During the General Audience held this Wednesday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV continued his series of catechesis focused on the Jubilee and the theme “Christ, Our Hope.” On this occasion, he reflected on two miracles recounted in the Gospel according to Saint Mark, which reveal the healing power of Jesus and the transformative force of faith.

“In life, there are moments of disappointment and discouragement, and even the experience of death. Let us learn from that woman, from that father: let us go to Jesus. He can heal us, he can give us life back! Jesus is our hope,” the Pontiff stated firmly.

The Pope noted that a widespread illness in our time is  the weariness of life , when reality seems too complex and burdensome to face. However, he emphasized that “existence must be faced, and together with Jesus, we can do so well.” In a world marked by discouragement, Leo XIV urged us to believe in the power of Christ, who not only cures illnesses but also awakens us from death.

Two gestures of faith, two miracles of hope

The first miracle cited by the Pope tells the story of a woman marginalized by an illness that made her impure in society. Moved by the certainty that only Jesus could heal her, she approached and touched his cloak. Her faith was not in vain: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace,” Jesus told her upon healing her.

In the second story, a distraught father seeks the Lord after the death of his daughter. Jesus, far from rejecting his plea, tells him, “Do not be afraid; only have faith,” and goes to his house. There, amidst the tears of those present, he speaks powerful words: “The child is not dead, but asleep,” and brings her back to life.

Both characters are driven by a faith that compels them to go beyond social judgment. “Sometimes we too can be victims of the judgment of others, who try to dress us in a way that is not ours. And then we feel bad and we cannot escape it,” the Pope warned. But these two gestures of faith—the plea of ​​a father and the touch of a sick woman—reveal that in Jesus we find a strength that heals the deepest wounds and awakens dead souls.

Faith that transforms from within

The Holy Father also highlighted a moving detail: after resurrecting the girl, Jesus asks for something to eat. “It’s a very human, very concrete gesture, which shows how much He cares for us in every aspect of our lives,” he affirmed. This gesture, he said, is also a sign of God’s care for humanity, concretely, not abstractly.

With this gesture, the Pope invited parents to examine their spiritual commitment: “When our children are in crisis and need spiritual nourishment, do we know how to give it to them? And how can we do this if we ourselves are not nourished by the Gospel?”

It’s not enough to be close: you have to truly believe.

The Pope warned that we often approach Jesus superficially, without true faith: “We are in churches, yes, but perhaps our hearts are far away. We walk up and down the aisles, but we don’t touch Christ with faith.” Instead, the woman in the Gospel, silent and anonymous, overcame her fears and touched Jesus’ heart with hands considered impure. “Every time we make an act of faith directed toward Jesus, a contact with Him is established, and His grace flows immediately,” he explained.

Although we may not always be aware of it, grace acts—sometimes silently—transforming our lives from within. “Perhaps even today many people approach Jesus superficially, without truly believing in his power,” the Pontiff lamented. And he recalled: “Nothing is too great for Jesus. If we go to him, he will make us new.”

A special message for young people

In his catechesis, Leo XIV also expressed his closeness to young people, often the first to feel lost or discouraged by life. In this context, he urged adults to be credible witnesses of hope and not to be afraid to speak of the Gospel with simplicity and courage. “Jesus tells us: ‘Talitha cum,’ little girl, get up!”—and he also says this to the new generations. He can make them walk again; he can give them meaning, joy, and light.

Once again, from St. Peter’s Square, the Successor of Peter invites the world to turn its eyes to Christ, not as a momentary consolation, but as the only true hope that has the power to heal, renew, and give life.

Full text of the catechesis:

Cycle of Catechesis – Jubilee 2025. Jesus Christ our Hope. II. The life of Jesus. The Healings. 11. The bleeding woman and Jairus’ daughter. “Do not be afraid; just have faith!” (Mk 5:36)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we will again consider the healings of Jesus as a sign of hope. In Him, there is a strength that we too can experience when we enter into a relationship with His Person.

A very widespread ailment of our time is the fatigue of living: reality seems to us to be too complex, burdensome, difficult to face. And so we switch off, we fall asleep, in the delusion that, upon waking, things will be different. But reality has to be faced, and together with Jesus, we can do it well. At times we feel blocked by the judgment of those who claim to put labels on others.

It seems to me that these situations can find an answer in a passage from the Gospel of Mark, where two stories intertwine: that of the twelve-year-old girl, who is sick in bed and is dying; and that of a woman who has been bleeding for precisely twelve years, and seeks out Jesus in order to be healed (cf. Mk 5:21-43).

