Fifty Years Ago
This post was written by admin on January 25, 2009
Posted Under: Uncategorized
Posted Under: Uncategorized
I remember the day Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). I couldn’t believe it! In fact when I first heard the news from a friend, I was sure that it was some kind of a sick joke. But the news was true, and just as I suspected, this man has done his best to lead the Roman Catholic Church back in time. I suspect that at his age he is nostalgic for the Church of his childhood, and now he has the power to make it so.
The Council of Vatican II was an amazing event in the life of the Church. If not for that Council I would not have remained in the Church of my childhood, and I would not have loved my Church as much. I would not have entered into ministry within it; I would not have pursued a Master of Divinity degree. If not for the Council of Vatican II I would not have awakened to many things about Christianity. The Council was amazing in that some 2400 or more bishops came together and agreed on some wonderful, progressive documents. What would become the new constitution for the Church changed the Church into a Church that was moving forward, calling all people to discover the ways of God. The RCC once isolated and closed off reached out and became an inspiration to many. It seemed to me at the time that the Council was calling us Catholics to follow more closely the ways of the Gospel. It was a wonderful time to be Catholic.
Now, as I look back I realize that I was extremely blessed to be in personal and ministerial formation during the exciting years following the Council. I realize that the RCC I experienced after the Council must have been an aberration, and now we are going back to the “tradition” of the ages. Prior to that Council the RCC was bound up in old traditions, and in an old language. It was turned in on itself, and had very much an “us against the world” position. It was very much a top down sort of thing, and the laity knew their place — to pay, pray and obey. We unordained people were not the Church, we were only the poor sinners who went to the Church for the sake of our poor, sinful souls.
Here in this new millennium, under this present leadership, the RCC has skidded to a stop, and is now going backwards. It is so very sad, and I truly grieve the loss of what Pope John XXIII tried to do for us. There are people within the RCC that will rejoice at this backsliding, others who will forgive the pope and resign themselves to things as they are, others who really don’t care and ignore whatever the bishops say, some who just leave church altogether, and others who will struggle and fight to try to stop the backsliding. But for me and some few others, we must keep moving with the Spirit of God, and therefore must let the RCC move backwards without us. Finding ourselves squeezed out of the smaller, more “orthodox” RCC we discover ourselves free. Freedom is the surprise.
As I have let the RCC move away from me, and watched it shrivel, I have stayed with the Spirit of God within me, and I’ve been able to see things more clearly. There were things I couldn’t see while I was within the RCC. I needed a new perspective. What I see right now is the way one man, because he has been given a place of primacy (Because of the First Vatican Council) and credited with a creeping infallibility — how one man can undo the work of nearly 2400 bishops.
The teaching of the First Council at the Vatican (1869-70) that declared the pope has full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, gave the present pope this power to go against the collective wisdom of the whole Church gathered in Council. Coupled with this doctrine of infallibility, the Council of Vatican I made it nearly impossible to disagree with what is happening now. We are seeing the fruit of the declaration, and it is sour. We are seeing the undoing of the work of the Council of Vatican II at the hands of this one old man.
I am so very thankful that as I was grieving the loss of the RCC, I discovered another way to be Catholic. You see, at the time of the First Vatican Council a group of bishops disagreed with this new teaching, and broke away. They continued to believe in a councilor approach to decisions about faith. They hold that only the whole Church when gathered (usually only bishops) can speak with authority on matters of faith. This position proves itself in the fruit of the results — the new life and hope coming from the Council of Vatican II, as opposed to the growing isolation and exlusionary position fostered by this present pope. You can know what is of God by its fruit.
St. Vincent of Lerins says: “We must hold fast to that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all the Faithful.”
Eventually I found the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. If you go to their web site you can read some good articles on history. I suggest especially the article titled “A Tale of Two Councils.” In any case I found a way to be Catholic that allows me to be Catholic, and to continue forward with the Spirit of God, and in the Spirit of the Council of Vatican II. At least for now, this is the place for me.
Nevertheless, I also need to add that while I am Catholic, I have learned to stand back and consider Christianity itself. Because of my experience of standing outside of all the Churches for a time, I have begun to ponder the whole experience of Christianity down through the ages. I find myself reflecting on Christianity in ways that are much more critical than ever before. For if we believe that in Christ, God has truly come into our world than why has this coming not made a bigger difference? I am constantly considering the failure of Christianity to transform the world, and asking why.
So on this anniversary of the calling for the Council of Vatican II, I am saddened and disappointed that the Spirit of God keeps being quenched. However, I am also hope-filled as I remember that the Spirit of God is enduring, patient and persistent.
Reader Comments
Read the Church Fathers. Pray the Rosary. Stop standing outside the Church. Being progressive isn’t hip any more. Christ wills that we all be one. What is so bad about bring people back into the fold. Christ is showing His Mercy. God Bless the Pope! VII is not the only document written by Holy Mother Church. PLus it is not a doctrinal ducument its ecumenical.
Hi Tim. I’m not a bit concerned about being”hip” and since I am still Catholic, I do pray the rosary. I am concerned about moving forward with the Spirit of God, and not going backwards. The documents of the Council of Vatican II are Dogmatic Constitutions and Decrees for the Church. In other words, meant to govern the Church until a new Council. They have the strength of over 2400 of our bishops. Ecumenical means = the whole Church.
Are you saying that VII supercedes all the previous documents and councils? I do not see what is wrong with handing down the traditions of our fathers for almost 2000 years. Ecumenism to day has been redefined. I am all about dialogue. The problem is that we discuss what we have in common and ignore that which divides us. Mainly, The Blessed Mother, The Eucharist, and Papal authority as is is recieved from Christ and passed down starting with Peter. Discussing what we have in common gets us no where. It just provides a nice atmosphere for a cocktail party. What do you mean by moving forward with the Spirit of God? There does not need to be another council to change the previous one. The chair of Peter guides as he is so inclined.
Tim, there is a hierarchy of teachings in the Church. The documents from Councils are very important. Consider the impact of the documents from the Council of Trent following the Reformation, for example. The Roman Catholic Church lived out of those documents for about 400 years. In fact, the Church lived out of those documents for so long that there was this saying that the Church never changed. It is great to have an historical perspective and know that the Church does change; tradition changes and grows. The Spirit of God leads from truth to truth, as Christ says. We are not able to hear all of the truth at first, but as we attend to God, the Spirit will lead us. For me that has come to mean a movement toward inclusion, not exclusion, etc..