Pope Leo’s Tears at Mass

As Pope Leo XIV lifts the host during the Consecration, you can see his eyes filling up. He swallows, and he seems to be holding back tears.

A beautiful video has been circulating on social media, and I have watched it several times.

It’s so moving to see Pope Leo get emotional during that powerful, miraculous part of the Mass. It’s relatable, because seeing someone express emotion shows them being a little vulnerable. At the same time, it feels aspirational—to worship with your whole self at Mass, to love God that deeply, and to experience God’s love that fully in the moment.

Without using words, our shepherd is offering a gentle invitation.

We are all trying to live well, and to love well, but it can be easy to be distracted. Some days you might feel like you are going through the motions and not connecting with God.

But seeing Pope Leo respond with emotion in that moment is a wonderful reminder that we are each invited to encounter Jesus today.

Over the past 100-plus days of Pope Leo’s papacy, I have listened to him speak, and I have read some of his homilies. He is a beautiful writer who draws on the heart of our faith, and who stirs in me something that feels fundamental to who we are as a church.

But what has also struck me are the photos and videos of his more personal interactions—with children, with families, with individuals who are disabled, with newlyweds, with religious. There is so much authentic emotion to those encounters—so much compassion and so much joy.

So, when I see Pope Leo lifting the Eucharist in that video, I am moved by how personally he is encountering Jesus. It feels like a beautiful invitation for us to recognize that Jesus is there. He’s right there! Waiting for us! Ready to be received by us! Loving us! And longing for a deeper connection with us.

“The Eucharist is the sacrament of love,” St. Thomas Aquinas said. “It signifies love. It produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.”

It can be easy to take aspects of our faith for granted, but it’s almost impossible not to pause and reflect when you witness how deeply someone else is connecting with Jesus. Thank you, Pope Leo, for showing us your love for Jesus and reminding us of his love for each of us.

You can watch the video clip here.

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