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Good morning.

When he was elected Pope in 1958 the 77 year old Cardinal Roncalli was seen as a stopgap, a person to give the Catholic Church a breather after the 19 year reign of Pope Pius XII. But those who saw the new Pope John XXIII as just a stopgap were in for a shock because 52 years ago today Pope John opened the Second Vatican Council, a Council that lasted 3 years but which has had a profound effect on the Catholic Church and the Church’s relationship with the world and other Christian bodies and  world religions ever since.

Just as now, many parts of the world were in turmoil and Pope John saw the need for the Church to play its role in bringing harmony to nations in strife, in proclaiming loudly the Gospel messages of Faith, Hope and Charity to peoples being oppressed and to their oppressors.

He was also not to see the Council’s conclusion, dying in June 1963, but his outreach to the poor and the forgotten was to make him beloved, by his own people and others not of the Catholic faith, and earlier this year he was canonised – this day being designated as his Feast Day.

Another John, John Donne, once wrote that no man is an island – there are many around us in need of our help; people who need support battling illness or grief, people who may need a shoulder to lean on. If we each do a little bit of good this world could be transformed!

God in Heaven, bestow your grace and blessing on us as we begin our day. May we follow the example of Pope John and reach out to those who need our help knowing that we serve you when we serve each other. Amen.