The ongoing concern about the health of the Holy Father who, although he is showing positive signs of improvement, nevertheless remains in hospital, has caused many people to reflect on his papacy. We continue, of course, to pray for him and, not withstanding the current interest in the way popes are chosen thanks to the recent film Conclave, we pray for his health and well-being, according to the Will of God.

At this stage, in my own reflections on the last 12 years, it is the Pope’s decision to proclaim the Jubilee Year of Mercy which stands out for me as one of the most significant initiatives of Pope Francis. This may surprise some of you who might have expected me to nominate the current Jubilee Year of Hope, or the recent Synod on Synodality, as being two of the most important things the Pope has done. I wouldn’t want for a moment to underestimate the importance of these two initiatives, but it seems to me that both of them, each in different ways, builds on the central idea of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which is that in Jesus we see the face of the Father’s mercy.

This came to my mind as I was reflecting on the gospel for tonight‘s Mass, in the light of the important step which Jhee is taking tonight. From the point of view of someone who has decided to formally commit himself more deeply and more publicly to the journey of priestly formation, tonight‘s celebration, simple though it is, is profound in its meaning. Tonight Jhee confirms a decision he made some years ago to respond to his growing conviction that the Lord was calling him to offer his life completely to God and to God’s people as a priest in the Archdiocese of Perth. This decision was renewed when, after some time away from the seminary, Jhee became convinced that the call of God remained and that he needed to respond. And tonight Jhee once again, and in a more definitive way, renews his willingness to continue to respond to God’s call. What this means I believe, is that we see before us tonight a young man who is strong in faith and rich in generosity.

But if this moment is deeply significant for Jhee, it is also significant for me as the Archbishop and for those upon whom I rely to help me in this important task of accompanying young men as they seek to discern the call of God in their lives. It is not only the person who feels himself called who must enterinto the challenging journey of discernment. The Church, too, in the person of the bishop, must also enter a process of discernment, seeking to understand whether or not what the candidate is reading in his heart and in his reflections on his own life journey, corresponds to what God is asking. Ultimately, this is always what discernment involves: a courageous and openhearted determination to discover the Will of God. When the bishop, as the fruit of his consultation and discernment, reaches a point where he believes that the signs are all pointing to the genuineness of a person’s calling to the priesthood, he formally recognises this by his acceptance of the request for a person to be admitted to candidacy for the diocese. This is what is happening for Jhee this evening.

If Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy, as the Year of Mercy underlined, then those who are discerning the genuineness of a call to the priesthood must consider a fundamental question. For the candidate himself it is a question of whether or not he is willing and able to be a sign and bearer of God’s unfailing mercy towards everybody, no matter who they are or what they have done, in imitation of Jesus. For the bishop and for the local Church which he leads, it is a question of whether or not the candidate shows, through his life in the seminary community and through his engagement with God‘s people in his pastoral placements, that he has the spiritual depth and the human qualities and maturity required to be a credible sign and bearer of Christ-like mercy, compassion and forgiveness. To paraphrase tonight’s gospel, if a person’s capacity for mercy and forgiveness goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, goes no deeper, that is, than a clinical and cold-hearted judgement about a person’s compliance with the law, then that person is not ready and perhaps not suitable to exercise priestly ministry in Christ’s Church. If, in meeting a seminarian or priest, a person does not encounter the loving and compassionate face of Christ, then there is something missing and it may be that the person has misread the true nature of God’s call.

Most of you have heard me say, probably quite often, that ultimately the vocation of a priest is the vocation to be, within the community of Christ disciples, a living and effective sign that Christ continues to be present to His people as their humble servant and their good Shepherd. The vocation of the priest is always first and foremost about the people to whom God sends me. It is always a call to turn my gaze away from myself and to gaze on the Lord Jesus, recognising that He is calling me and sending me to love and serve His people. It is a call to be generous, self-sacrificing and selfless. This is because Jesus himself models generosity, selflessness and self-sacrifice. It is precisely in this way that Jesus becomes the face of the Father‘s mercy and the source of hope for us all.

This is why tonight is so important for Jhee. It is a confirmation for him that through the many challenges of his formation journey so far those involved in this journey have recognised the potential within him to be a credible and effective ambassador for Christ, and a faithful bearer of Christ love and mercy. As we congratulate him this evening, we commit ourselves to continuing to accompany him as his formation journey continues, supporting him with our prayer and our encouragement. We pray, too, that tonight’s celebration might be a source of inspiration and encouragement for all of you, seminarians for the Church in the dioceses of Western Australia, as you all continue, with Jhee, to seek the Will of God and to respond to it with courage.