Vatican
City, 4 June 2013
(VIS) – After the memorial Mass in St. Peter's Basilica yesterday
afternoon, presided by Bishop Francesco Beschi of Bergamo, Italy, the
Holy Father went to the Basilica and, after praying before the urn
containing the remains of Blessed John XXIII, met with the two
thousand pilgrims from the Diocese of Bergamo who had travelled to
Rome to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the Blessed.
The
Pope noted how, in those days, St. Peter's Square had been
transformed into a sanctuary under the open skies, receiving faithful
of different ages and social backgrounds who had gathered to pray for
the Pope's health day and night, as well as the tremendous grief that
3 June in 1963 on receiving the news of the pontiff's death. The
entire world had seen Pope John as a pastor and a father. And how had
he won the hearts of such different people, many even non-Christians?
The answer, Pope Francis said, is found in his episcopal motto:
“Oboedientia et Pax”, obedience and peace.
“I
would like to start from peace, because this is the most obvious
aspect that people perceived in Pope John. Angelo Roncalli was a man
capable of transmitting peace: a natural, serene, and friendly peace;
a peace that he expressed to the entire world upon his election to
the pontificate and received the reputation of goodness.”
“It
is so wonderful to meet a priest, a good priest with goodness.” The
pontiff recalled the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola when he gave the
Jesuits an entire list of virtues that a superior should have. “But
in the end he said: 'And if he doesn't have these virtues, let him at
least have much goodness.' This is what's essential.”
“This
was undoubtedly,” continued the Pope, speaking of John XXIII, “what
distinguished his personality, that which enabled him to build strong
friendships everywhere … often coming in contact with environments
and worlds that were far removed from the Catholic universe in which
he was born and formed. It was in precisely those spheres that he
proved an effective weaver of relationships and a valuable promoter
of unity, within and outside of the ecclesial community, open to
dialogue with the Christians of other Churches, with proponents of
the Jewish and Muslim worlds, and with many other men and women of
good will.”
“Here,”
the Holy Father said, “we come to the second and decisive
word:'obedience' … In fact, it was the instrument for achieving
peace. Firstly, it had a very simple and concrete meaning: carrying
out, in the Church, the service that his superiors asked, without
seeking anything for himself, without trying to get out of anything
that was requested of him, even when it meant leaving his own land,
dealing with worlds unknown, staying for long years where the
Catholic presence was scarce. This letting oneself be led, like a
child, constituted his priestly journey.”
“Through
this obedience, however, Roncalli, the priest and bishop, lived an
even deeper faithfulness, which we can define—as he would have
called it—abandonment to Divine Providence. In the faith he
continuously recognized that, through that life's journey that was
seemingly guided by others, not led by his own tastes or on the basis
of his own spiritual sensitivity, God was carrying out His plan.”
“Even
more profoundly, through this daily abandonment to God's will, the
future Pope John lived a purification that allowed him to completely
break away from himself and to adhere to Christ, letting that
holiness that the Church has officially recognized emerge. 'Whosoever
loses their life for my sake will save it', Jesus tells us. Herein
lies the true source of Pope John's goodness, of the peace that he
spread in the world, herein we find the root of his holiness: in his
evangelical obedience.”
“This
is a lesson for all of us, but also for today's Church: if we know
how to let ourselves be led by the Holy Spirit, if we know how to
mortify our selfishness to make room for the Lord's love and his
will, then we will find peace, then we will know how to be builders
of peace and we will spread peace around us.”
In
conclusion, the Pope addressed the faithful present, urging them to
“imitate his holiness. Let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Don't be afraid of the risks just as he was unafraid. Docility to the
Spirit, love for the Church, and forward … the Lord will do the
rest.”
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