Following Peter...
A brief reflection on the election of Pope Leo XIV.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:67-69)
May 8, 2025 is going to be one of those dates that I remember until either my wits fail me or I depart this life. Where I was, who I was with, what I felt; all of those details are going to be engraved on my mind. The election of the first American pontiff in history came as an absolute shock. I’m still processing it, and I likely will be for a many days to come.
Today’s reading from St. John’s gospel is an appropriate one for the Church to meditate on at this time. Simon Peter, that striking man of contrasts—bold yet conflicted, steadfast yet temperamental—finds his unwavering center of gravity in the person of Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God who has the words of everlasting life.
“To whom shall we go?” Peter’s question reverberates down the centuries. We are called to follow Christ by following Peter, whose office of shepherd of the Church has been conferred on an unlikely man from Chicago named Robert Francis Prevost—now Leo XIV.
The election of Pope Leo has stirred something in me. Perhaps the best way I can describe it is as a kind of spiritual rebalancing. Something deep in my soul has shifted. I’m not sure yet what that means.
The dominant feelings in my heart today are gratitude, joy, hope, and peace. I’m grateful that God has set his Church on the unshakable rock of Peter and his successors. My heart is overflowing with a profound joy that I don’t quite understand yet. I’m also secure in the hope that the Church has a bright future. And hovering over all these thoughts and emotions is a profound sense of peace. Peace in the knowledge that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
Does any of this make any sense? I wanted to share my words with you today unfiltered and unedited. Like I said, I’m still working through the implications of this extraordinary moment for my own spiritual journey. I hope you’ll accompany me on the way.
May God abundantly bless his servant Leo, successor of Peter, shepherd of the Church!
The daily Scripture readings can be found on the USCCB website.
Thank you for sharing Thomas. I went through a similar roller coaster the past few days: the first day, mostly complete shock and (honestly) trepidation (not to mention a very hectic work day!), but the next day, a real sense of hope emerging. As you know I've been so focused on the theme of division, and I'm hopeful that Leo XIV will be an agent of unity in the America church and the Church around the world, thereby drawing the world into its Catholic unity-in-diversity. That's my hope. Time will tell what this all means! In the meantime, as you say, we serenely trust: This is the man for the moment.
Thomas, I’m feeling the exact same way, and I’m even more joyful because Leo is a Midwesterner like me! He knows the challenges facing both the Church and the people in this part of the country and I hope his papacy revitalizes the Church in the USA in general and the Midwest in particular the way St. JPII’s papacy revitalized Catholicism in Poland.