THE SPIRIT AND US: Partners in Mission

THE SPIRIT AND US:
Partners in Mission
Homily for the 6th Sunday of Easter, 25 May 2025
Readings: Acts 15:1–2, 22–29; Revelation 21:10–14, 22–23; John 14:23–29
Thank you all for your prayers, I have just returned home safely from Rome. I stayed there for almost one month to attend the funeral of our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, and to participate in the meetings of the College of Cardinals in preparation for the conclave and the election and inauguration of a new pope. Thanks be to God for the election of Pope Leo XIV, in the person of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
On this Sixth Sunday of Easter, I would like to share a reflection on how I experienced the guidance of the Holy Spirit during the Conclave. Someone had asked me, “Isn’t the Conclave just like any other election? You cardinals are the ones who chose the new pope. So how can you say that it was the Holy Spirit who elected him?”
That’s a fair question. It’s true—we were the ones who voted. But I can personally attest to how the Holy Spirit moved in our deliberations and decisions. (Of course, I can’t share any details—those are under strict secrecy, and I wouldn’t want to be excommunicated!) As I’ve said before, it’s not like any regular election where candidates campaign and seek votes. People tend to project onto the conclave what they know of political elections—often tainted with human weaknesses like fraud or vote-buying. But I did not experience any of that.
There were discussions—but these were meant to help us understand the immense responsibilities of the one we were to elect. It took two weeks of deep conversations. And if you had heard what I heard, you’d probably also say: only someone crazy would aspire to take on a role with such a tremendous burden. It’s truly daunting.
In fact, many cardinals expressed something like this before we entered the Sistine Chapel: “God already knows whom He wants to choose—but we don’t yet. We need to pray and discern so we can recognize that person. He’s