Cardinal Tobin: No One is Unwanted in God’s Family

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Every human life is sacred. Every person is a child of God who possesses incomparable dignity and worth—no matter what his or her state in life or personal gifts and talents. Regardless of who we are, or what our background is, or the state of our physical, emotional or mental health, or our accomplishments, or our race, religion or cultural heritage, or our age, or our social status; every individual human being is precious in the sight of God and, therefore, should also be valuable in the eyes of his or her fellow human beings.

No one is unwanted by God. His love embraces all.

Think for a moment of the power of those statements. Can it really be true that God—who made the universe in all its vastness and complexity—knows and loves each and every one of us, including (or perhaps especially) those of us who have been rejected by parents, families, communities or society as a whole?

Yes! God sees in us (all of us, every one of us) something that is worth more than we can possibly imagine—something that far exceeds silver or gold, power or prestige, fame or fortune.

When Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova (Castel Gandolfo) on Sunday, July 13, 2025 (see below), he reminded us that “obeying the Lord’s commandments and turning our minds and hearts to him does not involve multiplying outward acts, but rather looking to our own hearts and discovering that there God has written his law of love.” In his commentary on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), Pope Leo tells us that the parable is really about compassion. He says:

True, the Gospel story speaks of the compassion that moved the Samaritan to act, but it first speaks of how others regarded the wounded man lying on the roadside after being attacked by robbers. We are told that a priest and a Levite “saw him and passed by” (v. 32). Of the Samaritan, however, the Gospel says, “he saw him and had compassion on him” (v. 33).

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