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Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me
In his first book of original, never-before-seen writings, Pope Leo XIV offers readers around the world a window into the spiritual foundation that would lead him to the papacy―in his own words before his election.
Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost had never published a book. But shortly after his election to the papacy, Leo chose these previously unpublished texts to become his first published collection of Freedom Under Grace. This wide-ranging book captures the heart of his spirituality, forged by the conviction that “man is not defined by what he possesses or what he knows, but rather by what he loves.”
This collection comes from Prevost’s time overseeing the Order of Saint Augustine, distilling his understanding of the Christian life today for individuals, local communities and churches, and the whole Catholic Church. Drawing on the rich tradition of Saint Augustine, Prevost advances an inspiring vision rooted in community and solidarity, commitment to social justice for the poor and marginalized, and the confidence that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what the world most desperately needs to face today’s challenges.
For anyone looking to Pope Leo for wisdom and pastoral guidance, Freedom Under Grace is essential reading, delivering profound spiritual depth, penetrating theological insight, and unwavering moral courage.
Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost had never published a book. But shortly after his election to the papacy, Leo chose these previously unpublished texts to become his first published collection of Freedom Under Grace. This wide-ranging book captures the heart of his spirituality, forged by the conviction that “man is not defined by what he possesses or what he knows, but rather by what he loves.”
This collection comes from Prevost’s time overseeing the Order of Saint Augustine, distilling his understanding of the Christian life today for individuals, local communities and churches, and the whole Catholic Church. Drawing on the rich tradition of Saint Augustine, Prevost advances an inspiring vision rooted in community and solidarity, commitment to social justice for the poor and marginalized, and the confidence that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what the world most desperately needs to face today’s challenges.
For anyone looking to Pope Leo for wisdom and pastoral guidance, Freedom Under Grace is essential reading, delivering profound spiritual depth, penetrating theological insight, and unwavering moral courage.
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Published September 15, 2026
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September 24, 2026
I wanted to love this considerably more than I did.
Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on a Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me is a wonderful title. Unfortunately, I also think it rather seriously mis-sells the book. I went into 480 pages expecting something resembling a sustained personal reflection from Pope Leo XIV on the Augustinian spirituality that formed him. I wanted Augustine, grace, freedom, prayer, community, the restless heart, and some real reflection on how this extraordinary intellectual and spiritual tradition shaped Robert Prevost before he became pope.
That isn't really what this book is.
Instead, it is overwhelmingly a collection of material from Prevost's years in leadership of the Augustinian Order. Circular letters, homilies, addresses, more letters, more homilies, and then yet another letter. Many were written for very particular circumstances and addressed specifically to Augustinian friars, nuns, monasteries or individual communities. That makes perfect sense in their original context. What I am considerably less convinced by is the decision to place hundreds of pages of them together, largely without the kind of commentary or editorial framework that might have transformed them into something genuinely illuminating for a general Catholic reader.
Because my goodness, it becomes repetitive. The same themes and the same angles return over and over again: community, unity, diversity, service, mission, vocation, the identity of the Order, its difficulties and its future. Obviously, these documents were written years apart for different audiences, so Prevost himself cannot really be blamed for repeating himself. He wasn't writing a 480-page book. But somebody has now made them into one, and reading them consecutively rather proves why they weren't one in the first place.
A substantial amount of the material also concerns the internal crisis of the Augustinian Order: declining numbers, changing communities, questions of identity and vocation, formation, governance and what Augustinian religious life should look like in the modern world. If you're an Augustinian friar, nun, scholar or someone particularly interested in the recent history of the Order, I can imagine this being fascinating. For the average Catholic reader, however, I think much of it will feel extremely specific and increasingly repetitive. I certainly struggled.
What kept me going was that beneath all this repetition, we do gradually get to know the man who would become Pope Leo XIV. The overwhelming impression I came away with is of a pastor. Prevost is deeply concerned with people, community, unity and how Christians actually live alongside one another. He repeatedly returns to service, solidarity and responsibility towards others. There is a gentleness to him and an obvious concern with keeping people together rather than winning intellectual arguments.
