June 15, 2026

Humility is the greatest of virtues, and if it does not exist, every other virtue is imperfect." — Pope John XXIII, Journal of a Soul

Angelo Roncalli wrote these words across decades of private spiritual diaries, long before he became pope. He was a rural man from Bergamo, Italy, shaped by farming seasons and a large peasant family — he never lost his physical sense of being a creature among creatures. When he finally took the Chair of Peter in 1958, he brought that groundedness with him, insisting his body and his limits were not obstacles to holiness but part of it. For anyone who feels shame about physical weakness, aging, or needing rest, this is a direct challenge: humility includes accepting what your body actually is.