Catholics from around the world have taken up Pope Leo’s call to come together to pray the Rosary for peace in the world’s conflict zones with a particular focus on an end to the war in Gaza.
In the Church’s calendar, October is dedicated to the Rosary. In Rome, the weekend of 11-12 October marks the celebration of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. Closer to home, Cardinal Vincent Nichols is leading a Eucharistic Festival in the Diocese of Westminster with Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, talks, prayer and veneration of a relic of the newly Canonised London-born Saint Carlo Acutis.
Presiding at Mass, Cardinal Nichols preached a homily about St Carlo’s devotion to the Eucharist, and how his commitment has inspired many young people to walk a pathway to holiness.
The Cardinal, President of the Bishops’ Conference, also encouraged the faithful to join with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in praying for a permanent end to the war in Gaza:
“Now today we are asked to pray especially for the people of Gaza and the Holy Land, for a lasting end to this terrible conflict and the slow building of peace. We pray that the first steps towards peace, being taken now, thanks be to God, may not falter.
“The Patriarch of Jerusalem, their bishop, has written beautifully and passionately about all this. He writes of how the images we see ‘are devastating and unsettling,’ confronting us with the ‘mystery of evil,’ a mystery beyond human understanding.
“He says we should never become accustomed to human suffering, for ‘every life lost, every wound inflicted, every hunger endured remains a scandal in God’s eyes.’ At this point he says we must ‘keep our eyes fixed on Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2) and together with Jesus ‘we want to gather the many tears of these two years of war: the tears of those who have lost relatives or friends who were killed or kidnapped, those who have lost their homes, their jobs, countries, or lives – innocent victims of a conflict whose end is not yet in sight.'”
Cardinal Nichols also encouraged all Catholics to allow Christ’s love into their hearts when they pray:
“The most important thing about this time of prayer, for each one of us, is that I let this love of Jesus flood into my heart. I let it fill my being. For nothing is as important as knowing this love and letting it become the very foundation of my life. To live the life of faith is to live in the sure and certain knowledge of the love that Jesus has for me, here and now, as I am today, even if I find it hard to accept and love myself! This is the love that took Jesus to the Cross. This is his love for me that led him to give himself to me forever in this most great gift of the Eucharist.”
Eucharistic Festival Votive Mass of St Carlo Acutis
Westminster Cathedral
11 October 2025
Today, my dear sisters and brothers, we thank God for the gracious life of St Carlo Acutis, our newest and dear Saint.
St Carlo is such a young saint, characterised by simple sincerity and a life of holiness. He is an inspiration to so many, especially those in jeans! His methods of entering more deeply into his faith in Jesus were new, yet his message is as old as our faith, a timeless truth to which we pay deep attention today.
He insisted: The Eucharist is my highway to heaven! Simple, profound, life-giving, inspiring! The Eucharist is our highway to heaven! Staying before our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist is the pathway to holiness. And holiness is our wholeness, for we have been created to find fulfilment in the joy of being with the Lord. And that fulfilment begins here before the Blessed Sacrament, and it ends in the fullness of heaven. The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.
This is not a new message. I was reading recently of a phrase used 500 years ago: that the Eucharist is the love-knot between Jesus and his spouse. That means you and me. It means the Church. We are the spouse of Jesus. He binds us to himself with the love-knot of the Eucharist! The Eucharist brings us heart to heart with the Lord, here in the Mass, this afternoon in Eucharistic adoration.
So today we are called to step onto this highway, to entangle ourselves in this love-knot. What are we to do?
There are two things I want to put before you.
First, when we come before our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist, we hold nothing back. We come to him, opening our hearts. We put before him, in whatever way we wish, our anxieties, our worries, our fears and our joys, and our hopes. In total freedom, we pour out our hearts, perhaps imagining he is there at our side, feeling his love touch and hold us, knowing that he is so ready to receive us, just as we are.
Now today we are asked to pray especially for the people of Gaza and the Holy Land, for a lasting end to this terrible conflict and the slow building of peace. We pray that the first steps towards peace, being taken now, thanks be to God, may not falter.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem, their bishop, has written beautifully and passionately about all this. He writes of how the images we see ‘are devastating and unsettling,’ confronting us with the ‘mystery of evil,’ a mystery beyond human understanding. He says we should never become accustomed to human suffering, for ‘every life lost, every wound inflicted, every hunger endured remains a scandal in God’s eyes.’ At this point he says we must ‘keep our eyes fixed on Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2) and together with Jesus ‘we want to gather the many tears of these two years of war: the tears of those who have lost relatives or friends who were killed or kidnapped, those who have lost their homes, their jobs, countries, or lives – innocent victims of a conflict whose end is not yet in sight.’ (Statement of His Beatitude and His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, dated 5 October 2025, published on 4 October 2025).
This is what we are to do as we stand before the Lord in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, he makes present his suffering and death, and we are to gather up the tears of our hearts, of our world, and present them to him, for he alone has the power to overcome all evil.
Then there is a second thing we are to do. But maybe this second point should come first. Let me explain.
You see, when we come to the Lord in our prayer, we come first of all to receive. We want to give to him all that fills our minds and hearts. But we are being invited, first of all, to receive from him. The first moments of our prayer and adoration, then, should be a realisation that Jesus rejoices to see me here in his presence. We need to spend the first minutes of our prayer simply knowing that Jesus delights in each one of us; he is delighted to see us here, delighted to see how much we want to be with him. This is the starting point of every prayer.
So today take care to grasp, embrace, the truth that Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father from whom our life has come, is filled with delight at our presence, at our face, at all that fills us at this moment. He welcomes us, I might say, with shouts of joy!
The most important thing about this time of prayer, for each one of us, is that I let this love of Jesus flood into my heart. I let it fill my being. For nothing is as important as knowing this love and letting it become the very foundation of my life. To live the life of faith is to live in the sure and certain knowledge of the love that Jesus has for me, here and now, as I am today, even if I find it hard to accept and love myself! This is the love that took Jesus to the Cross. This is his love for me that led him to give himself to me forever in this most great gift of the Eucharist. It is, you will remember, the love-knot that binds us to him, and binds us together. And it is the highway to heaven.
And we can be sure that once we are on this highway and stick to it, then we can grow together, we can become less troubled in spirit, less anxious, and more willing to serve others, for such is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
So let us pray:
St Carlo Acutis, pray for us that we may share in your adventure into the loving heart of Jesus;
Mary, England is your dowry, and you have the title ‘Queen of Palestine’. Plead with your Son for peace in your land.
Amen.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
