Locked In with the Holy Spirit: What the Conclave Says About Liturgy of Discernment in Your Heart
The Church’s sacred process of a conclave (from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with a key”) offers profound wisdom for anyone facing a serious decision. Whether you're discerning a vocation, a career change, a move, or a relationship, the conclave gives us a powerful template for navigating life’s turning points with faith, peace, and trust.
Here are four key lessons the conclave offers for our own discernment:
1. Discernment is a Liturgy of Heart, Not a Strategy: Invoke the Holy Spirit
What many people don’t realize is that the conclave begins as a liturgy. The cardinals enter in their choir vestments(*). They process through the Sistine Chapel under Michelangelo’s fresco of the Last Judgment. And before a single ballot is cast, the choir sings Veni Sancte Spiritus, “Come, Holy Spirit.”* They are not making a decision as executives. They are entering a sacred rite. A holy invocation.
Discernment is not just a private struggle or a mental pros-and-cons list. It is a liturgy of the heart, where we posture ourselves before God to receive something, not just decide something.
When you are discerning, go to Mass, worship service, Adoration. Invite heaven to act. Dress your heart in worship.
Discernment, like the conclave, is not primarily about strategy. It’s about surrender.
2. Retreat from the World: Create sacred space for decision making
When a pope dies or resigns, the cardinals don’t rush to a quick vote based on public opinion or political influence. They withdraw. They are locked with a key. They enter into a sacred enclosure, disconnected from phones, media, even outside conversation, to hear more clearly. The key here is to disconnect from what is shallow so you can reconnect with what lies in the deep.
We must enter into sacred silence before making life changing decisions. In a world of noise, endless options, and conflicting advice, true discernment starts with retreat. Not running away, but deliberately stepping back:
Turn off the voices: Social media, constant opinions, podcasts, and clickbait articles can drown out your own soul. Sacred isolation isn’t escapism. It’s protection.
Create space to listen: Take time for silence, solitude, or a personal retreat, whether that’s a weekend away or a morning in Adoration. You need space to remember how God sounds like.
Let go of urgency: The Holy Spirit does not rush. Sometimes the delay itself is part of the discernment because the obstacles need to be revealed first.
3. Discern in Communion: Counsel with the wise
While the cardinals are alone in the voting, they are not alone in the process. They’ve been listening, praying, and conversing long before the ballots are cast. Discernment is never purely private, it’s always rooted in communion. The Holy Spirit speaks through community but only when we bring our authentic hearts to it.
When facing a significant decision, we need others. But not just anyone. We need the right people:
Spiritual friends who listen deeply and remind you of God’s larger story in your life. Those who will challenge your blind spots, not flatter your ego.
Mentors who ask challenging questions and hold a higher view of your calling.
Those in spiritual accompaniment which listen deeply rather than rush to fix.
Avoid the trap of outsourcing your decision or collecting advice - you might end up confused more than before. Instead, share your discernment humbly, asking others to reflect with you, not decide for you.
4. Pray: Not just for an answer, but for peace
In the conclave, white smoke rises only when a clear majority emerges, not from political alignment, but from a shared inner integrity confirmed by prayer. The decision isn't based on ease or popularity, but on the deep peace of the Holy Spirit. Our personal discernment also requires more than just practical pros and cons. We are called to pray not just for a yes or no, but for interior peace.
Not a fleeting relief or temporary excitement.
But a grounded, sustaining sense of "This is right, even if it's hard."
This is the peace Scripture speaks of, “the peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). A peace that can live alongside uncertainty, that can anchor you when storms come. Sometimes discernment leads you into the unknown. Sometimes the right choice costs you something. But if God is truly leading, His peace will accompany you there.
The Fruit of Discernment: White Smoke in Your Heart
The fruit of genuine discernment is not just a decision made, but a soul anchored. It's not about eliminating risk or pain but about being rooted enough in God’s will to take the next right step in freedom.
When the White Smoke Rises
There will be a moment, quiet, steady, when your soul exhales and says, yes, this is the way. It might come in a whisper during prayer, a question from a friend that stops you in your tracks, or a deep stillness after a night of wrestling. The white smoke of discernment is not public, it’s personal. But it is real. And it comes when we give the Holy Spirit room to lead.
Are you discerning something now?
Step away, invite the right voices, pray for peace, and let it be a liturgy of your heart. You’re not locked in alone. Heaven is very much with you. So if you're standing at a crossroads today, make your heart a Sistine Chapel:
Make room for the Holy Spirit to breathe within you.
Withdraw for a time from the noise.
Draw close to a few trusted companions on the journey.
Stay in prayer until peace comes.
The Holy Spirit still speaks. And He still leads. The conclave is not just for cardinals, it’s a living model for any believer who desires to live not by impulse or pressure, but by the quiet strength of divine guidance.
Have you ever experienced a moment of white smoke, where peace and clarity came together? Share your story in the comments or with someone you trust.
And if you’re in the midst of discernment now, know this: You are not alone. Heaven is voting with you.
* JOHN PAUL II SUPREME PONTIFF APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION UNIVERSI DOMINICI GREGIS ON THE VACANCY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE AND THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF: 50. From the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, where they will assemble at a suitable hour in the afternoon, the Cardinal electors, in choir dress, and invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit with the chant of the Veni Creator, will solemnly process to the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, where the election will be held.