On this episode of Trending with Timmerie, the energy is joyful, hopeful, and just a little giddy. Timmerie dives into the heart of Pope Leo XIV’s first homily as Holy Father, and explains why this isn’t just exciting because he’s the first American pope, but also because he’s calling us to something that matters deeply—holiness rooted in sacrificial love.
From the first moment Pope Leo stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s, there was something refreshingly human and approachable about him. Timmerie’s four-year-old even declared, “He’s so cute!” But it’s not just his demeanor that makes him special—it’s his message. Pope Leo’s inaugural homily didn’t focus on institutional matters or politics. It centered on Christ, on love, and on what it truly means to be holy.
Pope Leo’s main theme is clear: holiness isn’t about checking boxes or climbing the ladder of spiritual success. It’s about choosing to love—radically, selflessly, and sacrificially. This kind of love is the heart of the Gospel. It’s the kind of love Christ showed, and it’s the love Peter had to grow into.
Quoting St. Augustine, Pope Leo said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” That restlessness we all feel isn’t something to ignore. It’s a call to find peace in the only place it exists: Divine Love.
Timmerie highlights one of the most beautiful and human moments Pope Leo focused on: Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?” The Greek words here matter. Jesus uses agapao (sacrificial love), and Peter responds with phileo (brotherly love). Peter’s hesitant at first, but eventually, he embraces that higher love. He follows Christ to the end, even dying on a cross upside down. That’s the kind of love the Pope is calling us into.
Pope Leo didn’t sugarcoat anything. The Church isn’t a social club. It’s a communion of souls committed to loving like Christ. That’s not about being “nice.” It’s about being holy. It’s about being all in.
Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Read what he writes. Let his words invite you into a deeper kind of discipleship. Because this Pope isn’t here to entertain—he’s here to shepherd. And he’s inviting all of us to join him in pulling souls from the depths and pointing them toward Christ.
Are you ready to answer that call?