Personally, I had hoped that after his election we might be getting another strongly theological pope in the mould of Benedict XVI. Benedict had that extraordinary ability to take an aspect of Christianity, turn it over intellectually and suddenly illuminate something I had never quite understood in the same way before. Based on these writings, that doesn't seem to be where Leo's particular gift lies. There is theology here, of course, and Augustine is everywhere, but the dominant voice is pastoral rather than deeply theological. I rarely found myself stopping because an idea had completely rearranged my understanding of something. More often I found encouragement, exhortation and practical reflection on religious community.
Different popes bring different gifts, and pastoral leadership is hardly an insignificant one. But it does matter when the subtitle promises Reflections on a Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me, because I wanted considerably more of the reflection. I wanted Leo looking backwards and telling me what Augustine had taught him. I wanted to understand how Augustinian theology shaped his understanding of God, grace, freedom, authority, suffering and the Church. I wanted Robert Prevost interpreting the tradition that formed Robert Prevost. Instead, much of the time I was reading what Robert Prevost happened to say to a particular group of Augustinians on a particular occasion many years ago.
There were also places where I simply disagreed with him. His treatment of the post-Vatican II Church was probably the most significant for me. Again and again we encounter religious communities wrestling with decline and enormous institutional and cultural change, yet I found remarkably little willingness to ask whether aspects of the post-conciliar transformation itself might have contributed to that crisis.
As a Catholic deeply attached to tradition and the traditional liturgy, I found that frustrating. I was particularly jarred by his analogy suggesting that returning to older forms is rather like returning to the typewriter in the age of the computer. I understand the point he is trying to make: history moves, circumstances change, and the Church cannot simply pretend that the twentieth century never happened. But I profoundly dislike the analogy when applied to liturgical tradition.
The traditional liturgy is not obsolete technology.
A typewriter becomes obsolete because somebody invents a more efficient machine. Liturgy isn't a piece of technology whose value is measured by whether a newer model exists. It carries theology, memory, beauty, continuity and centuries of accumulated Christian worship. Whatever one's position on liturgical reform, I think it deserves a considerably richer analysis than an analogy with replacing office equipment.
More broadly, I would have appreciated a much more searching examination of what has happened to Catholic life in the decades since the Council: declining Mass attendance across much of the West, falling vocations, religious orders struggling for survival and the weakening of Catholic identity across institutions and families. There are obviously many competing explanations for these developments, and Vatican II itself took place amid enormous social and cultural upheaval. But precisely because Prevost spends so much of this collection discussing decline, changing communities and institutional crisis, I found the relative absence of serious reflection on the consequences of the Church's own reforms quite striking.
Interestingly, there were moments when I found myself agreeing with him very strongly. I particularly appreciated his warning that too much emphasis on diversity can eventually cause a community to lose sight of its own identity. That struck me as both sensible and surprisingly applicable far beyond the Augustinian Order. A community cannot welcome others into something if it no longer knows what that something is.
I also enjoyed some of his broader cultural commentary. There are several letters where Prevost is perceptive about contemporary culture and the pressures it places on Christian identity, community and religious life. Those sections were among the most interesting in the collection for me because they occasionally gave me glimpses of the book I thought I was going to read. I wanted more of that engagement with the world beyond the internal concerns of the Order.
Ultimately, three stars, and even that rating contains a certain amount of Catholic charity because, if I am completely truthful, there were stretches where I had absolutely no idea how I was going to get through another hundred pages.
I don't think this is necessarily a bad collection. I think it is a badly positioned one. As an archive of writings from Robert Prevost's years as Prior General of the Augustinians, it has genuine historical value. As a way of understanding the pastoral instincts and recurring concerns of the man who eventually became Pope Leo XIV, it is genuinely revealing. I finished Freedom Under Grace knowing Pope Leo better. I understand more clearly what concerns him, what he returns to and what kind of pastor he is.
