manner: the Covenant is new and eternal, nothing can separate us from his love. The Revelation of God, then, has the dialogical nature of friendship and, as in the experience of human friendship, it does not tolerate silence, but is nurtured by the exchange of true words. The Constitution Dei Verbum also reminds us of this: God speaks to us. It is important to recognize the difference between words and chatter: this latter stops at the surface and does not achieve communion between people, whereas in authentic relationships, the word serves not only to exchange information and news, but to reveal who we are. The word possesses a revelatory dimension that creates a relationship with the other. In this way, by speaking to us, God reveals himself to us as an Ally who invites us into friendship with Him. From this perspective, the first attitude to cultivate is listening, so that the divine Word may penetrate our minds and our hearts; at the same time, we are required to speak with God, not to communicate to him what He already knows, but to reveal ourselves to ourselves. Hence the need for prayer, in which we are called to live and to cultivate friendship with the Lord. This is achieved first of all in liturgical and community prayer, in which we do not decide what to hear from the Word of God, but it is He Himself who speaks to us through the Church; it is then achieved in personal prayer, which takes place in the interiority of the heart and mind. Time dedicated to prayer, meditation and reflection cannot be lacking in the Christian’s day and week. Only when we speak with God can we also speak about Him. Our experience tells us that friendships can come to an end through a dramatic gesture of rupture, or because of a series of daily acts of neglect that erode the relationship until it is lost. If Jesus calls us to be friends, let us not leave this call unheeded. Let us welcome it, let us take care of this relationship, and we will discover that friendship with God is our salvation. SUMMARY OF THE HOLY FATHER'S WORDS Dear brothers and sisters, We begin our new series of catecheses on the Second Vatican Council by considering Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. As today’s Scripture reading reminds us, Jesus calls us friends because he has revealed to us everything that he has heard from the Father. It is through Revelation, which reaches its fullness in Jesus, the Word made flesh, that we are invited to share in God’s life as his children in Christ. We are reminded that friendship with God is not only a gift, but also an invitation that requires a response, as in any relationship. To cultivate this friendship, we must spend time with God in prayer, both personally and especially through the Liturgy, where the community gathers to listen to the word of God with the guidance of the Church. Together, let us respond wholeheartedly to the Lord’s invitation and discover in his friendship the true mystery of our salvation. Picture of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from ShopMercy: https://shopmercy.org/pope-leo-xiv-prayer-card.html Quote from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from the General Audience on January 14, 2026 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/audiences/2026/documents/20260114-udienza-generale.html Crest of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html
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