This is the eighteenth in a new series of posts sharing Pope Leo XIV’s words each Wednesday in his Weekly Audience, a time when he teaches, encourages, and shapes the mission of the Church around the world. Check back here each Wednesday to get to know Pope Leo!
“The human heart cannot live without hope, without knowing that it is made for fullness, not for want.”
In this week’s Wednesday audience, Pope Leo XIV presents hope as the refuge of the restless heart.
Life today is characterized by constant movement and activity—yet at the end of a busy day, we often feel empty. Too much doing, instead of giving us fulfillment, overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives.
This restlessness is a sign that our heart is ordered not toward obtaining the goods and successes of this world, but toward the only treasure that can fill it completely—God who is love.
“Here is the secret of the movement of the human heart: returning to the source of its being…. The restless heart will not be disappointed, if it enters into the dynamism of the love for which it was created.”


