Bishop's Schedule: Bishop Robert C. Morlino There is no bishop's schedule this week.

Vatican Council II: Interpreting it correctly

Dear Friends,

During these days of vacation my thoughts turn readily to the diocese and to all of you who are a special gift from the Lord to me. At this time when I have more time for prayer and relaxation, all of you and the needs of our diocese are always on my mind and in my heart.

During times of vacation, especially at the beginning of a new year, my thoughts naturally turn to gratitude for so many blessings, and I do become joyfully overwhelmed at the truth of St. Paul's proclamation "all is gift, everything is grace!"

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Just before Christmas our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, addressed his co-workers in the Roman Curia at their annual Christmas gathering. It is usually a moment where the Pope will give a kind of "State-of-the-Church" address. Pope Benedict offered some particularly interesting observations, and I would like to focus simply on two.

Second Vatican Council interpretations

Pope Benedict commented that in the years following the Second Vatican Council, there were two conflicting interpretations of the Council available. These interpretive keys, or hermeneutics, Pope Benedict named the "discontinuity hermeneutic" and the "reform hermeneutic."

The discontinuity hermeneutic means that there was something of substance lacking in the pre-Vatican II Church which needed serious correction and updating. There was much talk, using this hermeneutic of the "pre-Vatican II Church" and the "post-Vatican II Church," indicating that there could be no continuity.

In the post-Vatican II Church, it was alleged that individual conscience would determine what is true, rather than humbly submit to objective truth revealed by Christ and spelled out by the Church - a "pre-Vatican II" idea.

In the post-Vatican II Church, innovative liturgical cocktails would be served at the request of various individuals or groups without objection. In the post-Vatican II Church, democracy, often called collegiality, would take ever deeper root as the form of governance in the Church.

In the post-Vatican II Church the discipline of celibacy for priests would be relaxed and there would be women priests. Such a church would be discontinuous with all that had gone on before, and thus according to God's will, such a church could not come into existence.

The individuals who intentionally or unintentionally furthered the discontinuity hermeneutic tend now to be angry, hurt, or disappointed that the discontinuity vision has failed under the strong leadership of John Paul the Great. I hope and pray that the Lord will heal that anger, hurt, and disappointment. In general, our sisters and brothers who feel this way received a mistaken interpretation through no fault of their own.

Reform hermeneutic

The reform hermeneutic of the Second Vatican Council means just that, that the Church is called to Re-Form herself, that is, to form herself once again, especially with regard to her mission toward the world.

The Second Vatican Council was not a doctrinal council, nor did it change anything whatever in the doctrine of our faith. The Second Vatican Council was a "pastoral" Council, meaning that the Church was seeking to reform the approaches she took in being the Lord's instrument for the sake of the whole world.

The Church had, perhaps, gotten turned in on herself before Vatican II and now had to turn outward in new ways. The key to the Vatican II reform was the role of the laity in the Church, that is, the Christian lay faithful are called to purify the culture of the world and make more visible the fruits of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The most authentic lay ministry is teaching, loving, serving, and by God's grace, saving the world.

The most direct way to purify the culture is through the political process, and so the most intense forms of lay ministry involve exercising elected or appointed political leadership and responsible voting to realize more and more here the justice and love of God's kingdom.

The mission of the laity toward the world, this reform hermeneutic of Vatican II, has proven difficult for the Church to realize. Even within our bishops' conference there has been grave and time consuming concern over what is being called "lay ecclesial ministry."

The lay ministry on which the Second Vatican Council was most focused is not what is being called "lay ecclesial ministry" but rather extra-ecclesial lay ministry, the mission of the Christian faithful outside and beyond the Church. That central thrust of the Second Vatican Council, that core of the reform hermeneutic of Vatican II seems, for whatever reason, very elusive. But it is a sign of major progress that Pope Benedict is able, so clearly, to articulate the problem and to name the mistaken discontinuity interpretation of the Second Vatican Council for what it is.

Adoration of the Eucharist

Secondly, Pope Benedict made a wonderful point, that one aspect of the misinterpretation of the Second Vatican Council had directly to do with the Eucharist, that is, that the Eucharist was meant to be eaten, not to be adored.

In many instances, Eucharistic Adoration was abandoned, if not forbidden. What a wonderful gift the Year of the Eucharist has been in restoring a sense of reverent adoration of the Eucharist. For if the whole Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity, is truly present under the sign of bread and wine, then the only adequate response to the Eucharist that we offer in sacrifice and share in a sacred meal is also to adore the Real Presence. If this Presence is Real then it is absolutely adore-able.

Pope Benedict was alive and well as a theologian at the Second Vatican Council and he certainly understands both its spirit and its letter. It is my hope that this first "State-of-the-Church" address will signal a pontificate that will complete the work of clarifying the correct interpretation of the Second Vatican Council so beautifully begun by John Paul the Great.

Thank you for reading this and God bless you and yours in this Year of the Lord 2006.

Praised be Jesus Christ!