Pope John XXIIIChosen to be a Saint

Address of Pope Francis to pilgrims on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Blessed Pope John XXIII.

• Pope John XXIII –“a shining example of faith and virtues for whole

generations of Christians... Keep his spirit, continue to deepen the study of his life and his writings, but above all, imitate his holiness. From heaven, may he continue to accompany with love your Church, which he so loved in life, and may he obtain for her from the Lord the gift of many holy priests, vocations to religious and missionary life, as well as to family life and for lay commitment [to service] in the Church and in the world.”

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-on-anniversary-of-pope-john-xxiii-s-death

Who was Pope John XXIII?

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli

Pope John XXIIIFirst-born son, third of 13 children of a humble farming family in northern Italy

Ordained as a Priest in 1904

Elected as Pope on October 28, 1958

Died of Cancer in 1963 after being Pope for only five years

Declared Blessed in 2000

 https://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1165Newspaper.

Many Talents, Many Tasks• Studied Canon Law and became Secretary to the Bishop of

Bergamo

• Teacher and spiritual father in the diocesan seminary

• Publisher of Diocesan Newspaper

• Served in the medical corps as a stretcher-bearer and as a chaplain during World War I.

• National Leader for Society for the Propagation of the Faith (missions to proclaim the Gospel in other countries)

• Papal Representative in Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, France

• With the help of his Diplomatic ties, helped save at least 24,000 Jews

• Named Cardinal of Venice in 1953https://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1165

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_XXIII#Priest_and_bishop

In 1903, he wrote in his spiritual journal…

That he wished to be a saint… but “not lose himself in the process”

“God desires us to follow the examples of the saints by absorbing the vital sap of their virtues and turning it into our own life-blood, adapting it to our own individual capacities and particular circumstances.”

Who Was This Man?• A Different Kind of Pope.

–He “captivated the hearts and imaginations of the people.”

–He was witty and liked to act spontaneously.

–He opened his heart to others in charity; a man of peace.

–He embraced other faith traditions and could reach the hearts of Christians and non-Christians

–He was close to the those who suffered and to the poor.

  “Blessed Pope John XXIII: An 'Ordinary' Holiness” by Nancy Celaschi, O.S.F. St .Anthony Messenger Magazine http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/Sep2000/feature1.asp#F7

 

Episcopal Motto: Obedience and Peace

Communicated a natural, serene, friendly, PEACE

– Promoted unity– open to dialogue with Christians of other

Churches, with Muslim and Jewish communities, and men of good will

– This inner peace was fruit of a long and challenging work on himself, gradually purifying his heart– Modifying selfish desires, discerning inspirations of the

Lord, and allowing himself to be guided by wise spiritual directors and inspired by masters such as Saint Francis de Sales and St. Charles Borromeo.

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-on-anniversary-of-pope-john-xxiii-s-death

Episcopal Motto: Obedience and Peace

– His obedience was an inner disposition

– Instrument with which to achieve peace

– “Obedience in performing that service in the Church, which his superiors

asked of him, without seeking anything for himself, with no escape from

anything that was required of him, even when it meant leaving his

homeland, dealing with worlds unknown to him, remaining for many years

in places where the presence of Catholics was very scarce.” Pope Francis on Blessed John XXIII. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-on-anniversary-of-pope-john-xxiii-s-death

Life of Faithfulness• Through this obedience, [he] lived a more profound faithfulness, which could be called, as he would say, abandonment to Divine Providence. He always recognized, in faith, that through that path of life apparently driven by others, led by their tastes or on the basis of their own spiritual sensitivity, God was designing a project of His own.

Pope Francis on Blessed John XXIII. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-on-anniversary-of-pope-john-xxiii-s-death

What is the root of his holiness?• His daily abandonment to the will of God

• “lived a purification, which allowed him to detach himself completely from himself, and to adhere to Christ, thus allowing the holiness to emerge”

• “Here is the true wellspring of Pope John’s, of the peace that he sowed throughout the world. Here is the root of his holiness: in this, his evangelical obedience.”

Pope Francis on Blessed John XXIII. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-on-anniversary-of-pope-john-xxiii-s-death

An Agent of Change• Angelo Roncalli took the Papal Name of “John,” which was his father’s name and the name of two saints close to Jesus, John the Baptist and John the Apostle.

• One of his first major pronouncements was to call for a world wide meeting of bishops. He knew it was time to “discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead.” This was called The Vatican II Council.

“Blessed Pope John XXIII: An 'Ordinary' Holiness” by Nancy Celaschi, O.S.F. St .Anthony Messenger Magazine http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/Sep2000/feature1.asp#F7

Vatican IICelebrates 50th

Birthday in 2013

Vatican II ~ John XXIII says:

“I want to throw open the windows of the church so

that we can see out and the people can see in…”

We are still breaking open the documents

peeling away the layers to find the deeper meaning.

Pope John XXIII asked the 2,500 Bishops to come into these meetings

with open minds and hearts:

“Let us look at each other without mistrust, meet each other without fear, talk with each other without

surrendering principle.”

“The council now beginning rises in the Church like the daybreak, a

forerunner of most splendid light.”

Pope John XXIII

Blessed Pope John XXIII: An 'Ordinary' Holiness” by Nancy Celaschi, O.S.F. St .Anthony Messenger http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/Sep2000/feature1.asp#F7http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pope_john_xxiii.html#Lzb6YGIj8pYI7iXZ.99

 

Pope Francis Approves Canonization

Why Speed the Process? • As is his right, Pope Francis

approved the canonization of John XXIII with only one miracle— the cure of an ailing woman.

• It was explained by Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi as the result of the Pope’s eagerness to honor “the great Pope of the Second Vatican Council.”

• This is indeed an appropriate celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/world/europe/francis-to-canonize-popes-john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-on-same-day.html?_r=0

"The daily decalogue of Pope John XXIII":

1) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.

2) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behaviour; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.

3) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.

4) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.

5) Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.

"The daily decalogue of Pope John XXIII":6) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.

7) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.

8) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.

9) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.

10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/card-bertone/2006/documents/rc_seg-st_20061011_john-xxiii_en.html

Pope John XXIII’s hope for every Christian:

"Every believer in this world must be a spark of light, a core of love, life-giving leaven in the mass: and the more he is so, the more he will live, in his innermost depths, in communion with God".

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/card-bertone/2006/documents/rc_seg-st_20061011_john-xxiii_en.html

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

“The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.”

“The family is the first essential cell of human society.”

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pope_john_xxiii.html

Some Quotes from John XXIII

“May everyone be able to say of me that I have never sowed dissension and mistrust. That I

have never grieved any immortal soul by creating suspicion or fear; that I have been frank, loyal, trusting; that I have looked into the eyes of others with brotherly sympathy, even into those of persons who do not share

my ideals, so as not to hinder the realization, in its season, of the great commandment of

Jesus: “THAT ALL MAY BE ONE!”

Prayer of John XXIII

Prayer of Pope John XXIII

Painting by JulieLonneman