But unless you have a particular interest in Pope Leo himself, the Augustinian Order, or genuinely enjoy reading hundreds of pages of ecclesial letters, addresses and homilies, I struggle to recommend reading this from cover to cover. There simply isn't enough variation or editorial reflection to sustain nearly five hundred pages.
I finished it knowing Pope Leo XIV better, and liking him as a person.
I just wish the beautiful title had given me the book I thought I was opening.
Perhaps one day Pope Leo will actually write that personal reflection on the Augustinian tradition that formed him.
That I would very much like to read.
Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on a Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me is a wonderful title. Unfortunately, I also think it rather seriously mis-sells the book. I went into 480 pages expecting something resembling a sustained personal reflection from Pope Leo XIV on the Augustinian spirituality that formed him. I wanted Augustine, grace, freedom, prayer, community, the restless heart, and some real reflection on how this extraordinary intellectual and spiritual tradition shaped Robert Prevost before he became pope.
That isn't really what this book is.
Instead, it is overwhelmingly a collection of material from Prevost's years in leadership of the Augustinian Order. Circular letters, homilies, addresses, more letters, more homilies, and then yet another letter. Many were written for very particular circumstances and addressed specifically to Augustinian friars, nuns, monasteries or individual communities. That makes perfect sense in their original context. What I am considerably less convinced by is the decision to place hundreds of pages of them together, largely without the kind of commentary or editorial framework that might have transformed them into something genuinely illuminating for a general Catholic reader.
Because my goodness, it becomes repetitive. The same themes and the same angles return over and over again: community, unity, diversity, service, mission, vocation, the identity of the Order, its difficulties and its future. Obviously, these documents were written years apart for different audiences, so Prevost himself cannot really be blamed for repeating himself. He wasn't writing a 480-page book. But somebody has now made them into one, and reading them consecutively rather proves why they weren't one in the first place.
A substantial amount of the material also concerns the internal crisis of the Augustinian Order: declining numbers, changing communities, questions of identity and vocation, formation, governance and what Augustinian religious life should look like in the modern world. If you're an Augustinian friar, nun, scholar or someone particularly interested in the recent history of the Order, I can imagine this being fascinating. For the average Catholic reader, however, I think much of it will feel extremely specific and increasingly repetitive. I certainly struggled.
What kept me going was that beneath all this repetition, we do gradually get to know the man who would become Pope Leo XIV. The overwhelming impression I came away with is of a pastor. Prevost is deeply concerned with people, community, unity and how Christians actually live alongside one another. He repeatedly returns to service, solidarity and responsibility towards others. There is a gentleness to him and an obvious concern with keeping people together rather than winning intellectual arguments.
Personally, I had hoped that after his election we might be getting another strongly theological pope in the mould of Benedict XVI. Benedict had that extraordinary ability to take an aspect of Christianity, turn it over intellectually and suddenly illuminate something I had never quite understood in the same way before. Based on these writings, that doesn't seem to be where Leo's particular gift lies. There is theology here, of course, and Augustine is everywhere, but the dominant voice is pastoral rather than deeply theological. I rarely found myself stopping because an idea had completely rearranged my understanding of something. More often I found encouragement, exhortation and practical reflection on religious community.
Different popes bring different gifts, and pastoral leadership is hardly an insignificant one. But it does matter when the subtitle promises Reflections on a Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me, because I wanted considerably more of the reflection. I wanted Leo looking backwards and telling me what Augustine had taught him. I wanted to understand how Augustinian theology shaped his understanding of God, grace, freedom, authority, suffering and the Church. I wanted Robert Prevost interpreting the tradition that formed Robert Prevost. Instead, much of the time I was reading what Robert Prevost happened to say to a particular group of Augustinians on a particular occasion many years ago.
