"Brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves honestly, from the heart: Do we believe that God is at work in our lives? Do we believe that the Lord, in hidden and often unpredictable ways, acts in history, performs wonders, and is working even in our societies that are marked by worldly secularism and a certain religious indifference?

"There is a way to discern whether or not we have this trust in the Lord. What is the way? The Gospel says that 'as soon as Elizabeth had heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb' (v. 41). This is the sign: to leap for joy. Whoever believes, whoever prays, whoever welcomes the Lord leaps in the Spirit, and feels that something is moving within, and 'dances' with joy. I would like to dwell on this: the leap of faith.

"The experience of faith, first and foremost, elicits a certain leaping in the face of life. To leap means to be 'touched inside,' to have an interior quiver, to feel that something is moving in our heart. This is the opposite of a flat, cold heart, accustomed to the quiet life, which is encased in indifference and becomes impermeable. Such a heart becomes hardened and insensitive to everything and everyone, even to the tragic discarding of human life, which is seen today in the rejection of many immigrants, of countless unborn children and abandoned elderly people. A cold, flat heart drags life along mechanically, without passion, without impetus, without desire. In our European society, a person can become ill from all this and suffer cynicism, disenchantment, resignation, uncertainty, and an overall sadness – all this together: sadness, that sadness hidden in human hearts. Someone has called these dispositions 'sad passions' and are found in those who do not 'leap in the face of life'" (Homily, 23-IX-2023).