In the middle of the twentieth century, there appeared a man named John, born in a humble peasant family in the north of Italy. When he announced the Second Vatican Council, that elderly man, John XXIII, pronounced words that are among the most crystal clear imaginable: “We will not try to find out who was wrong, we will not try to find out who was right, we will only say: Let us be reconciled!” (2)
During the last meeting we had with him shortly before his death, three of us from our community were present. We understood how deeply John XXIII wished us to be at peace concerning the future of our vocation. Making circular gestures with his hands, he explained, “The Catholic Church is made up of ever-larger concentric circles.” Rather than giving in to worries, wasn’t the essential already accomplished if we went forward in peace of heart?