The St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York. Dwarfed by the skycrapers of New York. Its Gothic Spires rising above the Heavens. Symbolizing the endeavor of Men and Women of faith to rise to God.
Just like the rest of thousands of Catholics who have no opportunity to be physically present during the visit of the Holy Father in the United States, we were glued to the Television sets to witness the events in this Pilgrimage of the Holy Father to the United States. Last night (Morning in the US) we eagerly watch the Papal Mass at St. Patrick's with the Bishops, Priests and Religious. The Mass was superb and very reverent, every mass should be like that. of course not all parishes or churches could have that marvelous organ and choir loft, but the manner and the kind of songs that were sung were very reverent and traditional. Modern people often have negative connotation when the word Traditional is mentioned but on the other hand traditional is actually a positive term. It does not mean to stay static but rather it is a dynamic state that connects the past with the present and sees the future in a kind of unity. This love for the Old and the new was vividly expressed by the most Rev. Bruskewitz in his foreword to the Baronius Missal thus: "...older rites need not be disdained in order to appreciate the new, nor must the new rites be disparaged in order to love the old." In the Papal Mass it was noticeable that in the center of the altar was the presence of the crucifix. The altar appeared smaller and apparently could not accomodate the seven candlesticks, as a result the candlesicks were placed on the sides of the altar. There is one very interesting line in the homily of the Holy Father that spoke of the present crisis in the Church and I qoute: "For all of us, I think, one of the great disappointments which followed the Second Vatican Council, with its call for a greater engagement in the Church's mission to the world, has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family. We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ! In the light of faith, we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions. Thus we can value the perspectives of others, be they younger or older than ourselves, and ultimately hear "what the Spirit is saying" to us and to the Church (cf. Rev 2:7). In this way, we will move together towards that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen the Church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today's world.Was not this unity of vision and purpose -- rooted in faith and a spirit of constant conversion and self-sacrifice -- the secret of the impressive growth of the Church in this country?" The full text of the Papal Homily can be read from Zenith the World as seen from Rome.
Here is my personal opinon:
In my own personal analysis and opinion I can say that the current problems we have in the Church are not the product of the Council but a misinterpretation of the council. Thus in fact in the 70s a few years after the Second Vatican Council many professed religious were dissillusioned by the many changes made in the name of Vatican II council. But the sad part is that some of those who were so eager to introduce novelties have never themselves read the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The "innovative" trend resulted in debacles in Liturgy, religious life, and church discipline. The Liturgy is the very heart of Church worship and teaching, because in itself the liturgy is not just rites, but it is a form of catechesis that embodies the way the church believes. Even as a Cardinal, Pope Benedict has recognize this problem. In the addressed given by then Cardinal Ratzinger in Santiago, Chile in 1988 [as published byDocumentation Service Vol. IV, number 12, 1991, p. 19] he spoke thus "The Second Vatican Council defined no dogma at all; and yet many treat it as though it had made itself into a sort of super-dogma which takes away the importance of all the rest." The main problem here is that when the documents of the Council are presented and interpreted without connection to the mageterial teachings of the Church for the last 2000 years, that is where the problem starts. Any changes or novelties that have no connection with the Sacred Tradition and the Sacred Deposit of the Faith is bound to fail. Thus it resulted not only in the dissillusionment of many religious people but of the laity in general. Engagement with the world as spoken by Blessed Pope John XXIII does not mean copying the values of the world but rather understanding the mentality of modern humans and infusing them with the gospel values so that they may be directed towards Christ. This understanding is a means to evangelize the world. Thus the sexual abuse cases that has plagued the Catholic Church in the US was a product of this confusion arising from the misinterpreations of the Reform [This is my opinion]. When Christians are detached from their root, i.e., Tradition it will naturally result to crisis of faith and life. Just like when a child is separated from its natural parents no matter what care it receive there is still a gap in that Child's development. This is also the case when we as Christians detached ourselves from Christ our root and from the Church, our Mother.
But this is not a reason for us to be pessimistic. in his recent encyclical on Hope, the Pope spoke to us of the need to have hope. In fact in his message to the US this was his recurrent theme. The crisis are all meant to purify the Church to make it stronger. Just like the Gothic Spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the faithful strives to raise itself to God and this they do by hope in God. The hope that saves us. The Holy Father said that the key to solving this problem is for us to seek Christ and to be reconverted. To be humble and be willing submit to the magesterial teachings of the church even if it does not conform to our personal opinions. Indeed, the greatest sin of modern Humanity is Pride, the unwillingness to submit and recognize authority. Even relativism in morals and faith is a form of pride because it recognizes no authority but the self. Like Lucifer who defiantly shouted at God by saying "I will not serve!". But here we are called to to submit to God because humility is the door to our redemption. Christ Our Lord has demonstrated this virtue when he offered the sacrifice on the Cross. He allowed Himself to be sacrificed, meek as a lamb he opened His arms in the cross and thus vicariously and propitiously effected our salvation. This humilty was also exemplified by the Blessed Mother when the angel announced to her the tidings, she said without doubt "Fiat" Let it be done accoding to thy word. When Simeon spoke of her prophesy Mary placed these words in her heart and submitted to the will of the Father.
Let us always pray for the minisry of Pope Benedict XVI, who when elected as Pope said that he was a humble servant in the Lord's vineyard and that his only program as pontiff is to follow the move of the Holy Spirit. Who else is more authoritative as far as Vatican II itself than the current Pope who was himself a peretus for the Archbishop of Munich during the Council. His various ecyclicals, letters and exortations were meant to bring us back to the right path. Manydisobey the Pope, but let us pray and humbly follow our shepherd.
No comments:
Post a Comment