TEXT: Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025
May 4, 2025 Father De Celles Homily
Third Sunday of Easter
May 4, 2025
Homily by Fr. John De Celles
St. Raymond of Peñafort Catholic Church
Springfield, VA
Today, I’m very demanding.
First, I ask you to give more money to the parish,
and now I’m going to ask you—no, beg you—to pray.
Today’s gospel tells us how the Risen Jesus took Peter aside and told him,
“Feed my lambs…tend my sheep…feed my sheep.”
This is one of the most important scripture texts on the papacy.
Before the Crucifixion, Jesus told Simon Peter, in front of the other apostles,
“You are Peter, the Rock, on which I will build my Church.”
Now, after the Resurrection, Jesus again speaks,
not to the other apostles, not even to St. John the Beloved,
but to Peter alone and commands him to feed and tend His flock, the Church.
This week, the cardinals of the Church will gather in conclave
to elect a new Successor to St. Peter, a new pope.
In my opinion, this is the most important election the world has seen in centuries–
much more important than any election of civil leaders, like presidents.
As Jesus tells us elsewhere in the gospel,
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
A really bad president could result in harm to our bodies or our life in the world,
but a really bad pope can result in the destruction of many souls in hell.
The cardinals need to elect a good pope.
A good pope who recognizes it is Christ’s flock he tends,
and so, feeds it with Christ’s Word and grace;
not a bad pope who thinks it’s his own flock,
and feeds it whatever pleases him.
A good pope who hands on traditional Church teaching,
remembering St. Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians:
“Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions
that you were taught by us.”
A bad pope can be elected—they have been before.
Some think that can’t happen because they think the Holy Spirit picks the pope.
But as Cardinal Jospeh Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI,
said in 1997:
“I would not say …that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope…
…but rather [He] leaves us much …freedom.
…He [does not] dictat[e] the candidate for whom one must vote.
There are too many contrary instances of popes
the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”
Think of Pope Liberius, the semi-Arian pope in the 4th century,
or Pope Benedict IX in the 11th century,
who sold the papacy and reclaimed it twice!
Or all the bad popes that left a mess of confusion
that led to the Protestant revolt in the 16th century.
I’m afraid, very afraid, that that is about to happen again.
It seems undeniable that a large number, maybe even a supermajority,
of the cardinal-electors are not very solid in their understanding
of the Role of Peter,
much less the teaching of Christ and His Catholic Church.
Many seem to turn to secular culture or ideologies
for their ideas about good and evil
rather than to Catholic Tradition and the Gospels.
This includes most of the apparent leading contenders to be elected pope
–the “papabile”.
And if one of these is elected
—whether he’s doctrinally ignorant, weak, confused, or a full out heretic—
he will not feed and tend Christ’s sheep,
but poison them and lead them astray.
So, what do we do?
It is true that the cardinals elect the pope, but we have a say, with God.
Jesus tells us over and over things like:
“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
So, I beg you to ask Him, to PRAY!
Pray like you’ve never prayed before.
Pray like you would pray if someone were holding a gun to your head.
Pray like you would pray if your child had a deadly disease.
Because if the cardinals give us a bad pope,
while the Church will survive,
it will not do so without great pain and loss.
There will be defections, people will lose their faith, and there will be schisms.
So many souls will be confused and scandalized and lost,
and many will go to hell.
One of the most effective ways to pray is before the Blessed Sacrament.
So, beginning Monday, we will have
Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 9am to 9pm, every day until we have a new pope.
I beg you: PRAY!
Pray the Rosary, pray novenas, pray at home and at work,
but especially let us pray together at this Mass and all the coming Masses
and at Adoration.
Ask the Lord Jesus, beg Him, to give us a new Pope
who truly loves Jesus more than anything else,
who will feed his lambs with Word and grace, and who will tend his sheep in truth and charity.