During his first Wednesday General Audience of August, Pope Leo XIV chose to reflect on the mystery of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. To begin, he invited everyone to meditate on the word “prepare”—which “seems simple but holds a precious secret of Christian life”.
Love is not a sudden impulse
In Mark’s Gospel in preparation for the Passover, the twelve apostles ask Jesus a very practical question: “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” Pope Leo pointed out they were aware something important was going to happen, and in turn, they received a very symbolic answer from Jesus: “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water.” A man with a jar, a room already prepared, and an unknown host—everything has already been prepared ahead of time.
Jesus already arranged everything for His disciples. This shows us, the Pope explained, that true love is “not the result of chance, but of a conscious choice.” Love demands preparation. Jesus’ decision to endure His passion is an example of this choice to lovely freely. Pope Leo stressed this should be a source of comfort for us: “knowing that the gift of his life stems from conscious intention, not a sudden impulse.”
God has prepared a place for us
Continuing the symbolism of the Gospel passage, the room which has already been prepared reveals the fact that God paves the way for us. Before “we realize we need to be welcomed, the Lord has already prepared a space for us where we can recognize ourselves and feel we are His friends.” Each of us can find this space made particularly for each individual person in our hearts, which is simply waiting to be seen, filled, and loved. Even though Jesus had already arranged everything for the Passover in the Gospel, he still asked the apostles to do their part. This, the Pope argued, can teach us an essential lesson for our spiritual life: “grace does not eliminate our freedom, but rather awakens it.”
Preparations do not equal illusions
Pope Leo XIV reminded the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that we too have “a supper to prepare.” Beyond the liturgy, the Eucharist has a place in our daily lives. and we must leave room to experience the everything as a thanksgiving. To do this, the Pope urged everyone to remove the things in their lives that hold them back. But he also warned against confusing preparations with illusions or believing that being prepared means being deluded. Illusions distract, while preparations guide us.
Jesus gave us an example of this as He prepared “a communion supper” for His disciples throughout His ministry, even while they did not understand and one disciple was planning to betray Him. We too are called to “prepare the Passover”. As Pope Leo reminded everyone in the Square, this does not only mean preparing for Mass but also for the moments of our daily life. This might mean being ready to take the first step or to listen more or to stop waiting for others to change. And when we decide to take on God’s call to prepare for communion with Him, we will not be alone, the Pope stressed.
“We will discover we are surrounded by signs, encounters and words that guide us towards that room, spacious and already prepared, in which the mystery of an infinite love, sustaining us and always preceding us, is celebrated unceasingly.”
