My life with the Saints - James Martin
Every now and then you get a book that pains you to finish. Fr James Martins "My life with the Saints" är en av de få böcker jag verkligen längtade efter att hålla i händerna och hade svårt att släppa taget om. Boken är Awesome. Varje kapitel är en julklapp, inuti varje julklapp finner man ett helgon. Boken är en delad biografi mellan Fr Martin och helgonen som har bett för honom under hans liv. Tack vare boken lärde jag känna Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (även känd som påven Johannes XXIII), ironiska humor och glädje gentemot livet.
När Roncalli valdes till biskop år 1925, skrev han i sin dagbok... the Lord has chosen me, making it clear that it is His will that it would be a grave sin for me to refuse. So it will be for Him to cover up my failings and supply my insufficiencies. This comforts me and gives me tranquillity and confidence.
Vid ett annat tillfälle gjorde han ett diplomatiskt besök till Frankrike:
During a dinner party in Paris, he was asked, "Aren't you embarrassed, Monseigneur, when there are women present who wear very low-cut dresses? It's often a scandal."
"A scandal? Why no", the nuncio replied. "When there's a woman with a plunging neckline, they don't look at her. They look at me the apostolic nuncio to see how he's taking it!".
År 1958 valdes Roncalli till att efterträdda påven Pius XII, fader James Martin skriver: He had feared this, had wished that it would not be so, but in the end his lifelong trust in God didn't fail him. "Listening to your voice", he told the conclave, "I tremble and am seized with fear. What I know of my poverty and smallness is enough to cover me with confusion..."
Efter att ha blivit vald till påve, promenerade Johannes XXIII på Roms gator:
Walking threw the streets of Rome one day, Pope John overheard a woman commenting about his obesity to her companion. "God, but he's fat" she said. The pope turned to her and said benignly, "But Madame, surely you know that the conclave is not a beauty contest!".
Påven fick många klagobrev att läsa skrivna av präster som klagade på moderna teologer. Påven som tröttnade på att läsa "grabbed a ruler, measured the page, and exclaimed to one of his colleagues, "Look, there are thirty centimeters of condemnations in the schema!"
Men berättelsen som fick mig att älska honom var ett brev som påven skickade till en ung pojke som frågade om råd. Pojken hade skrivit "My dear pope, I am undecided. I want to be a policeman or a pope. What do you think?"...
Påven svarade: "My little Bruno, if you want my opinion, learn how to be a policeman, because that cannot be improvised. As regards being pope. Anybody can be pope; the proof of this is that I have become one. If you should ever be in Rome, come to see me. I would be glad to talk this over with you."
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