Leo XIV: Don’t be discouraged in your faith journey, God is always there to sustain you
Pope Leo XIV greets a group of catechumens from France during an audience on July 29, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 29, 2025 / 14:59 pm (CNA).
Speaking to a group of catechumens from France, Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday explained that baptism “gives us life” to renounce a “culture of death,” which is so prevalent in today’s society.
During the July 29 meeting at the Vatican with the catechumens, chaplains, and catechists of France, which also included the bishop of Nice, Jean-Philippe Nault, the Holy Father emphasized that baptism “makes us full members of the great family of God.”
He added that this sacrament “introduces us into communion with Christ and gives us life,” committing those who receive it “to renounce a culture of death,” which he said includes “indifference, contempt for others, drug use, the pursuit of an easy life, sexuality turned into entertainment and the objectification of the human person, injustice, etc.”
“Baptism makes us witnesses of Christ,” the pontiff emphasized, pointing to a “very powerful” sign of the sacrament: The priest or deacon presents to the godparents the candle lit from the paschal candle. “It is the light of Christ, dead and risen, that we commit to keeping alive, nourishing this light by listening to the word of God and by regular participation in the Eucharist.”
Pope Leo XIV noted that to live happily and in peace, “we are called to place our hope in Jesus Christ.” After stating that the baptized are “the salt of the earth and the world,” he emphasized that the Church also needs their “beautiful witness of faith to grow further and be close to every person in need.”
“The catechumenate,” Pope Leo XIV continued, “is a journey of faith that does not end with baptism but continues throughout life, with moments of joy and moments of difficulty.”
*‘It’s essential to experience God in prayer and in the sacraments’*
He also urged the catechumens to bear witness to Christ and become missionary disciples: “Don’t limit yourselves to theoretical knowledge, but live your faith in a concrete way, experiencing God’s love in your daily lives. The journey of faith can be long and sometimes difficult, but don’t be discouraged, because God is always present to sustain you.”
“It’s essential to experience God in prayer, in the practice of the sacraments — especially in rediscovering the sacrament of reconciliation — and in community life, in order to grow in faith and love,” he noted.
At the end of his address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged those who will soon be regenerated as children of God to “remain connected to the Lord Jesus.”
“We are not born Christians; we become Christians when we are touched by the grace of God,” he said.
This “touch” is expressed “through our thoughtful choice and our personal journey. Without these true demands, we will bear the label of Christian, but we will be Christians out of convenience, habit, or comfort,” he explained.
Instead, “we become authentic Christians when we allow ourselves to be personally touched in our daily lives by the Word and witness of Jesus,” he said.
“In the midst of your tribulations, moments of loneliness and spiritual dryness, of misunderstandings, of weariness, may your hearts be established in him who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ the source of all peace, joy, and love,” the pope concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.