FORMATION 2006
Foreword &
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session NO 4
topic:
“POPe john xxiii”
The first Pope of
the Second Vatican Council
opening prayer: As for the Order
Prayers
introduction:
word of god
The
Gospel according to Matthew 16:
13-19
The
Word of God is now read aloud slowly and prayerfully
Now when Jesus came
into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people
say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but
others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to
them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God."
And Jesus answered him,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail
against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven."
Allow a few moments
reflective silence and then read the following:
word of
reflection
Blessed John XXIII
(1881-1963)
Feastday
–
October 11
Although few people had as
great an impact on the 20th century as Pope John XXIII, he avoided the
limelight as much as possible. Indeed, one writer has noted that his
“ordinariness” seems one of his most remarkable qualities.
The firstborn son of a
farming family in Sotto il Monte, near Bergamo in northern Italy, Angelo
Giuseppe Roncalli was always proud of his down-to-earth roots. In Bergamo’s
diocesan seminary, he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. After his
ordination in 1904, Angelo returned to Rome for canon law studies. He soon
worked as his bishop’s secretary, Church history teacher in the seminary and
as publisher of the diocesan paper. His service as a stretcher-bearer for the
Italian army during World War I gave him a firsthand knowledge
of war. In 1921 he was made
national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith; he found
time to teach patristics at a seminary in the Eternal City. In 1925 he became
a papal diplomat, serving first in Bulgaria, then in Turkey and finally in
France (1944-53). During World War II, he became well acquainted with Orthodox
Church leaders and with the help of Germany’s ambassador to Turkey, Archbishop
Roncalli helped save an estimated 24,000 Jewish people.
Named a cardinal and
appointed patriarch of Venice in 1953, he was finally a residential bishop. A
month short of entering his 78th year, he was elected pope, taking the name
John, his father’s name and the two patrons of Rome’s cathedral, St. John
Lateran. He took his work very seriously but not himself. His wit soon became
proverbial and he began meeting with political and religious leaders from
around the world. In 1962 he was deeply involved in efforts to resolve the
Cuban missile crisis.
His most famous encyclicals
were Mother and Teacher (1961) and Peace on Earth (1963). At his
address at the opening of the Second Vatican Council, he criticized the
“prophets of doom” who “in these modern times see nothing but prevarication
and ruin.” Pope John XXIII set a tone for the Council when he said, “The
Church has always opposed... errors. Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ
prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.”
On his deathbed he said: “It
is not that the gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it
better. Those who have lived as long as I have…were enabled to compare
different cultures and traditions, and know that the moment has come to
discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far
ahead.” Pope John Paul II beatified him on September 3, 2000, and assigned as
his feast day October 11, the day that Vatican II’s first session opened.
$
For the next five minutes
silently read and reflect on the readings.
Underline
what you consider to be key words and/or phrases for you.
the sharing
Share
your insights in discussion of the following:
(10 mins)
-
What struck you most strongly
about the life and role of John XIII from the readings?
-
How can we, as Knights of the
Southern Cross, live in the spirit of Pope John XXIII?
conclusion
Leader:
In his biography
Journal of a Soul John XXIII says:
“From the saints I must take
the substance, not the accidents of their virtues. I am not St. Aloysius, nor
must I seek holiness in his particular way, but according to the requirements
of my own nature, my own character and the different conditions of my life. I
must not be the dry, bloodless reproduction of a model, however perfect. 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” and so we pray:
All:
Lord God,
Help
us to seek holiness through our individual personalities and gifts and in the
everyday events of our lives. Amen
The meeting proceeds
closing prayer:
As for the Order Prayers at the Closing of the Meeting
