Memorial Pope St. John XXIII

Introduction

Today is memorial of Pope St. John XXIII. He was born in Italy in 1881 and ordained priest in 1904. He served in WWI as a stretcher-bearer. He became a papal diplomat serving in Bulgaria, Turkey and France. With the help of German ambassador in Turkey he was able to save an estimated 24000 Jewish people during WWII. He was elected Pope in 1958 at the age of seventy eight. He convoked the second Vatican council 1962-1965. He died June 3, 1963, and was canonized together with Pope John Paul II, by Pope Francis in 2014.

Body

In our Gospel Jesus asks St. Peter three times, do you love me Peter, and tells him to feed his lams, and tend his sheep, Peter gets distressed remembering says Lord you know everything you know that i love you. St. Augustin says, before Jesus’s passion and death Peter became fearful and denied him, but after his resurrection, Jesus filled him with love, what could Peter be afraid of anymore.

Conclusion

Bothers and sisters Jesus our shepherd God speaks of in our 1st reading promising “I myself will Pasture my Sheep, I myself will give them rest, I will seek out the lost, I will bring back the strayed, I will bind up the injured, I will heal the sick.” Jesus has been doing all this throughout centrists, and everyday through his Church with his faithful people like you and me. He has given us many wonderful under-shepherds, Popes, Bishops, and Pastors to care for us, deacons, and religious Nuns and Brothers. All of us together his People his has filled with love and faith to seek out the lost, bring back the strayed bind up the injured, literally bandages them up, Pope Francis says our churches should be field hospitals, to be an instrument in his hand to help people under heavy burdens to find rest, to heal the sick in Jesus name, we have nothing to fear but to love, and to joyfully cry out from our hearts,

The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. (all repeat together).