Are people naive?
I heard a speaker the other night, one who had been at university and seminary at the time of the Second Vatican Council, talk about his feeling of enthusiasm during the Council. He felt, he said , that he and others thought that the Council would be a "new Pentecost." And he said that experience has shown that this was not the case.
Were they really so naive?
So naive as to think that a relatively large drift from tradition in a relatively short period of time would yield positive fruit? When history and human nature shows us that people need guidelines and ritual and routine. .. take these away and you cause confusion and floundering . And without the safety net of beliefs and customs, there is often a vacuum within each one, a vacuum waiting to be filled... and sometimes it is filled by apathy. Or secularism.
Indeed, instead of naivety and thinking all change is for the good, all change is a new Pentecost, we can heed the words of the Holy Father...." We are not a production plant, we are not a for-profit business, we are Church . That means a community of men standing together in faith. The task is not to manufacture some product or to be a success at selling merchandise. Instead the task is to live the faith in an exemplary way, to proclaim it and at the same time to keep this voluntary association, which cuts across all cultures, nations, and times and is not based on external interests , spiritually connected with Christ and so with God himself ." (Pope Benedict XVI, Light of the World)
11 comments:
Hmmm.... I don't think they were naive - just trusting in our innate goodness. However, the disobedience to the Church by segments of her shepherds and flock caused/is causing a huge problem in our Church. This is truly sad and the only way it can be countered is by our own obedience. I'm reading A Moment of Grace, by John Cardinal O'Connor, which caused me to look again at JPII's words about VII - truly inspiring, and just because there was failure in some areas, we mustn't loose hope. Also, reading one of the biographies about John XXIII really left me a great joy about the vision he had for Vatican II - a truly lovely man. A reminder that we must act in love and charity, eps. when encountering discord! Hard for me, since being snarky is much easier ;-)
Beate, have you read the documents of V2? I read them l when I was pregnant with Anthony. Really worth a read.
Not in a long time - I'd like to read them in their entirety again because I'm in a different place now. I've read bits and pieces in the past few years as they pertain to whatever I needed to assess at the time.
Of course, the CCC is meant to be a compendium of the whole deposit of faith, inc. and extending VII :-)
I read the CCC in it's entirety strung one Lent and finishing in Advent.
Wow Leonie :-) A Moment of Grace is a book of Cardinal O'Connor's homilies on the CCC when it first came out - an entire year's worth.
I just love the CCC - we use it liberally in our bible study class. It's so biblical and liturgical, with all those Saint quotes thrown in.
So much to read and so little time *sigh*
I'll have a look for that book! Currently reading the Holy Father's Spirit of Truth.
I suppose many university age people of every age are perhaps naive in some ways. And since council decrees superceded Popes, thank goodness those on the Council were not naive but inspired by the Holy Spirit! (or even if they had some naivette, the Holy Spirit's work gets done regardless.) It is impossible to know what might have occurred for Mother Church had VII not happened; historically schisms occur more in the lack of a Council than with one. Rather than a 'large drift from tradition', I see VII more as a calling back to the roots, it is Christ himself our faith is baseed on, over even Scripture and Tradition. And reading about Blessed John XXIII and Paul VI, and the history surrounding, the power of the Holy Spirit astounds.
What have you been reading? I read a biography of Bl John XX111 during my last pregnancy and love Witness to Hope by George Wiegel on Pope John Paul II
I haven't been reading much lately besides Young Adult Fciton, trying to keep up with my teens, and some fun read alouds with the yongers-lol!
I have read some bio of Bl John XXIII, and have wanted to get Wiegle's book. I'll have to get it, and perhaps i can guive it a read over the Mystogogia time.
been thinking about the "pentecost" idea for VII also. Maybe it *was* a new Pentecost. If you look at the Church in the immediate decades after the opriginal Pentecost, there were many many conversions, and also great strife as people sorted out how to proceed as the Community of believers. One example would be the argument between Peter and Paul in the early Church years, sorting out what to do about maintianing (or not) Palestinian Jewish traditions. Perhaps vII really was anew Pentecost. It's only been less than 50 years, quite a tiny blink in Church time :D
Very interesting post and discussion, Leonie. You always make me think...and think hard! Have any of you ladies read "Reclaiming Catholicism: Treasures Old and New" by Thomas H. Groome and Michael Daley? I began reading it a couple months ago...looking for, hoping for...a good balance. With a couple of exceptions it has done that.
Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570758638/houseoflitera-20
Cay, thanks for the suggestion!
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