{"id":17335,"date":"2012-10-02T15:05:19","date_gmt":"2012-10-02T19:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=17335"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:04:47","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:04:47","slug":"10-ways-vatican-ii-shapes-the-church-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2012\/10\/10-ways-vatican-ii-shapes-the-church-today\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ways Vatican II shapes the Church today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From the USCCB comes this list<\/a><\/strong>, in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, which will be marked next week. This piece was put together by Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, who chairs the bishops\u2019 Committee on Divine Worship. \u00a0(I\u2019m pleased to see that he mentions deacons, of course\u2026)<\/p>\n

The list:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Vatican II presented a renewed vision of what it means to be the Church<\/em>. The Council document\u00a0Lumen Gentium<\/em>\u00a0on the nature of the Church called the Church a light for the world and the source of salvation. The document\u00a0Gaudium et Spes<\/em>\u00a0on the Church in the modern world said the Church shares the joys and sufferings of the world. Both documents refer to the Church as the People of God, reflecting a new appreciation of lay people that surfaced repeatedly at the Council.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0It called the Eucharist the source and summit of the faith<\/em>. The Council\u2019s document on the liturgy,\u00a0Sacrosanctum Concilium<\/em>, describes Holy Communion as the main source of God\u2019s grace for Catholics. In the Eucharist, Catholics encounter the person of Christ. In this way, it is truly the foundation of the Church.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0It reformed the liturgy<\/em>. The changes to the Mass, perhaps the most well-known conciliar reform, promoted \u201cfull and active participation,\u201d which led to the Mass being translated into the vernacular, or local language, and celebrated as a dialogue between the celebrant and the congregation.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0It said every Catholic is called to holiness and to be a missionary<\/em>. The document on missionary activity,\u00a0Ad Gentes<\/em>, expanded the view of how the Church evangelizes. Missionaries were no longer sent just to remote areas of the world to spread the Good News; now all Catholics play a role in evangelizing through their lives.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0It emphasized the importance of the family<\/em>. According to\u00a0Lumen Gentium<\/em>, the family is the \u201cDomestic Church.\u201d While the faith of the Church flourishes in parishes, dioceses and nations around the world, before all else is the family. It is the family that provides a strong foundation for each believer.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0It reshaped the Church\u2019s relationship with other Christians and other religions<\/em>. At Vatican II, the Church adopted a spirit of respect and dialogue toward other faith traditions. Ensuing dialogues have built bridges of understanding and strengthened relationships with Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, Protestants and others.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0It promoted collaboration<\/em>. The document\u00a0Christus Dominus<\/em>\u00a0encouraged \u201ccollegiality,\u201d or collaboration within the Church. Bishops, priests, religious and lay people all work together in a way that didn\u2019t in the past. Bishops collaborate through episcopal conferences like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and state-level Catholic Conferences. The Council also encouraged \u201csubsidiarity,\u201d by which authority is divided up and decisions are made at the appropriate level. 8.\u00a0It updated the Church<\/em>\u2026 John XXIII saw Vatican II as a chance for renewal in the face of the \u201csigns of the times\u201d and said he called the Council to open a window and let in fresh air. This resulted in reforms that made the Church more accessible to the modern world, such as Mass in the vernacular and dialogue with other believers, and the openness of the Council was reflected in the presence men and women religious, lay people and even non-Catholics among its official observers.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u2026but it also returned the Church to its roots<\/em>. Vatican II also reformed the Church through a back-to-basics approach. This meant renewed appreciation for Scripture, the Church Fathers and the restoration of ancient traditions such as the permanent diaconate and the multi-step process for adults joining the Church.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Then-Father Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) played a significant behind-the-scenes role<\/em>. The bishops at Vatican II were assisted by brilliant theologians. These assistants, or\u00a0periti<\/em>, included Joseph Ratzinger, who assisted Cardinal Josef Frings of Cologne, Germany. Father Ratzinger was involved in drafting speeches, shaping documents and defining the overall trajectory of the Council. More information on the Year of Faith is available online:\u00a0www.usccb.org\/beliefs-and-teachings\/how-we-teach\/new-evangelization\/year-of-faith\/index.cfm<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meantime, for a great daily dose of Vatican II anniversary stuff, remember to check out Conciliaria<\/strong>, <\/a>the excellent site created by Deacon Eric Stoltz of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the USCCB comes this list, in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, which will be marked next week. This piece was put together by Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, who chairs the bishops\u2019 Committee on Divine Worship. \u00a0(I\u2019m pleased to see that he mentions deacons, of course\u2026) The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,13,49],"tags":[11171,874],"class_list":["post-17335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bishops","category-deacons","category-this-that","tag-deacons","tag-vatican-ii"],"yoast_head":"\n10 ways Vatican II shapes the Church today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From the USCCB comes this list, in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, which will be marked next week. 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