In late September, hundreds of thousands of Christians—and a multitude more watching on screens—experienced a genuine heart-to-heart with Pope Leo XIV, who had come to visit France. For four days, wherever he went (Paris, Lourdes, Metz), Pope Leo XIV won over both the faithful and curious non-believers with his simplicity and the power of his words, spoken with firmness yet great gentleness.
What lessons can we, as CANA couples around the world who wish to grow in love, share, and bear witness to our faith in societies facing violence and war, climate change, and the digital upheavals brought about by AI, take away from this?
Let us remember this invitation from Léon XIV to the 80,000 young people who came to meet him during an incredible vigil: “You are the saints of France!”
No doubt this call is not limited to the young people of France alone, but is addressed to all of us, for it adds, “Dear friends, the dynamic that characterizes the Christian life has a specific name: it is called the path to holiness.”
This path to holiness is, above all, the commandment that God gives us, particularly in the Book of Leviticus—which lies at the heart of the Torah—where the word “holiness” is mentioned 152 times!
So here is the plan for our lives given by the Lord, reaffirmed by the Pope in recent days and as we approach the Feast of All Saints: “Be holy!” Nothing less than that!
To guide us on this path toward holiness, Leo XIV offered many profound and powerful words in the various speeches he delivered.
Let’s take a look at some of these words…
- The Pope invites each of us—and our marriage as a couple—first and foremost to deeply desire holiness as a profound longing, a call to throw ourselves into Christ… “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37).
“The longing for God dwells deep within our hearts, and we cry out with the Psalmist: ‘My soul thirsts for God, the living God’ (Ps 41:3)! This is the cry of a humble and passionate man whose deepest, most existential thirst continues to grow.”
Our couples, our families, and our community are thirsty. Let us turn to Christ, the source of living water—“that water which quenches our thirst and brings life to bloom, that water of God’s love ‘poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us’ (Rom 5:5).”
- Leo XIV reminds us that holiness means living in truth under the gaze of Jesus…
“He knows each and every one of us by name. Nothing escapes him—not our secrets, our intentions, or our weaknesses. He searches the depths of our hearts… He carries the weary or wounded sheep on his shoulders, and gently brings back those who have strayed.”
“To Him, none of us is a number on an ID card or a serial number, but a person—a unique and irreplaceable person.”
“There is no failure from which God cannot lift us up: His mercy is our joy.”
- The pope also reminds us that holiness means striving toward goodness and toward others…
“As we journey along this path of holiness, it becomes clear that it is not enough simply to avoid evil; we must choose the good.”
“To make the right choices, remember this principle: what is good gives life; it never takes it away. What is good cares for others; it does not take for itself.”
He invites us, like “Saint Bakhita,” to see those who are invisible, to free those whom the economy and culture today reduce to slavery, and to honor the infinite dignity of every brother and sister, in whom Jesus himself comes knocking at the door.
He recalls the words of Don Elder Camara: “No one is so poor that they have nothing to give; no one is so rich that they have nothing to receive.”
“We are indeed called to turn toward our brothers and sisters, rediscovering God’s unique way—one marked by closeness, compassion, and tenderness.”
And the pope concluded his homily before the families gathered in Paris’s vast Place de la Concorde and on the Champs-Élysées with these encouraging words:
“I am thinking of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face each day, courageously persevere in your mission […] May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you living witnesses, ready to spread the civilization of love wherever you go.”
Let us welcome the Spirit of God and allow ourselves to be guided, for, in reality, holiness is not earned—it is received. Our actions are good and necessary, but holiness is a grace given by God. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, our journey toward personal and marital holiness is a life fully lived in the world—a life that does not merely seek to avoid evil, but is also committed to doing good.
Let us remain immersed in the source that quenches our thirst: Christ! And by His grace, this water that dwells within us may also nourish those around us.