Second Vatican Council Series
The Second Vatican Council was a major Catholic Church council that occurred in the 1960s. Yet while most have probably heard of the Second Vatican Council, it has been my experience that few have actually read the documents that came from the Second Vatican Council.
The result has been, I think, that for both those who speak affectionately about Vatican II and those who disparage Vatican II, both groups tend to view the Second Vatican Council inaccurately. For those who have not read the documents and speak of the spirit of Vatican II, it can often be the case they attribute to Vatican II things they wanted Vatican II to say, and not things it actually said. For those who think everything fell apart in the Church after Vatican II, they too tend to refer to events that occurred afterwards as evidence it was a big mistake, and not to what the documents actually said.
So it seems helpful to provide an easy way to become familiar with the documents of Vatican II. This week’s insert is an overview of the council. It is an article, reprinted with permission, from the Vatican News website. It was written as part of the sixtieth anniversary of Vatican II.
Some additional background might be helpful. First, and probably most important, in terms of Church doctrine, there was nothing new stated at Vatican II. It was true practices were changed. Religious communities were encouraged to go back to the intention of their founders. Obviously, the language of the Mass was made available in the vernacular. Even the practice of the permanent diaconate was a restoration from earlier church practices.
But in terms of doctrinal and dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church, nothing changed. It was a council of renewal. But it was important and much needed renewal. But this renewal was an attempt to regain what had become lost. Said Pope John XXIII in his opening address at the council, “And now the Church must once more reaffirm that teaching authority of hers which never fails, but will endure until the end of time.”
[As we quote Pope John XXIII, it is important to note that the quotes come from the official translation of the Vatican. Hence the use of the words “men” and “man” refer to all people. Just as Shakespeare was written in a different style of English, fidelity to the translation guarantees that what everyone reads is the translation. By quoting it “as is” the intent is to give confidence that the text has not been changed.]
And Pope John XXIII very much desired people to regain a sense of the person of Jesus Christ. As he stated, the task of human life is either to accept or reject Jesus. And he reiterated the purpose that every ecumenical council had. “But the function of every ecumenical council has always been to make a solemn proclamation of the union that exists between Christ and His Church; to diffuse the light of truth; to give right guidance to men both as individuals and as members of a family and a society; to evoke and strengthen their spiritual resources; and to set their minds continually on those higher values which are genuine and unfailing.”
So the intent was first on renewing the desire for people to look first to the divine presence of God and to see where such presence could be found. To be sure, the times were filled with deep crises. And what was important from the perspective of the Church was the need for a reminder that we were first persons of faith. That while all people had an important role to play, the most important task was not about what we did, but rather who we were.
To that end, Pope John XXIII said this: “The major interest of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred heritage of Christian truth be safeguarded and expounded with greater efficacy. That doctrine embraces the whole man, body and soul. It bids us live as pilgrims here on earth, as we journey onwards towards our heavenly homeland.”
This quote reinforces the intent. There is not a desire to teach new dogma, but to safeguard dogma that was increasingly being challenged, cast aside and forgotten. But the intent was also to help all people come to a deeper appreciation of our deposit of faith.
So next week the insert will be the entirety of the speech given by Pope John XXIII so that there can be common understanding of how it is that he viewed the council. Then, we will begin with Dei Verbum, the document on divine revelation. The hope is that this will lead to the creation of small bible study groups.
This information and documents will be provided in a variety of ways. As I mentioned, they will be made available in bulletin inserts. They will also be made available on our website. There will be audio recordings of the documents for those who might choose to listen to them. The goal of this series is in many ways the goal stated by Pope John XXIII. Namely to articulate ancient doctrine in a new manner, one that will make it easier to understand and apply in this modern age.
The Documents
The series begins with the opening address of the Second Vatican Council by Saint Pope John XXIII. In it he articulates the reasons for the council, its unique approach, and the ways in which he hopes it will invigorate the faith.
The first document explored will be Dei Verbum, or the DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION.
To make this entire process easier, each document will also be recorded so that it can be listened to as well as read.
On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.
