vatican Flashcards
significance of second Vatican ecumenical council
Second Vatican Council was announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959. opened on October 11, 1962 and ended on December 8, 1965. A combined total of 2,865 bishops and prelates attended the council and issued sixteen (16) formal documents. An examination of the documents of Vatican II will demonstrate that they did not change or refute any previous teachings but as Pope John XXIII desired they sought to bring about an “aggiornamento”.
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
Sacrosanctum Concilium
One of the first issues considered by the Council, and the matter that had the most immediate effect on the lives of individual Catholics, was the revision of the liturgy.
The central idea was (from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
The main aim of Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
was to revise the traditional liturgical texts and rituals to reflect more fully fundamental principles, and be more pastorally effective in the changed conditions of the times, clarifying not only the role of ordained ministers but the modalities of appropriate participation of lay faithful in the Catholic Church’s liturgy, especially that of the Roman Rite.
changes that occurred were:
■ It instigated a revolution in Catholic worship
■ The Mass, once celebrated in Latin, could now be celebrated also in the Vernacular (the language of the place where the mass was being celebrated)
■ Altars were turned around so that priests faced the people
■ Sacraments were updated and simplified
■ Men and women religious (priests, nuns etc..) adopted a more modern form of dress
Receiving Communion – changed from kneeling at altar rail and receiving on tongue, to altar rail being removed and the option to receive the host in the hand.
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy quote on particpation
“all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14)
lay people on Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
Majority of lay Catholics have supported the changes to the liturgy, and for many it is the only liturgy they know. There has also been great criticism and division as a result of these changes to the liturgy. some miss the use of Latin, considering it a ‘universal’ language for the universal church. Some criticise the involvement of the laity in sacred rites, such as reading the Bible and distributing Holy Communion
Decree on the apostle of lay people
is a practical expression of the Church’s mission, to which the laity are specially called in virtue of their Baptism and incorporation into Christ. It recognizes that the laity have the right to establish and direct their own associations, on the condition that they preserve the necessary link with ecclesiastical authority. l
The decree made
The laity became more empowered – baptised lay people were encouraged to exercise the faith in everyday life. The laity went from silent, passive “spectators” at Mass, to full, conscious, and active participation. Lay people put their faith into action – to work for peace and unity among ourselves and all Christian churches. Catholics encouraged to “read the scriptures” (Previously relied on priests and teachers to interpret it)
Decree on the apostle of lay people quotes
“to take a more active part, each according to his talents and knowledge and in fidelity to the mind of the church.”
“they will strive to support, assist, and complete the ministrations of the priest.”
“as citizens among citizens they must bring to their cooperation with others their own special competence, and act on their own responsibility”
Gaudium et specs
lay people in the world
Gaudium et specs was issued when the (SVEC) ended in 1965. The document summarizes the council and gives an outline of the church’s social teachings in a changing world. The document recognises the process of more offering model of Jesus Christ and his teachings to help direct such progress; gospel used to instruct, heal and liberate.
Gaudian et specs noted……..
hat economic, scientific, and political changes are happening so quickly that is that it is difficult to keep up with the effects on society. With these developments it has brought people to God or others have left faith behind.
The encyclical emphasises (Gaudian et specs)
the dignity of each human being as created in the image and likeness of God which comes from their call to communion with God
Gaudian et specs quotes
“the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in anyway affected, these too are joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxiety’s of the followers of Christ”
Now church was to be open to the world, in solidarity with struggling, poor and dispossessed peoples , ready to serve the world in Jesus’s name.