There were also places where I simply disagreed with him. His treatment of the post-Vatican II Church was probably the most significant for me. Again and again we encounter religious communities wrestling with decline and enormous institutional and cultural change, yet I found remarkably little willingness to ask whether aspects of the post-conciliar transformation itself might have contributed to that crisis.
As a Catholic deeply attached to tradition and the traditional liturgy, I found that frustrating. I was particularly jarred by his analogy suggesting that returning to older forms is rather like returning to the typewriter in the age of the computer. I understand the point he is trying to make: history moves, circumstances change, and the Church cannot simply pretend that the twentieth century never happened. But I profoundly dislike the analogy when applied to liturgical tradition.
The traditional liturgy is not obsolete technology.
A typewriter becomes obsolete because somebody invents a more efficient machine. Liturgy isn't a piece of technology whose value is measured by whether a newer model exists. It carries theology, memory, beauty, continuity and centuries of accumulated Christian worship. Whatever one's position on liturgical reform, I think it deserves a considerably richer analysis than an analogy with replacing office equipment.
More broadly, I would have appreciated a much more searching examination of what has happened to Catholic life in the decades since the Council: declining Mass attendance across much of the West, falling vocations, religious orders struggling for survival and the weakening of Catholic identity across institutions and families. There are obviously many competing explanations for these developments, and Vatican II itself took place amid enormous social and cultural upheaval. But precisely because Prevost spends so much of this collection discussing decline, changing communities and institutional crisis, I found the relative absence of serious reflection on the consequences of the Church's own reforms quite striking.
Interestingly, there were moments when I found myself agreeing with him very strongly. I particularly appreciated his warning that too much emphasis on diversity can eventually cause a community to lose sight of its own identity. That struck me as both sensible and surprisingly applicable far beyond the Augustinian Order. A community cannot welcome others into something if it no longer knows what that something is.
I also enjoyed some of his broader cultural commentary. There are several letters where Prevost is perceptive about contemporary culture and the pressures it places on Christian identity, community and religious life. Those sections were among the most interesting in the collection for me because they occasionally gave me glimpses of the book I thought I was going to read. I wanted more of that engagement with the world beyond the internal concerns of the Order.
Ultimately, three stars, and even that rating contains a certain amount of Catholic charity because, if I am completely truthful, there were stretches where I had absolutely no idea how I was going to get through another hundred pages.
I don't think this is necessarily a bad collection. I think it is a badly positioned one. As an archive of writings from Robert Prevost's years as Prior General of the Augustinians, it has genuine historical value. As a way of understanding the pastoral instincts and recurring concerns of the man who eventually became Pope Leo XIV, it is genuinely revealing. I finished Freedom Under Grace knowing Pope Leo better. I understand more clearly what concerns him, what he returns to and what kind of pastor he is.
But unless you have a particular interest in Pope Leo himself, the Augustinian Order, or genuinely enjoy reading hundreds of pages of ecclesial letters, addresses and homilies, I struggle to recommend reading this from cover to cover. There simply isn't enough variation or editorial reflection to sustain nearly five hundred pages.
I finished it knowing Pope Leo XIV better, and liking him as a person.
I just wish the beautiful title had given me the book I thought I was opening.
Perhaps one day Pope Leo will actually write that personal reflection on the Augustinian tradition that formed him.
That I would very much like to read.
October 3, 2026
The election of Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States as the Successor of St. Peter, taking the name Leo XIV, naturally generated both enthusiasm and questions: what would be his vision and priorities for leading the universal Church?
The personality and thought of a Church figure are generally best discovered through his biography and writings. Unfortunately, at the time of his election, very little of Cardinal Prevost’s writings was publicly accessible, and there was not yet a substantial biography available. In this respect, his situation was quite different from that of Cardinal Ratzinger, whose life and theological thought had already been widely studied and discussed before his election as Pope Benedict XVI.
Fortunately, a collection of more than 400 pages of homilies, speeches, and letters by Robert Prevost, OSA, written during his tenure as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine, has recently been published. Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition that Formed Me offers a valuable window into his thoughts on the Church, the world, faith, and the vocation to consecrated life.
