There Is No Cry God Does Not Hear: A Reflection on Pope Leo XIV’s Message of Healing and Faith

(Vatican Media)

In a world where silence can feel suffocating and cries for help often go unheard, Pope Leo XIV offered a powerful reminder during his General Audience: “There is no cry that God fails to hear, even when we are not aware we are addressing Him.” This message, delivered on June 11 in St. Peter’s Square, was rooted in the Gospel account of Bartimaeus, the blind man who cried out to Jesus on the road to Jerusalem (cf. Mark 10:46–52).

Why does this message matter? Because many today, like Bartimaeus, find themselves sitting on the margins of life—bruised by humiliation, uncertain of their worth, and fearful that their cries go unnoticed. Pope Leo reflected that Bartimaeus’ name, meaning “son of honor,” stands in contrast to his reality as a beggar. “At times,” the Pope said, “people are stuck because life has humiliated them, and they just want to find their worth again” (according to Vatican News, June 11, 2025). The Holy Father’s meditation offered both comfort and a call to action: God hears us, but healing requires courage and faith.

So how do we approach this healing? Pope Leo pointed to the journey Jesus was taking—from Jericho, below sea level, ascending to Jerusalem. It symbolized Christ’s descent into the underworld after His death, where He would “bring back that Adam who fell to the bottom and represents each of us,” the Pope said. Similarly, Bartimaeus’ encounter with Jesus shows us the path to restoration: crying out, casting off our cloak, and approaching Christ with vulnerability.

The Pope noted that Jesus doesn’t go directly to Bartimaeus but instead calls him. In response, Bartimaeus must “cast off his cloak,” a symbol of the security he clung to. “Many times, it is precisely our securities that stand in our way,” Pope Leo explained. By shedding our self-made protections and naming our true need before the Lord, we take “a fundamental step in any journey of healing” (according to Christopher Wells, Vatican News, 2025).

What, then, are we called to do with this message? Like Bartimaeus, we must have the courage to cry out to Christ and ask boldly, “Let me recover my sight.” The Pope pointed out that this phrase can also be translated as “to look up”—a desire not only for physical vision but for the recovery of human dignity. “Jesus heals us so that we can become free,” the Pope declared. Though Christ does not command Bartimaeus to follow, the man chooses to do so of his own will: “to follow Him Who is the Way!”

Pope Leo concluded with an invitation to intercede for others: “Let us cry out for them, too,” he said—“in the certitude that the Lord will hear us and stop.” His words challenge the faithful to carry the blind and broken to the feet of Christ, trusting that no cry—ours or theirs—is ever ignored.

In a time of global sorrow and personal trials, this message from Pope Leo XIV is both timeless and timely. Let us cast off our cloaks, rise in faith, and cry out to the One who heals.

One thought on “There Is No Cry God Does Not Hear: A Reflection on Pope Leo XIV’s Message of Healing and Faith

  1. I needed this, as l cry tears everyday, The Lord knows well why,,, Please keep My Most Beloved Granddaughter in Your humble, good, Holy Prayers, she will be just 10 soon ,born in September,,,,

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