In the missalette today I referred to the fact that last Tuesday, June 3rd, was the 40th anniversary of the death of John XXIII. He was, as you know, an extraordinary man. He was 77 years of age when he was elected Pope in October 1958. At that age most professional people would already have spent over ten years in retirement. And he wasn't a physically active, athletic, energetic man. On the contrary: he was seriously overweight and was -even as a young man- notoriously allergic to physical exercise. His choice as pope was a complete surprise. He was generally seen as a transitional figure, one who would keep things ticking over until Cardinal Montini of Milan felt experienced and confident enough to take on the task.
In retrospect, of course, things turned out so differently. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the greatest surprise in the entire history of the papacy. The enormity of the surprise was not in his election. (Even older men had been elected). The real surprise of course was his creative use of the papacy and the enormous energy and vision he brought to the job. Within six months of course he announced (without warning anyone) that he was calling an ecumenical council. The last great council was Vatican I which me for a year in 1869-70. Pius IX called the council specifically to oppose what he called 'modern ideas', among them democracy and liberalism.. It was an attempt to keep the world at bay; the spirit that drove it was a great fear of the modern ideas that had emerged from the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Because of this Council, the Catholic Church would spend the next hundred years in an intellectual and theological ghetto. It was a period marked by unrestrained authoritarianism, imposed uniformity and intellectual stagnation.
This was the world that Pope John blew away. He called together 2.600 bishops, eighty observers from other Churches and denominations, and fifty-two lay people, 29 of whom were men and twenty three women. Apparently, seventy five language groups were represented. In his opening address, Pope John quoted that extract from the Acts of the Apostles which we had as a first reading today: He called upon those present to embrace what was good in the modern world and he dismissed the advice of those whom he called 'prophets of doom'. He stated clearly that this council was not in the business of condemnation. Its primary purpose was to promote peace and tranquility, not just in the Church but in the world at large. "The Church today needs the medicine of mercy more than severity," he told the delegates. It was then that he coined the phrase: 'a new Pentecost'. He was convinced that the Council was animated and propelled by the Holy Spirit. Indeed his speeches and his writings are peppered with references to the Holy Spirit. He asked that everyone should say his prayer for the council: "Renew thy wonders in this day, as by a new Pentecost."
As human beings of course, we can only wrestle with the notion of God's Spirit. But if we look at the life of Pope John, and look at the work and life of the council he instigated, I suggest that we will learn quite a lot about the Holy Spirit. John stated that the first aim of the council was the break down barriers and to foster harmony. The Spirit of God is a harmonious spirit, fostering unity among people. Language can function as a bridge or a barrier. The Council judged that the Latin language was operating as a barrier rather than a bridge. So the many languages of mankind were pressed into service to understand and express one faith, one mystery. Fear is the great enemy of God's loving Spirit. When John's curial cronies went to him in the early days of the Council and told him that there was a danger that the Curia would lose control of the agenda, he said to them: "Leave it go. The Spirit will look after it." God's spirit encourages freedom. Where fear reigns, the Spirit has gone.
The work of the Spirit are best summed up in the Preface to the Prayer of Reconciliation: "Your Spirit changes our hearts; Enemies begin to speak to one another; those who were estranged join hands in Friendship and nations seek the way of peace together; Your spirit is at work when understanding puts an end to strife, when hatred gives way to mercy and vengeance gives way to forgiveness." On this Pentecost Sunday, we pray that God will breathe new life into us through this Eucharist which we are about to celebrate in memory of his Son. John XXIII died on whit Monday, having made Pentecost a reality in the Church once more.
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