Spiritual Reflection

My thoughts today are ones to honor the saint whose feast day is today…Saint Pope Paul VI.  He followed Saint Pope John XXIII.  He finished the Second Vatican Council and saw to its implementation.  We are a different and better church because of those two Popes.

Pope Paul VI was the first Pope to visit the United States and was received by President Lyndon Johnson, even though the Vatican and United States had no diplomatic relationship.  But it would have been a disaster to snub the Pope on the first ever trip to the States.  Pope Paul spoke at the United Nations begging all countries to be committed to securing peace in the world.  He also visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral and said Mass at Yankee Stadium.  Paul VI highlighted the Catholic Church as a global church.  He was the first Pope in a century to leave Italy and he created the tradition of the Pope being the head of a global church and Popes who followed him traveled around the globe as world leaders.  I’m glad Popes carried on the tradition of visiting the church throughout the world.  The gospel today speaks well of Saint Pope Paul VI and in the words of Jesus…”To be first, you must be the servant of all.”