Outside a Franciscan church in Istanbul stands a bronze statue of Pope John XXIII. It is a testimony to his diplomatic service during World War II, when as Archbishop Angelo Roncalli, he helped save some twenty-four thousand Jews from Nazi clutches. He is still remembered fondly among the Turkish people of all faiths.
Today’s First Reading from Isaiah declares, “Let not the foreigner say, when he would join himself to the Lord, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’” To an Israel that regarded foreigners as unclean, this was a prophetic challenge. In our time, that challenge is retranslated into how the church approaches other religions. Angelo Roncalli brought an ecumenical vision to the papacy. He called the Second Vatican Council and opened the church to the world in dialogue. The council welcomed observers from other faiths and gave the church a social justice agenda, echoed by the pope in his encyclical “Peace on Earth.”
In today’s Gospel Jesus praises John the Baptist as a messenger of God’s reign. In our day, “Good Pope John” carried the message of the Good News to the world with graciousness and humor. May we imitate him as we encounter others in the name of Christ.
—adapted from the book Advent with the Saints: Daily Reflections
by Greg Friedman, OFM
