My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Truly, as we have celebrated Easter, we now come to a celebration which enhances our understanding of the Easter feast. On the Second Sunday of Easter, we are able to rejoice with the canonizations of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, now saints of the Church. I am sure that each one of us has particular memories in our minds of these two great Pontiffs, and I would like to take this opportunity to share a few of my own.
Certainly, my memory of John XXIII is not a personal one since I never was able to meet him. I was studying for the priesthood during his Papacy and did not have an opportunity to travel to Rome during those years. Even from afar, seeing him and his ministry left a deep impression on me. I might call him the “universal grandfather,” as his ways were such that he endeared himself to the world so quickly. His astuteness in calling the Second Vatican Council was truly amazing. His passion for “aggiornamento” keeping the Church up-to-date gave new hope to the Church and to the world.
Recently, I reread a book that was on my library shelf written by John XXIII entitled “Journal of a Soul.” It is a collection of his writings from 1895 to 1962. He began the book as a boy of 14 entering the seminary. Rereading this classic of John XXIII, I gained a deep insight into this humble man who rose to greatness in the Church because of his love for God’s people. He says in the book, “My soul is in these pages.” The “Journal of a Soul” reveals the journey of an extraordinary man and records a lifetime of thoughts, reflection and meditation. It takes us through his adolescence, seminary period and ordination to the priesthood. And it describes the difficult assignments he had as a papal diplomat in Bulgaria, Turkey and France. Finally, we find his thoughts as Patriarch of Venice and eventually as Roman Pontiff. Rereading this book on the occasion of his canonization gave me a real insight into the mind and soul of this now great saint.
The many accomplishments of the Second Vatican Council still leave us spellbound and open to the other Christian churches, to ecumenism, to interreligious dialogue, to the correct place of the laity in the Church, to the renewal of the Liturgy, and I could go on and on. However, it all began because one man had a vision inspired, I am sure, by God to leave the Church in a better place during his short reign. We take opportunities whenever we can to rejoice in the canonization of St. John XXIII because we know that we have a caring intercessor to us before the Throne of Grace.
Fortunately, I did personally meet St. John Paul II many times during my years as a priest and bishop. There are two particular instances, however, which I will never forget and will always be the basis of my memory of John Paul II. Soon after I was named Bishop of Camden, N.J., in 1999, I had an opportunity to visit Rome and pay my respects to the Holy Father to thank him for entrusting me with the responsibility of a diocese. I was able to celebrate morning Mass with him. Several priests and seminarians studying in Rome from the Diocese of Camden were with me. We were ushered into the Holy Father’s private chapel where we spent some time in silent prayers as the Pope finished his meditation. It was clear from the intensity of his prayer and his concentration that truly he was communing with God.
At the celebration of the Mass, at which I was the only bishop, I was able to stand next to him for the liturgy; it was truly a memorable occasion. I have a wonderful picture of the Pope and myself giving the last blessing at the Mass. It will be something I treasure for the rest of my life, but the memory of how he celebrated the liturgy, when I had the opportunity to observe him so closely, showed the depth of his love for the Eucharist and his understanding of its true meaning.
After the thanksgiving after Mass, the Holy Father personally greeted all those present in the library. He posed again some humorous questions that betrayed a true concern for those who had come to celebrate the Eucharist with him. At that point, he certainly was younger. Although he had already suffered through the assassination attempt, he was still very vigorous.
My last opportunity to personally meet with the Holy Father was on the first ad limina visit as Bishop of Brooklyn in 2004. That meeting will also be a significant memory that I will hold of him. Each bishop has an opportunity to personally meet with the Holy Father. I sat next to him alone in the room. He had the name of our Diocese and my own. With his characteristic humor, as much as he could muster in his debilitated state, he said, “Brooklyn” with his wonderful accent. It brought a smile to his face. Then, as difficult as it was for him to breathe, and certainly talk, he asked very short questions, to which I responded regarding the situation in our Diocese. He asked about family life, vocations, our clergy, our religious and other things that I cannot recall at this time. But what was clear was that he had a pastor’s sense and wanted to know specifically how the local Church in Brooklyn and Queens was doing.
He was a pastor through and through. From the beginning of his priestly ministry to his last days as Pope, his concern was for the people of God. He was a true pastor, a true universal pastor of God’s Church. He was concerned about the spiritual welfare of those given to his care and was a great example of devotion to the duty, while at the same time recognizing the suffering involved in fulfilling that responsibility. That memory will be with me forever.
Each one of us, I am sure, has some personal memories of these two pontiff saints, even if they were witnessing them from afar or even views of them on television or the many films made of their travels and public appearances. Now is the time that we should recall them to fix them as part of our memory because they truly show our love and respect for them who bring the gift of sanctity to us.
Let us not forget that these two great men, no matter what they accomplished or did not accomplish, did accomplish sanctity. That is the universal call for every Christian. We are called to be saints. We are called to do God’s will alone in our lives. And as we recognize that, we turn from our own needs to the needs of others. These two great saints remind us that they lived for other people, for the Church and for Christ.
As we put out into the deep with the conclusion of the Easter mystery, we join our praise and lift up our prayers to St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II, that they continue to intercede for us as the Church continues its journey towards the Kingdom.
