Homily: Feast of Pope John XXIII “A Jovial Pope”

Feast of Pope John XXIII “A Jovial Pope”

Never has a Pope that reigned for so short a time had such a huge impact on the church. Pope John the XXIII was elected Pope in 1958 and he had died of cancer by 1963. He was 77 when he was elected Pope and it was thought that he would not live very long. He was considered a caretaker Pope.

Pope Pius the XII had been his predecessor. He was a very austere man. He was thin and very much an introvert. He most often ate by himself as did all the popes who had been prisoners of the Vatican. When the Pope Pius IX lost the papal states, he had said he would never leave the Vatican. The popes after him kept that promise. It was, in a sense, a protest of the modern world.

Pope John was a jovial man who was overweight. He enjoyed a good meal. He liked being with people. He grew up as an Italian peasant. As pope, he would often slip out of the Vatican to mix with people in the street. He would not live in a prison.

Pope John spoke freely of the need to update the church. He surprised everyone when he called for an ecumenical council. Usually, councils were called in times of crisis. There did not seem to be any overt problems in the church, but Pope John felt that things had to change. The church had strayed away from Gospel ideals. It was more concerned with preserving the status quo then following the Spirit.

Vatican II was a longer council and produced more documents than any of the previous councils of the church. John the XXIII said once that he wanted to open the widows of the church to let fresh air in. Little did he know that there would be a whirlwind that would go through the church. We are still trying to implement the ideals of Vatican II fifty years later.

Reflection:

1.    What was the biggest change wrought by Vatican II? Is the council something I remember or is it a historical event I have heard about?

2.    Vatican II was said to be a pastoral council. What does that mean? Is that a good or a bad thing?

 Dear Parishioners,

           We are presently recruiting members for the pastoral council of our church. The pastoral council is a consultative body. This means that its members advise the pastor on matters that concern the parish.

The main goal of the council is to promote stewardship and evangelization in our parish.

          The terms for the council are three-years with a renewable three years. If you would like to join the council, please submit your name in the collection. Just put a white envelope marked pastoral council and a council member will get in touch with you. You can also recommend someone else using the same procedure.

          May our Lady and all the Angels and Saints pray for peace in our world today.

          Fr. Mark