After reading the book, I would offer the following observations.
1. The subtitle is somewhat misleading.
The subtitle, Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition that Formed Me, does not seem entirely appropriate. The writings do not, in fact, focus specifically on a theological or spiritual reflection on the Augustinian tradition itself. Rather, much of the material concerns the situation, challenges, and mission of the Order of St. Augustine as Prevost encountered them during his service as Prior General. A subtitle such as Reflections on the Augustinian Order as I See It, or something along similar lines, might therefore have been more precise and less likely to create expectations that the book does not fully meet.
2. The collection becomes increasingly repetitive.
The first part of the book is quite interesting, particularly because it allows the reader to encounter a variety of Prevost’s writings from different occasions and contexts. However, after reading more than sixty percent of the book—and, as noted, I have not yet reached the end—the material begins to feel increasingly repetitive. Similar themes and exhortations recur without much further development or deepening. As a result, the later sections do not always offer new insights proportionate to the length of the collection.
3. The book reveals Prevost more as a pastor than as a theologian.
Perhaps the most significant impression I have gained from this anthology is that Pope Leo XIV’s primary character is pastoral rather than theological. He clearly recognizes many of the challenges confronting his religious order, and his attentiveness to these difficulties is certainly a strength. Yet he rarely attempts to provide an extensive analysis of their deeper causes. His approach is more exhortative: he encourages his fellow Augustinians to return to the spiritual tradition of St. Augustine and to draw from it the resources needed to respond faithfully to new challenges.
This is not necessarily a weakness. Rather, it helps clarify the particular character of Prevost’s thought. His writings are concerned less with constructing a theological diagnosis and more with encouraging a community to remain faithful to its identity and vocation.
4. The book does not yet make the full vision of Leo XIV entirely clear.
Precisely because of the pastoral character of these writings, it remains difficult to discern, at least from this volume alone, what Pope Leo XIV’s broader vision for the universal Church ultimately is. He speaks clearly about unity, in keeping with the emphasis expressed in his papal motto. Yet important questions remain: How is this unity to be achieved? What theological understanding grounds it? And why should unity occupy such a central place among the many priorities confronting the Church today?
A comparison with Pope Benedict XVI is instructive here—not because the two men should necessarily be expected to think or govern in the same way, but because their intellectual profiles are quite different. Benedict, as a distinguished theologian, articulated his priorities through a clearly developed theological vision. His emphasis on the liturgy, for instance, was rooted in the conviction that the liturgy is first and foremost about God. The way human beings relate to God consequently shapes their faith and, in turn, their relationship and conduct toward one another.
In the writings collected here, Prevost’s priorities appear more through pastoral exhortation than through an explicitly articulated theological framework. Whether his pontificate will eventually reveal a more systematic vision remains something that can only become clearer with time.
5. The book presents a reassuringly faithful ecclesial voice.
At the same time, one should be grateful for what the book does reveal. There is nothing particularly strange, eccentric, or doctrinally problematic in these writings. Prevost presents himself as a pastor who thinks not merely about the Church but with and within the Church. His reflections are firmly rooted in the Catholic faith and in the spiritual tradition that has formed him.
This perhaps provides one of the clearest impressions left by the book: whatever particular direction his pontificate may eventually take, Leo XIV does not appear to approach the Church as an outsider attempting to reconstruct her according to an external framework. His starting point is the Church’s own faith, tradition, and spiritual inheritance.
***
Whatever its strengths and limitations, one thing seems clear from Freedom Under Grace: Pope Leo XIV is truly a faithful son of St. Augustine. It is therefore reasonable to hope that through his pontificate, the spiritual legacy of St. Augustine will become increasingly known, loved, and lived by an ever greater number of people. If this book offers us a glimpse of the man who now occupies the Chair of Peter, perhaps one of the most fitting hopes is that he will continue to draw from the wisdom of the Bishop of Hippo—not merely as an Augustinian religious, but as a pastor seeking to lead the Church toward a deeper love of God and a more faithful communion in Christ.
