sauid a different world was possible.

“In communion with Christ, our peace and hope for the world, we are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza. We are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war. My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible, a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.”

Speaking of “the fleeting nature of all things that pass away” he said this fragility is, in fact, part of the marvel of creation.

“Think of the image of grass: is not a field of flowers beautiful? Of course, it is delicate, made up of small, vulnerable stems, prone to drying out, to being bent and broken. Yet at the same time these flowers are immediately replaced by others that sprout up after them, generously nourished and fertilised by the first ones as they decay on the ground. This is how the field survives: through constant regeneration. Even during the cold months of winter, when everything seems silent, its energy stirs beneath the ground, preparing to blossom into a thousand colours when spring comes.”

People also are made this way, he said. “We are not made for a life where everything is taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love.”

Reflecting on Saint Augustine words about hoping for gold, silver, trees, crops, or water, he said the conclusion Augustine reached was: “Seek the one who made them, he is your hope.”

He also quoted Pope Francis, who told university students in Lisbon during World Youth Day: “We find ourselves facing great questions that have no simple or immediate answers, but challenge us to continue the journey, to rise above ourselves and to press beyond the here and now. […] We are called to something higher, and we will never be able to soar unless we first take flight. We should not be alarmed, then, if we sense an inner thirst, a restless, unfulfilled longing for meaning and a future […] We should not be lethargic, but alive!”

He urged the young people to “aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you.”

Back at the Vatican for the Angelus, Pope Leo reiterated his earlier message on Gaza in particular.

“In communion with Christ, our peace and hope for the world, we are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils, which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza, we are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war. My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible: a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.”

And he renewed the invitation that Pope Francis extended in Lisbon two years ago, for young people to gather to celebrate World Youth Day in Seoul, Korea, from 3 to 8 August 2027. The theme will be “Take courage! I have overcome the world!”

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