October 11--St. John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli), Pope

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"Habemus papam."  "We have a pope!"  We also have a saint!  St. John XXIII was canonized saint along with St. John Paul II on April 27, 2014.  St. John XXIII was an unlikely candidate for pope.  He was almost 78 years old when elected.  Many believe that he was elected to be a care-taker pope, to serve and not make waves until the next pope could be elected.  But he surprised everyone when he called for an ecumenical council, which became Vatican II.  About his decision to call the council, he said, "I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in."

He was called "Good Pope John", a term of endearment for a loving man.  He visited the imprisoned in Regina Coeli prison and told the prisoners, "You could not come to me, so I came to you."  He had a warmth and wit that the Church had not seen before in such a high office.  When asked how many people worked in the Vatican, he said, "About half of them."  He also quipped, "Anyone can become a pope, look at me!"  Concerning his role as pope, he once remarked, "It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about the serious problems afflicting the world and I tell myself, I must talk to the pope about it.  Then the next day when I wake up I remember that I am the pope."

Humor is often an unappreciated virtue.  God gave us  the ability to laugh and to joke and to make fun of the foibles of life.  St. Teresa of Avila once said, "From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, Lord deliver us."  Yes, there is much sadness and travail in the world, but there is much to rejoice in.  God is good.  He gave us the portly and holy, happy man, Pope St. John XXIII.
*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_John_XXIII_-_Time_Magazine_Cover_-_January_4,_1963.jpg