The personality and thought of a Church figure are generally best discovered through his biography and writings. Unfortunately, at the time of his election, very little of Cardinal Prevost’s writings was publicly accessible, and there was not yet a substantial biography available. In this respect, his situation was quite different from that of Cardinal Ratzinger, whose life and theological thought had already been widely studied and discussed before his election as Pope Benedict XVI.
Fortunately, a collection of more than 400 pages of homilies, speeches, and letters by Robert Prevost, OSA, written during his tenure as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine, has recently been published. Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition that Formed Me offers a valuable window into his thoughts on the Church, the world, faith, and the vocation to consecrated life.
After reading the book, I would offer the following observations.
1. The subtitle is somewhat misleading.
The subtitle, Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition that Formed Me, does not seem entirely appropriate. The writings do not, in fact, focus specifically on a theological or spiritual reflection on the Augustinian tradition itself. Rather, much of the material concerns the situation, challenges, and mission of the Order of St. Augustine as Prevost encountered them during his service as Prior General. A subtitle such as Reflections on the Augustinian Order as I See It, or something along similar lines, might therefore have been more precise and less likely to create expectations that the book does not fully meet.
2. The collection becomes increasingly repetitive.
The first part of the book is quite interesting, particularly because it allows the reader to encounter a variety of Prevost’s writings from different occasions and contexts. However, after reading more than sixty percent of the book—and, as noted, I have not yet reached the end—the material begins to feel increasingly repetitive. Similar themes and exhortations recur without much further development or deepening. As a result, the later sections do not always offer new insights proportionate to the length of the collection.
3. The book reveals Prevost more as a pastor than as a theologian.
Perhaps the most significant impression I have gained from this anthology is that Pope Leo XIV’s primary character is pastoral rather than theological. He clearly recognizes many of the challenges confronting his religious order, and his attentiveness to these difficulties is certainly a strength. Yet he rarely attempts to provide an extensive analysis of their deeper causes. His approach is more exhortative: he encourages his fellow Augustinians to return to the spiritual tradition of St. Augustine and to draw from it the resources needed to respond faithfully to new challenges.
This is not necessarily a weakness. Rather, it helps clarify the particular character of Prevost’s thought. His writings are concerned less with constructing a theological diagnosis and more with encouraging a community to remain faithful to its identity and vocation.
4. The book does not yet make the full vision of Leo XIV entirely clear.
Precisely because of the pastoral character of these writings, it remains difficult to discern, at least from this volume alone, what Pope Leo XIV’s broader vision for the universal Church ultimately is. He speaks clearly about unity, in keeping with the emphasis expressed in his papal motto. Yet important questions remain: How is this unity to be achieved? What theological understanding grounds it? And why should unity occupy such a central place among the many priorities confronting the Church today?
A comparison with Pope Benedict XVI is instructive here—not because the two men should necessarily be expected to think or govern in the same way, but because their intellectual profiles are quite different. Benedict, as a distinguished theologian, articulated his priorities through a clearly developed theological vision. His emphasis on the liturgy, for instance, was rooted in the conviction that the liturgy is first and foremost about God. The way human beings relate to God consequently shapes their faith and, in turn, their relationship and conduct toward one another.
In the writings collected here, Prevost’s priorities appear more through pastoral exhortation than through an explicitly articulated theological framework. Whether his pontificate will eventually reveal a more systematic vision remains something that can only become clearer with time.
5. The book presents a reassuringly faithful ecclesial voice.
At the same time, one should be grateful for what the book does reveal. There is nothing particularly strange, eccentric, or doctrinally problematic in these writings. Prevost presents himself as a pastor who thinks not merely about the Church but with and within the Church. His reflections are firmly rooted in the Catholic faith and in the spiritual tradition that has formed him.
