My friends in Christ,
A lot has happened over this past week. Last Sunday, I encouraged everyone to pray for the Cardinals gathered in Rome who will be taking part in the conclave. I encouraged us to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide them in choosing the next successor to Saint Peter, the next Pope. On Wednesday, the Cardinals processed into the beautiful Sistine Chapel as the litany of the Saints was chanted. After swearing their oaths, the words “Extra omnes” were spoken, and everyone who wasn’t a Cardinal left, and the doors were locked. Now I was expecting it would take a few days for the Cardinals to come to a consensus, but Thursday morning, white smoke appeared flowing out of the chimney. An hour or so later, we heard those famous words: “Habemus Papam.” The name Cardinal Robert Prevost was read, followed by his papal name Leo XIV.
This was history being made, I am sure many of us watched in real time as the 267th Pope was revealed to the world. I am sure many of us are still wrapping our heads around the fact that he is from Chicago. He grew up only about 25 minutes away in Dolton. He attended White Sox games and ate pizza at Aurelio’s. He is the first pope to have ever eaten an Italian beef. But what we need to be careful of in these early days of this new pontificate is putting our new pope in a box. Trying to label him as liberal or conservative or even democrat or republican. I’ll admit in those first hours after the announcement, I was doing that myself, trying to find evidence of how to classify and judge him. I know that after the past decade or so, many have been wary of trusting the Holy Father and are concerned about the many issues facing the church. But what I soon came to realize is that Pope Leo deserves our support and affection. He is not Pope Francis. He is also not Pope Benedict nor Pope John Paul. He is his own man. He now has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he needs our love and support.
The few times he has spoken since his election give me a lot of hope for the future. His first words to the world: “Peace be with you all!” echo the first words of the Risen Lord. Our Gospel this morning comes from John’s Gospel. The short passage we have today comes immediately after Christ speaks of himself as the “Good Shepherd.” Let us pray that Pope Leo will be a good shepherd. He seems to be a man of deep prayer and belief. Someone who knows that we can do nothing without Christ, but that through Christ, all things are possible. He said in his first homily: “You have called me to carry that cross, and to carry out that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the Good News, to announce the Gospel.”
My friends, I would be remiss if I did not mention that today is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. I want to encourage you all to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, and here at St Alexander Parish. I know the Lord is calling young women to serve him as sisters and nuns, and that he is calling young men to be brothers, monks, and priests. Perhaps a future Pope will have once called Palos Heights his home.
Now, before I close, let us pray together, asking the Holy Spirit to support and guide our Holy Father, Pope Leo:
Our Father,
Hail Mary,
Glory be.
Hound of the Lord 