Between these two female figures, the Evangelist places the character of the girl’s father: he does not stay at home complaining about his daughter’s illness, but rather he goes out and asks for help. Although he is an official of the synagogue, he makes no demands on account of his social position. When it is necessary to wait, he does not lose his patience, and he waits. And when they come to tell him that his daughter is dead and it is pointless to disturb the Master, he continues to have faith and to hope.

The conversation between this father and Jesus is interrupted by the bleeding woman, who manages to come close to Jesus and to touch his cloak (v. 27). This woman, with great courage, made the decision that would change her life: everyone continued to tell her to keep her distance, to keep out of view. They had condemned her to stay hidden and isolated. At times, we too can be victims of the judgment of others, who presume to put a robe on us that is not our own. And then we suffer, and cannot come out of it.

That woman embarks on the path of salvation when the faith that Jesus can heal her germinates: so, she finds the strength to come out and go in search of him. She wants to reach out and at least touch his garment.

Around Jesus there is a large crowd, and therefore many people were touching him, and yet nothing happens to them. Instead, when this woman touches Jesus, she is healed. Where does the difference lie? In his commentary on this point of the text, Saint Augustine says – in Jesus’ name – “The crowd jostles, faith touches” (Sermon 243, 2, 2). It is thus: every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, contact is established with Him, and immediately his grace comes out from Him. At times we are unaware of it, but in a secret and real way, grace reaches us and gradually transforms our life from within.

Perhaps today too, many people approach Jesus in a superficial way, without truly believing in his power. We walk the surfaces of our churches, but maybe our heart is elsewhere! This woman, silent and anonymous, conquers her fears, touches the heart of Jesus with her hands, considered unclean because of her illness. And she is immediately healed. Jesus says to her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Mk 5:34).

In the meantime, the father receives the news that his daughter is dead. Jesus says to him: “Do not be afraid; just have faith” (v. 36). He then goes to the house and, seeing that everyone is weeping and wailing, says: “The child is not dead but asleep” (v. 39). He enters the chamber where the child is lying, takes her hand, and says to her: “Talità kum”, “Little girl, arise!”. The girl stands up and starts to walk (cf. vv. 41-42). Jesus’ act shows us that not only does He heal from every illness, but He also awakens from death. For God, who is eternal Life, death of the body is like sleep. True death is that of the soul: of this we must be afraid!

One last detail: Jesus, after reviving the child, tells the parents to give her something to eat (cf. v. 43). Here is another very concrete sign of Jesus’ closeness to our humanity. But we can also understand it in a deeper sense, and ask ourselves: when our children are in crisis and need spiritual nourishment, do we know how to give it to them? And how can we, if we ourselves are not nourished by the Gospel?

Dear brothers and sisters, in life there are moments of disappointment and discouragement, and there is also the experience of death. Let us learn from that woman, from that father: let us go to Jesus: He can heal us, He can revive us. Jesus is our hope!

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APPEAL

Last Sunday, a heinous terrorist attack was carried out against the Greek Orthodox community in the Church of Mar Elias in Damascus. We entrust the victims to God’s mercy and we offer our prayers for the wounded and their families. I say to the Christians of the Middle East: I am close to you! The whole Church is close to you!

This tragic event recalls the profound fragility that Syria still faces after years of conflict and instability. It is therefore essential that the international community not ignore this country, but continue to offer support through gestures of solidarity and a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation.

We continue to follow carefully and with hope the developments in Iran, Israel and Palestine. The words of the prophet Isaiah resound with urgent relevance: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Is 2:4). May this voice, which comes from the Most High, be heard! May the wounds caused by the bloody actions of recent days be healed. Let us reject arrogance and revenge, and instead resolutely choose the path of dialogue, diplomacy and peace.
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Special greetings:

I am happy to welcome this morning the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from Malta, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the United States of America. I offer special greetings to the members of Citizens UK catholic movement. As the month of June draws to a close, we ask the Sacred Heart of Jesus to increase our faith as we turn to him in trust. God bless you all!
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Summary of the Holy Father’s words:

Dear brothers and sisters: In our continuing catechesis on the Jubilee theme of “Christ our Hope,” we now consider two miracles that reveal the healing power born of faith in Jesus. In the first, we see a woman suffering from an illness that had led her to be shunned by society as unclean. Trusting that Jesus has the power to heal her, she reaches out to touch him and because of her faith, she is healed. Whenever we reach out to the Lord in faith, he in turn touches us, and his grace begins mysteriously to change the course of our lives. In the second miracle, Jesus responds to the faith-filled plea of a distressed father and raises a young girl from the dead. These two Gospel accounts teach us to be unafraid to turn to Jesus in prayer and to entrust ourselves to the healing power of his love, which can transform apparently hopeless situations and even bring life out of death.