This perhaps provides one of the clearest impressions left by the book: whatever particular direction his pontificate may eventually take, Leo XIV does not appear to approach the Church as an outsider attempting to reconstruct her according to an external framework. His starting point is the Church’s own faith, tradition, and spiritual inheritance.
***
Whatever its strengths and limitations, one thing seems clear from Freedom Under Grace: Pope Leo XIV is truly a faithful son of St. Augustine. It is therefore reasonable to hope that through his pontificate, the spiritual legacy of St. Augustine will become increasingly known, loved, and lived by an ever greater number of people. If this book offers us a glimpse of the man who now occupies the Chair of Peter, perhaps one of the most fitting hopes is that he will continue to draw from the wisdom of the Bishop of Hippo—not merely as an Augustinian religious, but as a pastor seeking to lead the Church toward a deeper love of God and a more faithful communion in Christ.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
'Freedom Under Grace' are the selected writings by Pope Leo XIV, nee Robert Prevost, during the time he led the Order of Saint Augustine that have not been published. I found Pope Leo's writings to be helpful in understanding what he espouses when he states that the solution to the problems individuals, communities, and countries face are found in the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, especially as it relates to wars, marginalized individuals, and immigrants. Individuals who are interested in the beliefs behind the words of Pope Leo XIV will benefit from reading these writings.
Thank you Penguin Random House Christian Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review.
Thank you Penguin Random House Christian Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review.
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October 11, 2026This is a book of homilies and addresses that were made by Robert Prevost between 2001 and 2013. Many were originally provided in another language, they have been translated to English.
This is not a book that I would recommend reading from start to finish. But this is the perfect book to use as a prayer supplement and to read a homily a day. Being that Robert Prevost was overseeing the Order of Saint Augustine as its Prior General, every (I believe?) mentions Saint Augustine. You would think that it might get repetitive, but (in my opinion) each address and homily was new and fresh and just right for the audience and for me. I am in awe of Pope Leo XIV and so glad that he was selected.
How are we responding to the critical issue of the presence of immigrants in our land? Are we open to them, do we welcome them, do we see that they, too, are sons and daughters of God? Or do we only wish to close our borders, close our doors, and avoid all contact?
From St. Augustine,
Hope in God, not in yourself. You in fact are from here below, God is up there. If you place your hope in yourself, your heart is here below, not up high. So, when you hear from the priest: Lift up your hearts, you answer: They are lifted up to the Lord. Do so in a way that your answer will be true.
"Safely Home" poem
I am home in heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief is over,
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in heaven at last.
Jesus came to meet me
In that way so hard to tread;
And with Jesus' arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely,
For I love you dearly still:
Try to look beyond earth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father's will.
Ther is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth -
You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work is completed,
He will gently call you home;
Oh, the rapture of the meeting,
Oh the joy to see you home.
The address on Aug 3, 2012, Address to the Congress of Augustinian Educators and why one would want to select a Catholic education was definitely one to consider.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Christian Publishing for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Freedom Under Grace by Robert Prevost; Pope Leo XIV in exchange for an honest review. Approx 490 pages, publication date is Sept 15, 2026.
I am likely to purchase this book so that I can keep these words fresh in my mind on an on-going basis.
This is not a book that I would recommend reading from start to finish. But this is the perfect book to use as a prayer supplement and to read a homily a day. Being that Robert Prevost was overseeing the Order of Saint Augustine as its Prior General, every (I believe?) mentions Saint Augustine. You would think that it might get repetitive, but (in my opinion) each address and homily was new and fresh and just right for the audience and for me. I am in awe of Pope Leo XIV and so glad that he was selected.
How are we responding to the critical issue of the presence of immigrants in our land? Are we open to them, do we welcome them, do we see that they, too, are sons and daughters of God? Or do we only wish to close our borders, close our doors, and avoid all contact?
