On April 2, 2026, as dawn broke over Rome and the world’s Catholics prepared for the sacred Triduum, Pope Leo XIV presided for the first time as Roman Pontiff at the Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The morning marked not only a liturgical milestone but also a moment of reflection and renewal for the global Church, as the Pope delivered a homily that would set the tone for Holy Thursday and the days to come.
The Chrism Mass, the first of two Eucharistic celebrations the Pope leads on Holy Thursday, holds special significance in the Catholic calendar. It’s a day when priests from the Diocese of Rome gather with their bishop—this year, with Leo XIV at the helm—to bless the sacred oils used throughout the year for sacraments such as baptism, confirmation, and anointing of the sick. But beyond ritual, the Mass serves as a touchstone for the Church’s sense of mission, unity, and service.
In his homily, published on April 2, 2026, Pope Leo XIV drew deeply from Scripture and tradition, weaving together themes of Christian mission, detachment, service, and reconciliation. "We are already on the threshold of the Paschal Triduum," he began, inviting the faithful to journey with Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection. "What we are about to relive has the power to transform what human pride tends to harden: our identity, our place in the world."
The Pope’s words echoed the readings appointed for Holy Thursday. The first, from Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, recounts the institution of the Passover, when the Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb as a sign of protection. The psalm, Psalm 115, invoked the “cup of blessing” as communion with the blood of Christ. The second reading, from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, recalled the night Jesus instituted the Eucharist: "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me." And the Gospel, from John 13:1-15, told of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, a gesture of humility and love that would become the model for Christian service. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" Jesus asked—a question that still resonates today.
Pope Leo XIV seized on these themes, reflecting on the mission to which God consecrates his people. "It is the Christian mission, the same as that of Jesus," he said. "Each participates according to their own vocation and in a very personal obedience to the voice of the Spirit, but never without others, never neglecting or breaking communion!" According to ACI Prensa, he emphasized that bishops and priests, as they renew their promises, serve a missionary people—"We are, together with all the baptized, the Body of Christ, anointed by his Spirit of freedom and comfort, Spirit of prophecy and unity."
The Pope’s homily was rich in scriptural references. He pointed to the passage from Luke where Jesus, filled with the Spirit, returns to Nazareth and announces the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… He has sent me to bring good news to the poor." (Luke 4:18, 21) But this mission, Leo XIV noted, entails risk and detachment—leaving behind what is familiar and secure to embrace the new. "Every mission begins with that kind of emptying, in which everything is reborn," he reflected, drawing on Philippians 2:6-7: "[Jesus] did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; rather, he emptied himself."
The Pope spoke candidly about the challenges of mission, acknowledging both its joys and its costs. "Our dignity as sons and daughters of God cannot be taken away, nor can the affections, places, and experiences that are at the origin of our lives be erased," he said. Yet, he insisted, "peace comes only with the courage to depart; understanding comes only with the boldness of detachment; and joy comes only by risking." The Church, he argued, is truly the Body of Christ only if it is on the move—reconciled with its past, but not imprisoned by it.
Leo XIV also addressed the perils of power and domination that have sometimes marred the Church’s history. Quoting Saint John Paul II, he acknowledged the collective responsibility for past errors: "We are bearers of the weight of the errors and faults of those who have gone before us." He urged a missionary approach marked by humility, dialogue, and respect: "The great missionaries are witnesses of careful approaches, whose method consists in sharing life, selfless service, renunciation of any calculating strategy, dialogue, and respect."
He stressed the importance of inculturation—the need for the Gospel to be received in each person’s own language and context. "Salvation can only be received by each one in their mother tongue," he said, alluding to the Pentecost story in Acts 2:8. The Pope called on the Church to be a guest, not a conqueror, in every culture and community: "Even the places where secularization seems most advanced are not lands to be conquered or reconquered."
The homily did not shy away from the reality of suffering and rejection, referencing the Gospel account of Jesus being driven out of Nazareth and nearly thrown from a cliff (Luke 4:28-30). "The cross is part of the mission; the sending becomes more bitter and frightening, but also more gratuitous and revolutionary," Leo XIV said. He reminded the faithful that the Church’s mission is not to dominate but to serve, even when that service leads to misunderstanding or apparent failure.
To illustrate the perseverance required of Christians, the Pope cited the spiritual writings of Saint Oscar Romero, penned a month before his martyrdom: "The circumstances unknown will be lived with the grace of God. He assisted the martyrs and if necessary, I will feel Him very close as I give Him my last breath. But more valuable than the moment of dying is to give Him one’s whole life and live for Him." Romero’s trust, Leo XIV suggested, is the trust to which all are called.
Across the Catholic world, Holy Thursday was being celebrated with similar themes. In Seville’s Cathedral, Capitular Adrián Ríos highlighted the day’s threefold focus: the Eucharist, the priesthood, and fraternal love united with Christ. The day’s readings and rituals, from the blessing of oils to the washing of feet, all pointed toward a Church called to self-giving service and unity.
As the Pope’s homily concluded, he invoked the Book of Revelation: "Grace and peace from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:4-5). In a world beset by conflict and uncertainty, Leo XIV’s message was clear: "Let us overcome the feeling of powerlessness and fear! We proclaim your death, Lord, we proclaim your resurrection, as we await your coming."
In these words, the Church found both a challenge and a comfort—a call to mission that is ever ancient, ever new.