Dear Friends:
This past Tuesday, October 11, marked the sixtieth anniversary of a landmark event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. On that day, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Pope John XXIII presided over the opening of what is officially known as the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican (more popularly, Vatican II). On that day, over two thousand bishops from everywhere in the world convened in response to the call of John XXIII for an aggiornamento (Italian for “updating”). The times were turbulent after the conclusion of the Second World War, the advent of the nuclear age, and the spread of totalitarianism, among other things. There was need for the Church to meet the challenges of modern times, to offer her perspective on the moral questions of our time, and also, for the Church to take a good, long and hard look at herself from within.
Vatican II spanned four years in all, with four sessions in each of the fall seasons of 1962 to 1965, concluding on December 8, 1965. Pope John XXIII died in June of 1963 and was succeeded by Pope Paul VI who pledged to continue the council, bring it to conclusion, and implement its decrees. The council issued sixteen documents in all, still worthy of reading and study after six decades. These documents deal with a range of concerns, from the liturgy, to an understanding of the Church, and an understanding of Scripture, among other topics. The council also issued a document on religious freedom (unheard of at the time) and a significant document on social and moral issues of the time, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which discussed issues ranging from marriage and the family, to war and peace, and economic concerns.
We are even now, all these years later, in the Vatican II Church. We are bound by what the council decreed and over these past six decades, a succession of popes ranging from John Paul II to Francis, has issued directives and teachings based on the council. Though there are some who would like to turn back the clock, there can be no doing so.
As we move forward in our efforts to implement the national Eucharistic Revival mandated by our bishops, we will be posting selections from decrees of Vatican II as well as other sources to help all of us deepen our reverence for and appreciation of the wonderful gift of the Eucharist, the final legacy the Lord left to us all on the night before he died. I hope you will read them carefully and pray with them.
I have noticed, with some consternation, that there are more than a few who come to Mass, on weekends and even weekdays, much too late. Please try to be on time. If you come late to Mass and miss the Liturgy of the Word (the readings, the psalm and the Gospel, along with the homily), an essential part of the Mass, you should really refrain from receiving Communion. The Vatican Council called for the full, active and conscious participation of the people in the liturgy. One cannot be said to have participated fully, actively and consciously if they arrive for Mass fifteen or twenty minutes after it has started. A simple remedy is to take note of the parish schedule and plan accordingly. If I seem harsh, so be it. There is a place for the pastor as shepherd of the parish to issue warnings and rebukes when such are necessary. There may be rare occasions when one may, through no fault of one’s own, be late, but it should not be a regular habit.
Have a good week!