Dear People Whom God Loves,

XIII

REFLECTIONS ON

VATICAN COUNCIL II

The thoughts of this column are taken from Chapter 18 of Keys to the Council.  Our church has had many reforms since the beginning.  So reform is not something new.  Pope John XXIII made it clear in his opening address that the agenda of the council was about reform.  He spoke about bringing the church up to date.  He also made clear that reform must keep in mind the distinction between the substance of church doctrine and its form of presentation.

The document on the church reminded us that the church is not simply a church of pilgrims but that the church itself was a “pilgrim church”.  This means that the church is only on its way to perfection which comes at the end of history…”always advancing toward the plenitude of divine truth until eventually the words of God are fulfilled in it”. (DU8)

The council also emphasized that we must acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit and not just the role of Christ.  Quoting the book, “if one conceives of the church exclusively as a reality instituted by Christ two thousand years ago, substantive change will generally be viewed as a departure from the will of Christ.  However, if one conceives of the church as not only instituted by Christ in the past but also perpetually constituted by the Holy Spirit in each present moment, then ecclesial change and reform “might be viewed, not as a departure from the will of Christ, but as a fidelity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

Christ summons the church, as she goes on her pilgrim way, to that continual reformation of which she always has need…[she needs continual reform and renewal] “…insofar as she is a human institution here on earth.” (URG)

“Consequently, if in various times and circumstances, there have been deficiencies in moral conduct or in church discipline, or even in the way that church teaching has been formulated—to be carefully distinguished from the deposit of faith itself—these should be set right at the opportune time and in the proper way.”  (URG)

This ends by saying that the church seeks reform for one purpose: “that the sign of Christ may shine more brightly over the face of the church”.  (LG15)

Smile, God Loves You,

Father Clay

Dear People Whom God Loves,

XIV

REFLECTIONS ON

VATICAN COUNCIL II

These thoughts are based on chapter 19 of Keys to the Council.  Some doctrines of our church hold a greater importance than others.  This is a quote from Vatican Council II.  “When comparing doctrines with one another, they should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or ‘hierarchy’ of truth, since they vary in their relation to the foundations of the Christian faith.”  (UR11)

This notion of the hierarchy of truth was not new, but it receded into the background after the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century.  The resistance was strengthened with the modernist crisis in the early twentieth century.  This resistance began to soften with Pope Pius the XII in the 1940’s.

For example.  The early Christian hymns placed Christ at the center of creation and salvation.  The four gospels have a special place in our Bible.  Baptism and Eucharist are the source of the other sacraments.  The communal prayer of our church takes priority over personal piety.

To quote from the book, “…all doctrines are intended to direct us toward a personal encounter with Christ, in whom we ultimately place our faith.  But some pertain more directly to the mystery of Christ and the Divine Persons of the Trinity than others.”

Recognizing this can be fruitful in ecumenical dialogue.  For example.  The Council of Ephesus taught that Mary is the Mother of God.  Dialogue did not deny this truth but made it clear that this truth was not primarily to enhance the dignity of Mary, “but to affirm that she bore in her flesh a child that is the divine Word of God incarnate in human flesh.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our faith.”  It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.  It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the hierarchy of the truths of faith”.  (CCC234)

The Pontifical Council for Christian unity, suggested that all members of church including those preparing for ministry learn this.  “These truths all demand the assent of faith, yet all are not equally central to the mystery revealed in Jesus Christ”. (75)

Learning this helps me to have a deeper understanding of our faith.

Smile, God Loves You,

Father Clay