Homily: Feast of St. John XXIII

Feast of St. John XXIII (Lk. 11:1-4) “The Good Pope”

We hear of Popes labeled as “great.” But there is only one Pope that has been labeled “good.” That man is Good Pope John. Why is that the case? Pope John did not seem to have a vindictive or calculating bone in his body. He did not seek to protect himself, but he seemed to be willing to move with the Spirit in service of God’s people.

He did not become Pope until he was 77 years old in 1958. He did not have the normal resume’ for being a Pope. His predecessor Pius the XII was from an aristocratic family. He was educated in the best schools in Rome, and he was a Vatican insider most of his life.

Pope John was born into a peasant farmer’s family in Italy. He was educated to be a parish priest, but gradually climbed the ecclesial ladder because of his wit and wisdom. He became a papal diplomat and spent a lot of time in Eastern Europe in countries like Bulgaria and Turkey that were not very Catholic. Only later did he become patriarch of Venice.

He loved to make fun of himself. He said once, “If God knew I was going to be Pope from the beginning of time at least he could have made me a little more handsome.” Pope John was short and stout, so people probably underestimated him.

When he became Pope, he was supposed to be a caretaker for a few years and then die. He decided to call an ecumenical council. Everyone was shocked including his secretary who confronted Good Pope John and said, “You are an old man. Why do you want to put yourself though this?” Pope John calmly said, “You are too afraid. We must leave all fear behind.”

We hear the same sorts of things being said by cautious church leaders today as the synod on synodality unfolds in Rome. There are fears about listening to the lay faithful. I am sure Good Pope John would want us to be courageous and trust in the Holy Spirit.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I remember John XXIII? What have I heard about him?

2.   Do I fear change? How should I view uncertainty in the spiritual realm?

 Dear Parishioners,

           I must apologize. There has been some confusion regarding our parish meeting on the Growing Disciples process.  This meeting will be held on Wednesday night, October 18th at 7 p.m. At this meeting we will share the proposed plan for the Rock Island Vicariate and the realignment of parishes. This process has been unfolding for a year and a half.

          The plans for the various vicariates can be viewed at the Diocese of Peoria website just Google Diocese of Peoria. The first thing you see will be the Growing Disciples information. All the vicariate models are laid out there.

          At the end of our session on the 18th we will have the opportunity for feedback. There is also a form online that can be turned in via email. This form is found in the same section of the Diocesan website. Please give your feedback.

          May Our lady pray for us,

          Fr. Mark