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Pope John XXIII’s main goal in calling the Second Vatican Council was to bring the church up to date by opening its doors to the wind of the Spirit.
John knew that if the doors were open, the church could be renewed, and believers could be sent out into the world with the refreshing message of the gospel. And after John’s death, Paul VI continued with the same convictions and saw the church through the challenging time of transition.
An Optimistic Wind. Pope John’s vision for the Council, and for the church as a whole, was very optimistic and positive. He believed that the winds of the Holy Spirit could change the world. In his opening speech at the start of the Council, John was very candid about the challenges he faced, and about what he felt the Spirit was telling him:
In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to listen, much to our regret, to voices of persons who, though burning with zeal, are…
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Cardinal Bernadin wrote a wonderful pastoral letter in about 1985 in which he detailed the frustration felt by clergy and layity alike by Vatican II. It now seems that there has been little resolution of that frustration in the Church in America. The Bishops seem intent on taking us back to the church of smells and bells. I find the changes somewhat comforting, being raised Catholic in pre-Vatican II times. However the swing back to the 50’s church may bring with it unintended poor consequences, the greatest of these being a return to a passive and spectating community instead of the Celebrating Community we should have. Respectable awe is good. Proactive participation is better.
Great article! Thanks! Lately I’ve been feeling led to pray for a great furhering of the renewal of our worship - a great renewal of both reverence and active celebratory participation - these are not opposite poles. i think it’s the Book of Numbers where it mentions the people raising their hands in worship and falling down prostrate - both celebration and reverence flowing naturally as two aspects of Spirit-filled worship. I pray our Mass on Sundays could last longer than an hour, with longer times of quiet after each reading, with the laity bringing their Bibles to follow along and the homilies explaining a bit more the background of the readings - please, let’s stop putting reigns on the Holy Spirit by insisting our priests stick to 15-min homilies - also, I’d love to see an extended time of reverent and joyful adoration while the priest is elevating the Host - after he says, “Through Him, with Him & in Him, all glory & honor are Yours, Almighty God & Father” (or something close to that) - this is the greatest moment of our worship & it just doesn’t feel right to rush through it. Lastly, it’d be so great to have more time after Communion with songs to just dwell with the Lord Whom we have just received, rather than rushing into the announcements. All this is not to criticize our priests, but rather to say I think we laity have put this pressure on our priests to rush through the Mass. Our worship should be filled with life, joy & reverence! :-)