Pope Leo XIV has delivered a beautiful video message to American young adults at SEEK 2026 in Columbus (Ohio), Denver (Colorado), and Fort Worth (Texas). The message is a meditation on the first words attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, “What do you seek?” These words are addressed to two disciples of John who follow Jesus. Here is the passage from John 1:
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” 37 The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Pope Leo draws our attention to the way in which Jesus’s question is a response to our own good kind of restlessness. Responsiveness to this restlessness can draw us to follow Jesus, which in turn draws us outward to share this with others. The Pope speaks directly to attendees in the second person, encouraging them to seek direct encounter with Christ. He states that Jesus asked the question “What are you looking for?” (or, in the Pope’s occasion-appropriate rendering, “what do you seek?”) in part because Jesus already knew the answer. Indeed, Pope Leo explains, Jesus Himself is the answer.
Jesus asks this question to his disciples because he knows their hearts. They were restless, in a good way. They didn’t want to settle for the normal routine of life. They were open to God and longed to find meaning. Today, Jesus asks each of you the same question. Dear young people, what are you seeking? Why are you here at this conference? Perhaps your hearts are also restless, searching for meaning and fulfillment, for direction in life. The answer can be found in a person. Only the Lord Jesus brings us true peace and joy and fulfills each of our deepest desires.
The Pope goes on to exhort his audiences to “Be open to what the Lord has in store for you!”:
The disciples respond by asking where he lives. It wasn’t enough for someone else to tell them that Jesus was the Lamb of God; they wanted to know him personally by spending time with him. During this conference, you too will have the opportunity to spend time with the Lord. Like Andrew, for some of you, this may be your first real encounter with Christ. For others, this weekend will be an opportunity to deepen your relationship with him as well as your understanding of the Catholic faith. Be open to what the Lord has in store for you!
The two disciples initially stayed with Jesus for only a few hours, but that encounter changed their lives forever. The first thing Andrew did was go and tell his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah” (v. 41); in other words, “We have found the one we were looking for!” This is the response we can all give once we come to know the Lord. This passage, therefore, tells us what it means to be missionaries. After meeting Jesus, Andrew could not help but share with his brother what he had found. Indeed, missionary zeal is born from an encounter with Christ. We desire to share with others what we have received, so that they too may know the fullness of love and truth found only in him. I pray that, as you leave this conference, all of you will be moved by this same missionary zeal to share with those around you the joy you have received from an authentic encounter with the Lord.
The full text of the message can be found on the Vatican website.