Today is May 8, Thursday of the Third Week of Easter.
We read at today’s Mass, “The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go and join up with that chariot.’ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him” (Acts 8:29-31).
I love this moment from the Acts of the Apostles — it’s like a dream scenario for a Dominican. Imagine stumbling upon someone sitting in their car (or chariot!) with Scripture open in their lap, just waiting for someone to explain it to them. That’s exactly what happens to St. Philip.
The Ethiopian eunuch is reading the prophet Isaiah, struggling to understand its meaning. And what does Philip do? He climbs in and opens the Scriptures, revealing how all of Isaiah points to Jesus Christ. It’s a powerful reminder that the Word of God comes alive when it’s proclaimed and interpreted by those filled with the Spirit.
A mission of explaining the faith
As the Church continues its discernment during this conclave, we’re reminded that this mission of explaining the faith is not only Philip’s, but it belongs to the whole Church, and in a particular way, to the pope. Why do Catholics love and pray for the pope? Because he is the successor of Peter, the one entrusted with the apostolic ministry of teaching, governing and sanctifying in Christ’s name.
The pope has a unique task: to help us understand what we’re reading — to interpret and clarify those truths of the faith that shape our lives. Yes, the papacy has a theological foundation (rooted in Peter’s confession of Christ), but it also carries a deep spiritual affection. We love the pope because he is our spiritual father. He bears a heavy burden on behalf of the whole Church, and so we pray for him.
So today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to continue guiding the cardinals in their deliberations and to fill our hearts with the same fire that moved Philip — to lovingly and clearly explain the faith to others.
Let us pray.
Almighty ever-living God, let us feel your compassion more readily during these days when, by your gift, we have known it more fully, so that those you have freed from the darkness of error may cling more firmly to the teachings of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
