Pope: Life Becomes Disordered Without Relationship with God

Vatican City, March 1, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has urged seminarians preparing for the priesthood to cultivate a living, supernatural relationship with God, warning that without it, life becomes “disordered from within”.

The Pope met on Saturday with Spanish seminarians from the seminaries of Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, Cartagena, and the Interdiocesan Seminary of Catalonia. Addressing them, he encouraged the future priests to read his recent letter to the Archdiocesan Major Seminary of Trujillo in Peru, describing it as a text that outlines the essential elements of priestly formation.

However, he chose to focus his remarks on what he called the foundation that silently sustains all formation: “having a supernatural view of reality”.

Quoting G.K. Chesterton’s Heretics, Pope Leo repeated the line: “Take away the supernatural and you will not find the natural, but the unnatural.” He explained that the “unnatural” is not limited to scandalous behaviour, but includes subtle ways of living that push God to the margins of daily decisions.

Human beings, he said, were created to live in relationship with God. “When that relationship becomes obscured or weakens, life begins to become disordered from within,” he warned.

The Pope posed a stark question to the seminarians: what could be more unnatural than a priest who speaks about God yet lives without awareness of His presence? He cautioned against becoming accustomed to the things of God without truly living from God, calling such a habit “dangerous”.

“At bottom,” he said, “everything begins — and always returns — to the living and concrete relationship with the One who has chosen us without merit on our part.”

A supernatural vision, he explained, means seeking the deeper meaning in everyday life and allowing faith to shape concrete decisions. He encouraged seminarians to practise the presence of God so that their perspective as believers informs their choices.

Using a vivid image, Pope Leo observed that trees can “die standing” — upright yet dry within. Priests and seminarians, he warned, can similarly mistake constant activity for true fruitfulness.

He acknowledged the importance of formation tools such as psychology but stressed that the Holy Spirit remains the true protagonist in shaping hearts for service.

Concluding his address, the Pope thanked the seminarians for their generosity in responding to God’s call and reminded them that they do not walk alone. “Christ goes before you, the Blessed Virgin Mary accompanies you, and the whole Church sustains you with her prayer,” he said.

Pope: Life Becomes Disordered Without Relationship with God

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