Published by The Second Vatican Council was a council called by Pope John XXIII and was closed by Pope Paul VI, it was a council that focused on the renewal of what the Catholic Church, both as an institution and as a community should be focusing on. Its main issue was the alienation of the people from the celebration and focused on unifying all Catholics and restoring some sense of unity between all Christians while acknowledging the failure in following the mission during times like the protestant reformation.
Since our working definition of Church is the “disciples of Jesus who, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to living the Kingdom of God”, we quite literally derive this definition from what was the outcome of Vatican II. Without Vatican II, the idea that the Church’s sole purpose is to follow the mission of Jesus and live the Kingdom of God would never exist. By studying this topic we learn that the church is not infallible, and at times the institution, and the community, can stray off the path. The Council was called as a way to find that path again and return to the correct mission of the church.
Its significant for me to have learned about the Second Vatican Council because I now know a lot more about the workings of the church, and the process by which they fix a perceived crisis or issue. Its also important because it sets the table for all other topics of the year, even Dorothy Day, who admittedly was well before her time. Finally it’s interesting to see the way the affect that the Council had on the world today, such as the changes in Mass and the deeper connection with the poor.
The seven sacraments are: Baptism, Communion, Penance, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick. These sacraments are tangible signs of Gods love and his saving grace that allow us to grow closer to ourselves and to the church both as an institution and community. Baptism is done as a form of welcoming into the church community, Communion represents the saving grace and covenant restored by Jesus, Penance is asking for forgiveness of sins, Confirmation reflects a persons intent on becoming a full member of the church and Holy Orders reflects a persons intent on joining the institution, Matrimony is the sacrament of marriage, and lastly Anointing of the Sick is the process of being anointed in a time of crisis or poor health in your life.
The seven sacraments represent the meeting of the Catholic Church as an institution with the Church as a community. Without the sacraments there would be a very minimal link between the two representations of the church as it is the connection between those sacraments that created the community. The sacraments are a communal celebration that’s shared with everyone.
Seven Sacraments because its eye opening to see the symbolic meaning behind the sacraments that Ive been part of. Some of them just happen to you and you don’t really know the meaning behind it, like in baptism where you don’t choose to be anointed then yet there’s such a powerful message behind it and we’re all baptized without consent. So its just funny to have no choice in a matter that has such deep meaning and I wouldn’t have thought about that if I didn’t know the meaning behind it.
Our working definitions for Church, Kingdom of God, and Holy Spirit are different from any definitions that I’ve heard before because they focus on the Church as a community. That’s the first definition, Church: disciples of Jesus who, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves to living the Kingdom of God. The definition of Kingdom of God is Jesus’ vision of living when we let God’s love rule within us, among us, and throughout the social order. Finally, Holy Spirit is the transforming presence of God in life that calls us to live faithfully and with hope.
These three words are what allow us to talk about church as a community because they are the foundation of the definition of our community as church. Without the community living the Kingdom of God then we wouldn’t be able to form a communal effort to live faithfully. Without the understanding of following Jesus’ vision, we couldn’t begin to build that Kingdom on earth. These words are so closely linked that together they literally form what is Church today.
Its significant for me to have learned about these definitions because without them I wouldn’t have understood anything at all about Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, The Second Vatican Council, or even Maryknoll. These three words are the core of what we studied this year. I also like the definition of Church because it pulls away from the institutionalized belief that the Church is the pope, the priests and all members of the organization. It’s a lot more secular in the sense that we the people on this world are what makes the church what it is.
Archbishop Oscar Romero was a very interesting Archbishop of El Salvador, during a time of crisis. He realized that much of the government and the church was in a bad place. The government was surrounded in corruption and killings of innocent people and the Death Squads were terrorizing the helpless. He saw that those that had the ability to stand up to this were turning a blind eye and he was aware some of those people were members of the Church in El Salvador. Romero at first thought he should remain out of the problem but soon realized that he couldn’t.
Oscar Romero is a perfect example of someone living the Kingdom of God. The man went through such a transformation, that it’s remarkable. He once lived with those that were responsible for the corruption that was the cancer of El Salvador, but he changed so drastically that he ended up living for the poor and providing them shelter. He also listened to the tales of those that lost loved ones to the death squads and was brave beyond all belief even
Its significant for me to have learned about the life of Romero because it’s such an inspiring story. In the face of such oppressive odds this man turned his back on his past and what he knew was wrong in an attempt to do what was right. If there was anyone else in his shoes at the time, El Salvador would be an entirely different place.
Dorothy Day was the writer of the catholic worker, and founder of many houses of hospitality. She worked hard to live a life of a devout catholic after becoming a convert. Her slogan was to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. She did all of these things right out of her own home at her own self sacrifice.
Dorothy Day stayed strong in her beliefs even when others told her she couldn’t do so much. Her determination proved that although she couldn’t single handedly change the world, she could change the lives of a few people, and in doing so help change the world. She submerged herself in the lives of the poor and in doing so over 1900 years later, followed in his footsteps.
Its significant for me to have learned about the life of Dorothy day because her strength is a marvel. Through all the trials she went through she still held fast to what she believed in and I wish that I could be like that. In a way she did change the world, because even after her death she still affects everyone that hears her story. She really did achieve her dream whether she would see it that way or not because her story lives on educating everyone in the power of a single voice that stands up.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
