Suppose one of you has a friend. 

In Scripture (Luke 11:5),  Jesus tells a parable about a man who got out of bed and helped his friend primarily because of the man’s persistence (Luke 11:8).  Pope John XXIII, whose feast we celebrate this week, gave the entire world years of service—but it was not because of our persistence.   It was because John loved people.

Fifty-six years ago this week, thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome for the opening of the Second Vatican Council.   When evening came, the crowd was still there, many carrying torches.   Worn down from the day’s activities and feeling the effects of stomach cancer, Pope John was reluctant to meet the crowd.

“I don’t want to speak!”  he said.   “I’ve already said everything this morning.”   But his heart went out to the crowd.   He gathered himself, went to his window overlooking the square and gave what is now called the “Moonlight Speech.”   The speech, which was only about two minutes long, was impromptu and off-the-cuff.   Nonetheless, it was Pope John at his best: warm, welcoming, caring.

Fifty years later, on October 11, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI offered some reflections on the Moonlight Speech.   “I too was in this square, gazing toward this window where the good Pope,  Blessed Pope John looked out and spoke unforgettable words to us, words that were full of poetry and goodness, words that came from his heart.”

The Moonlight Speech, which is called the most famous address of John XXIII’s pontificate, can be summed up in just a few words:   peace, unity, and love.   These words, broad in scope but spoken from the heart, encapsulated Pope John’s hopes for the Church.

It wasn’t just the Church as an institution that was on the pope’s heart that night.   It was the Church as the people of God, the family of God.   “When you go home,”  he told the people,  “give your children a kiss and tell them that it is from the Pope.”

This week, as we honor Good Pope John, let’s dedicate ourselves to fulfilling his hopes and dreams by the way we live: peacefully, lovingly, and in unity.

Word Among Us