Origins this week has an address given by Cardinal William J. LaVada, Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, presented at Catholic University, in Washington. Bishop LaVada begins his address as referring to Vatican II as a great grace bestowed upon the Church. The four constitutions, on the Sacred Liturgy, On the Church, on Divine Revelation, and on the Church in the Modern world, while not exclusively teaching documents, offered the Church new insights and provided for pastoral direction.
We really miss the the core of the Council if all that we know is that the Mass is in English, and not Latin, and that the priest now faces the people. The Council, as the Bishop pointed out, was to be led by a Spirit of reform for the whole Church. Unfortunately some began to change things, or go in their own direction, before the ink on the documents was dry. But look at what was happening both in the world and in the Church in the middle part of the 20th century. We had had two world wars and were undergoing a social transformation (yes, even in the fifties) and the Church itself was becoming more active in social justice causes.
John XXIII exhortation to 'open the windows' was most appropriate for our Church, and the mission of the Church. One of the elements that Vatican II has called for which has not really happened is an ongoing catechesis and faith formation of the laity. There was a priest who spoken with our presbyterate some time ago, and stated that our Church cannot go back.
The Gospel for this weekend reminds us so powerfully the importance of proclaiming Good News. It is hard to hear but we have a responsibility of making the Kingdom of God known. For some reason there has been a lot of resistance to Vatican II. Perhaps it is confusion, or maybe fear. But we have to continue to nurture and nourish the Church - it is all that we have in our relationship with God. The Church is to be the light of the world and salt of the earth.
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