ACI Prensa Staff, 25 January, 2026 / 7:22 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that the Gospel “calls us to dare to trust,” warning that fear and excessive caution can leave Christians “paralyzed by indecision” rather than ready to follow Christ.
In his reflection before the noon Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, the pope returned to the day’s Gospel (Mt 4:12-22), asking two questions about Jesus’ public ministry: When did it begin, and where did it begin?
Leo noted that Jesus began preaching “when he heard that John had been arrested,” a moment that might appear “inopportune.” Yet, the pope said, “it was precisely in this dark situation that Jesus began to bring the light of the Good News: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
“In our lives, both individually and as a Church,” he said, “interior struggles or circumstances we deem unfavorable can lead us to believe that it is not the right time to proclaim the Gospel… In this way, however, we risk becoming paralyzed by indecision or imprisoned by excessive prudence, whereas the Gospel calls us to dare to trust.”
Leo highlighted Galilee as “a predominantly pagan territory” and a “multicultural region,” explaining that the Messiah “transcends the borders of his own land to proclaim a God who draws close to everyone.”
