Everyone remembers the image of Pope John’s smiling face and two outstretched arms embracing the whole world. How many people were won over by his simplicity of heart, combined with a broad experience of people and things! The breath of newness he brought certainly did not concern doctrine, but rather the way to explain it; his style of speaking and acting was new, as was his friendly approach to ordinary people and to the powerful of the world. It was in this spirit that he called the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, thereby turning a new page in the Church’s history Christians heard themselves called to proclaim the Gospel with renewed courage and greater attentiveness to the “signs” of the times. The Council was a truly prophetic insight of this elderly Pontiff who, even amid many difficulties, opened a season of hope for Christians and for humanity. In the last moments of his earthly life, he entrusted his testament to the Church: “What counts the most in life is blessed Jesus Christ, his holy Church, his Gospel, truth and goodness”. - Pope John Paul II
Read more about him here.
1 comment:
I was in the military in October 1962 when the Second Vatican Council convened in St.Peters It was an historical event for the church but even more so for
John XX111. The compassion and simplicity of this extremely learned man was a ray of hope for all humanity, not just Catholics and other Christians. Even all the trappings of papacy stripped away from this human could not rob him of his self-effacing love for all men and women, the most despised and the forgotten. It is this single quality that will elevate him to sainthood and the probability we can invoke his name for a heavenly favor. It is vital that we remember the antagonism that will meet his canonization.
To those who do not know G-d,or his son Jesus, we have yet to spread the Word. But to those who have had the Word, and have rejected it, and there are tens of millions, they will rage at this
deification of a mortal. We should keep this in mind when we pray.
Post a Comment