A lot of changes took place in the Church as a result
of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). I’ve written about Mass being
celebrated in the language spoken by the people attending it, rather than in
Latin, and the altar being moved so the priest was facing the people instead of
having his back to them. But these were only a small part of the changes. There
was an emphasis on making the Church more relevant to the people. There was
less emphasis on following the rules and more emphasis on understanding God’s
love for us and bringing God’s love into the world. There was an increased
emphasis on caring for God’s children who live in poverty, or are hurting or
disabled. There was involvement in the Civil Rights movement and ministering to
those living in the inner cities and poor rural areas of our country. I’ve
written before about Fr. Brian McCormick and his ministry to the Wilbur section
of inner-city Trenton (see my July 16, 2012 blog). I think his ministry there
was very symbolic of the changes in the Church begun by Vatican II.
However, even soon after Vatican II some in the
Church wanted to roll back the changes being made. During the papacies of John
Paul II and Benedict XVI, there was a big focus on orthodoxy and compliance
with the doctrine of the Church as interpreted by the Pope. There was an
investigation into the practices of American nuns who saw their mission as
ministering to the poor and needy. Fortunately, in my opinion, we now have a
Pope whose focus is more on the pastoral care of Catholics (and people in
general) and less on adherence to doctrine.
Often, the focus of the Church hierarchy is demonstrated
through seemingly small actions, that are symbolic of the vision of the faith
that they are pushing. For example, during the papacy of Benedict, there was a
change in the translation of prayers used in the Mass that was ostensibly to
make them more in line with the actual wording of the prayers in Latin.
However, one of the results was to remove language that was simpler and easier to
understand and replace it with language that most people will find less
understandable and harder to relate to. For example, during the Creed at Mass,
instead of being “born” Jesus is now “incarnate” of the Virgin Mary; instead of
“one in being with the Father” he is “consubstantial with the Father”.
In Practicing Catholic, James Carroll writes
about how, in the Church in which he grew up, before Vatican II, a main theme
was our unworthiness as human beings (“Domine non sume dignus”; “Lord, I am not
worthy”). With Vatican II, the focus changed to the love God has for us, that
we are all his children. We see this with
Pope Francis and his emphasis on Mercy. But some prayers at Mass focus
more on our sinfulness than God’s love and mercy. At the beginning of Mass, we
pray the Confiteor, which begins “I confess to almighty God …” Until recently we
recited “that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my
words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do …” This has been
changed to the more severe wording “that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts
and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through
my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault …” The emphasis is
back on our unworthiness. Frequently, during this prayer, I think “I haven’t
greatly sinned” and it’s not “through my most grievous fault” (emphasis
mine). I also think about the seventy and eighty year olds around me and have a
hard time picturing them greatly sinning.
Another effect of Vatican II was an emphasis on
simplicity. After my six years in the minor seminary at St. Charles College, I
would go on to the major seminary (two years of studying Philosophy and then
four years of studying Theology). In our minds, moving on to major seminary was
a big deal. And there were symbols of this important step. In the minor
seminary, we wore jackets and ties to chapel, classes, meals, etc. In the major
seminary, we would wear cassocks (with a white surplice added when we went to
chapel). During our last year at St. Charles, we would be fitted for and
purchase cassocks and surplices. I remember specifically wanting to have a
surplice that had a simple design. The one I purchased was made of heavy
cotton, with no decorative aspects. I think this idea of simplicity was also reflected
in changes to liturgical garments and vessels. Chasubles (outer garment worn by
the priest during Mass) started to be made out of less silky-looking material
and had a plainer design. Many priests ordained after Vatican II chose chalices
(the cup used at Mass) that had a plainer design. I remember some of the
chalices of the younger priests having a ceramic outside (gold on the inside)
that more resembled a cup. These
newer designs reflected the concept of the priest being a humble servant of the
people. Simplicity replaced the more elaborate designs that in earlier days emphasized
adoration of a transcendent God. These days, we seem to be moving back to an
adoring mode. For example, I’ve noticed that seminarians coming to our parish
seem to be wearing surplices with decorative lace designs at the bottom of the
sleeves and at the waist.
Here are links to some elaborate and simple styles of
chasubles, surplices and chalices to illustrate:
Simple surplice (this is very similar to the surplice
I chose for myself)
I realize that there are those who believe that God
is primarily a transcendent God (that is, that God is greater than human beings
and our world and therefore our relationship to God should be one of
adoration). One way of showing our adoration is to include in our worship
services objects of great beauty to reflect how awesome God is. Others (I
include myself here) believe that, while God is in fact greater than all we
know and can imagine, he became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ, to
show God’s love for us and that God’s presence remains among us. Fr. RichardRohr, founder of The Center for Action and Contemplation, has written that
“Jesus does not ask us to worship him. He asks us to follow him.”
In many ways the spirit of Vatican II has dissipated
over the years. Pope John XXIII emphasized the principle of collegiality
(bishops sharing in authority with the Pope). The Second Vatican Council was a
shining example of collegiality. But John XXIII died before the end of the
Council and was succeeded by Pope Paul VI. In Practicing Catholic, James
Carroll writes that Paul VI ordered the Council to not take up the issue of
birth control. It would be handled by the Pope. Paul VI later issued an
encyclical reaffirming the Church’s prohibition of artificial contraception.
The windows opened by John XXIII have been gradually closing. But Pope Francis
seems intent on opening them up again. He emphasizes serving the poor. He
condemns the lavish lifestyles of some “princes of the Church” and has had
showers built in the Vatican for homeless people to use. I was pleased to read
an article in “Network Connection” (a publication of Network, a Catholic social
justice lobbying group) that included an interview with John Gehring, author of
The Francis Effect. In it, he said “I heard from these seminarians that
the pope is challenging them to encounter people, to recognize that their most
significant challenge is not to preach doctrine, but to attract people to the
faith and tap into what he calls the ‘freshness and fragrance of the gospel’.
They were touched that he didn’t move into the Apostolic Palace, for example.”
He also said that they understood that “their job as seminarians is to learn
about the doctrine of the faith, but they see a pastor who is pope challenging
them to recognize that the greatest doctrine of the church is good news for the
poor and mercy.”
A while ago I received a bookmark from the National
Catholic Reporter (NCR) that featured a Pope Francis comic strip (this is a regular feature in NCR). I thought this comic strip provided a good visual
representation of the outlooks and focuses of the last few popes.
I am grateful that we have a Pope who is looking
forward and is preaching a gospel of love and mercy for all men and women.
