Pope Leo: True righteousness demands great love

Image Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

During his reflections on the Sunday Gospel, before praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo said the Gospel teaches us that we must love greatly for true righteousness.

"Jesus invites us to enter into the newness of the Kingdom of God," he said. Pope Leo noted that today's Gospel passage recounts when Jesus, who after proclaiming the Beatitudes, reveals the true meaning of the precepts of the Law of Moses that call us "into a relationship of love with God and with our brothers and sisters." And that is why Jesus says he did not come to abolish the Law, but to bring it to fulfilment.

"The Law is fulfilled precisely by love, which brings its profound meaning and ultimate purpose to completion."

The Pope emphasized how righteousness is not limited to observing the commandments, but "opens us to love and compels us to love." Jesus then examines some of the precepts of the Law that refer to concrete cases and shows the difference between formal religious righteousness and the righteousness of the Kingdom of God. This, Pope Leo explained, shows us how the Law given to Moses and the prophets is a way to come to know God and His plan for us and history.

"God himself, in the person of Jesus, has come among us, bringing the Law to fulfillment, making us children of the Father and giving us the grace to enter into a relationship with him as children and as brothers and sisters among ourselves...Jesus teaches us that true righteousness consists in love and that, within every precept of the Law, we must learn to identify a call to love."

The Pope then recalled the examples Jesus gave showing how minimal righteousness is not enough, "great love is needed", which is possible thanks to God's strength. He prayed that the Virgin Mary may "intercede for us" and "help us to understand better the Kingdom of God and to live out its call for righteousness."

Watch the Angelus on the Vatican Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtrhEdPKZl8

Read the full text of the Pope's reflections and comments : https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/15/0129/00257.html