May 10, Saturday of the Third Week of Easter,
We read at today’s Mass, “The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers” (Acts 9:31).
In today’s Mass readings, we’re reminded of something deeply beautiful about the Church — and also something challenging.
As we’ve been reflecting on the election of a new pope, one of the things I’ve found especially difficult is the politicized language that so often surrounds the conclave. It’s disheartening to see how political speech can deepen divisions already present within the Church — divisions over worship, doctrine, social priorities and pastoral approaches.
These differences can make the life of the Church feel fractured and even burdensome at times. But we are not without hope. Each of us, in our own lives, is called to be a builder of unity — to contribute to a Church that is truly at peace. The Acts of the Apostles describes the early Church this way: “The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.”
A Church consoled by the Spirit
That’s the Church we long for — a Church consoled and enlivened by the Holy Spirit, a Church that draws others into the joy of the Gospel. We want to see young people come to faith, fallen-away Catholics return and the message of Jesus reach every heart.
Pope St. John XXIII once reflected with deep humility on his own election to the papacy. In “Journal of a Soul,” he wrote:
“I accepted with simplicity the honor and the burden of the pontificate, with the joy of being able to say that I did nothing to obtain it — absolutely nothing. Indeed, I was most careful and conscientious to avoid anything that might direct attention to myself.”
He continues:
“As the voting in conclave wavered to and fro, I rejoiced when I saw the chances of my being elected diminished, and the likelihood of others — in my opinion truly most worthy and venerable persons — being chosen.”
What humility. What peace. Pope John XXIII gives us a glimpse into the heart of a man deeply united to Christ and profoundly in love with the Church. He didn’t seek power or position. He desired only what was best for the Body of Christ.
That’s the kind of man we pray for today — that Pope Leo XIV will be a man of unity and peace, a shepherd filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, one who can help us build a Church that evangelizes, heals, and proclaims the Good News.
Let us pray,
O God, who in the font of Baptism have made new those who believe in you, keep safe those reborn in Christ, that, defeating every onslaught of error, they may faithfully preserve the grace of your blessing, through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
