Saint of the Day for 11 October: St John XXIII

John XXIII: the Pope of the Second Vatican Council

The Saint and Mission

St John XXIII, a pope who marked an epoch, expressed in his pontificate and in his life a twofold face of mission: a passionate care for the world and an unceasing search for unity within the Church itself. His figure, permeated by a genuine humanity and a profound capacity for listening and dialogue, becomes an icon of a mission that unfolds as much in the narrow streets of small Italian towns, where he was a bishop, as in the intricate meanders of international relations, where he moved as a diplomat and pontiff. St John XXIII’s mission takes on a significance of openness and dialogue, of bridging seemingly irreconcilable realities. It is an imprint of meekness, the one that made him popularly known as the ‘good Pope’, and at the same time of an innovative courage that guided him in inaugurating the Second Vatican Council, sensing the need for a renewal and updating of the Church in light of the challenges of the contemporary world. It is a mission rooted in the experience of mercy, seen not as an abstract theological concept, but as a concrete attitude of welcome and indulgence towards every man and woman, towards the Church and towards the entire world. Pope John not only preached mercy, he lived it, letting himself be touched by the stories of suffering and hope of those he met, fostering a sincere dialogue between the Church and the modern world, between different religious traditions and between the various peoples of the earth. For John XXIII, mission was not abstract, but embodied in the problems, challenges and joys of real people. The opening of the Second Vatican Council is in itself a courageous missionary act, an invitation to the whole Church to look at its mission in the world with new eyes, to rethink how to bring the Gospel to different cultures, and to relentlessly seek the truth in dialogue and mutual listening. The “Journal of the Soul”, the spiritual diary of Angelo Roncalli, the future John XXIII, offers a lens through which to observe the intimate texture of his mission. Here, in his personal reflections, the heart of a man emerges who made his life a constant pilgrimage towards God and towards others, with a missionary tension that expresses itself in everyday simplicity as much as in moments of great historical impact. When we speak of ‘companions’ in reference to John XXIII, we can think of all those who, in the context of the Second Vatican Council and in the years that followed it, took up the challenge of renewal and openness, walking on the path traced by the good Pope. They are those bishops, theologians, lay people, men and women religious who saw in his invitation an opportunity to renew the face of the Church, to live a mission anchored in the essence of the Gospel, made up of welcome, dialogue and joyful witness to the faith. St John XXIII and his ‘companions’ along the way, through the mission lived out in different ways and places, but with a common spirit of humility and openness, invite us to look at our contemporariness with hope and to be, with creativity and fidelity, heralds of a Gospel that is always fresh and surprisingly current, capable of dialogue with cultures and of meeting humanity in its thousand facets and in its profound questions.

The Saint and Mercy

The figure of St John XXIII, affectionately known as the ‘Good Pope’, stands as a beacon of light in the complex and often troubled landscape of the 20th century. His life and ministry, permeated by an unmistakable aura of mercy, illuminated the ways of the Church and society, suggesting a model of goodness and understanding that permeated every corner of his pastoral service. Angelo Roncalli, who became Pope John XXIII, always showed deep and authentic mercy, rooted not only in his profound spirituality and devotion, but also in a genuine human concern for others. He saw mercy not as an abstract concept, but as a tangible and daily way of living the Gospel, a way of sharing God’s love with the world, especially with the most suffering and marginalised. His mercy extends far beyond words, incarnating itself in concrete gestures and courageous decisions. The opening of the Second Vatican Council, for example, reflects his profound conviction that the Church should be a place of encounter, dialogue and renewal, where divine mercy could reverberate through ecclesial structures to reach every corner of humanity. In the mercy of St John XXIII, there is an unequivocal expression of humility. He recognises the human need for God, but also the divine need for every human being. His love for people, expressed in his famous phrase ‘We are all brothers’, echoes the mercy of God, who welcomes all, righteous and sinners, into his loving embrace. John XXIII, in his immense wisdom and goodness, knew that mercy was the key to accessing people’s hearts and reflecting God’s love in the world. When we speak of the ‘companions’ of St John XXIII, we inevitably think of all those who took up his legacy of mercy and carried it forward, sharing that same light of love and welcome in every corner of the world. They are those bishops, priests, religious, lay people who, inspired by his vision and example, have lived mercy as a concrete service, made of listening, sharing and solidarity. Mercy is reflected in works, gestures and words, but even more so in the attitude with which one welcomes others, listens to their stories, shares their joys and sufferings. In this sense, St John XXIII and his companions show us that mercy is not just an action, but a way of life, a way through which to look at the world with God’s eyes, feeling called to be, wherever we are, instruments of that same mercy that we have received from God. In contemporary times, the legacy of St John XXIII invites us to live mercy as an authentic response to the challenges of our time, welcoming the other, promoting justice, peace and dialogue, and making the Church a place where anyone can experience God’s merciful love.

Hagiography

“Children… on your way home, you will find the children, give them a caress and say: this is the pope’s caress. You will find, perhaps, some tears to wipe away. Have for those who suffer a word of comfort. Say that the pope is with them…”. It was a warm autumn evening and this was how John XXIII bid farewell to the people who had flocked to St Peter’s Square to celebrate the start of the Second Vatican Council (11 October 1962). Those words, steeped in humanity and poetry, moved the world and…

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