From St. Augustine,
Hope in God, not in yourself. You in fact are from here below, God is up there. If you place your hope in yourself, your heart is here below, not up high. So, when you hear from the priest: Lift up your hearts, you answer: They are lifted up to the Lord. Do so in a way that your answer will be true.
"Safely Home" poem
I am home in heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief is over,
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in heaven at last.
Jesus came to meet me
In that way so hard to tread;
And with Jesus' arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely,
For I love you dearly still:
Try to look beyond earth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father's will.
Ther is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth -
You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work is completed,
He will gently call you home;
Oh, the rapture of the meeting,
Oh the joy to see you home.
The address on Aug 3, 2012, Address to the Congress of Augustinian Educators and why one would want to select a Catholic education was definitely one to consider.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Christian Publishing for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Freedom Under Grace by Robert Prevost; Pope Leo XIV in exchange for an honest review. Approx 490 pages, publication date is Sept 15, 2026.
I am likely to purchase this book so that I can keep these words fresh in my mind on an on-going basis.
October 5, 2026
Thank you to Penguin Random House Christian Publishing for the opportunity to read this uncorrected proof.
Freedom Under Grace was a wonderful look into the guidance of the great Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he was Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
This book, mostly made up of selections of his letters and homilies during this appointment, served as an enlightening look into the progression and discourse within the Order of Augustine during this period of time. We are able to see how the teachings of Augustine informed Pope Leo’s leadership and his response to the issues throughout the broader world and how the OSA ought to respond.
After reading this, I now feel as though I have a greater understanding of our Holy Father and the values which inform his leadership of the Holy Catholic Church. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to read this special work.
Freedom Under Grace was a wonderful look into the guidance of the great Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he was Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.
This book, mostly made up of selections of his letters and homilies during this appointment, served as an enlightening look into the progression and discourse within the Order of Augustine during this period of time. We are able to see how the teachings of Augustine informed Pope Leo’s leadership and his response to the issues throughout the broader world and how the OSA ought to respond.
After reading this, I now feel as though I have a greater understanding of our Holy Father and the values which inform his leadership of the Holy Catholic Church. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to read this special work.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received a free copy of, Freedom Under Grace, by Robert Prevost: Pope Leo XIV, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a book of homilies and talks by Pope Leo from the early 2000's. This was a very enjoyable and interesting read on Pope Leo before he became Pope Leo.
September 23, 2026
Pope Leo (a.k.a., Robert F. Prevost) brings decades of prayerful experience to his pontific. This collection of his writings, speeches, and sermons showcases his continued formation over the past several decades.
I love the way Stephen Colbert read some of the passages from this book and wish he could have done more of them. His voice was reverent and captivating without becoming hammy.
I love the way Stephen Colbert read some of the passages from this book and wish he could have done more of them. His voice was reverent and captivating without becoming hammy.
September 15, 2026
Having read the first 211 pages of the book, I feel like this book is a waste of time - feels very, very artificial. If one is to read carefully, there is apparent false humility present in between the lines.
October 9, 2026
I think the title is a little misleading, but I very much enjoyed listening to the speeches and homilies of Pope Leo before he was Pope Leo XIV. I find myself chomping at the bit to hear more wise words from him, especially since we’ve only had him for just over a year now.
Overall, a good read.
Overall, a good read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I mostly did like this book but the way it is marketed had me thinking it would be more "real" reflections than e.g. homilies given to specific audiences.
*Thanks NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book. This book nevertheless represents my honest opinion.
*Thanks NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book. This book nevertheless represents my honest opinion.
October 5, 2026
For those not well-versed in Catholicism or Religious Life (Priest, Monk or Nun), Pope Leo's writings may not be easily accessible but don't despair. There is plenty of good material contained in his writings; much to think about in our current environment and much to give us hope. The pieces are not long and one can easily skip around to topics that may be more interesting. But if you do read it in chronological order you can see the development of his faith and his wisdom in addition to his understanding of the contemporary world. I highly recommend giving it a go.
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