Vatican II: Lumen Gentium V

After a two-day hiatus during which I couldn't really string together coherent sentences at this time of night, I'm back!  And just in time for the conclave, too.  Assuming a pope isn't elected on the first ballot tomorrow, I may offer some thoughts tomorrow on who I hope/think will be elected, but for now, it's time to finish up my posts on Lumen Gentium with the last topic covered by the Council Fathers: the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to esteemed sources (read: Wikipedia), there apparently was some debate over the format of the Fathers' writings on Mary -- some of them wanted to keep this part as a separate document so as not to offend Protestants.  Because really, Protestants weren't offended enough when the Fathers wrote that salvation comes through the Church?  Fortunately, that argument did not win the day, and Lumen Gentium closes with a lengthy section on Mary's relationship to the Church.

The Fathers begin by setting forth Mary's role in the economy of salvation.  In paragraph 56, we find:

Embracing God's salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption. Rightly therefore the holy Fathers see her as used by God not merely in a passive way, but as freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience. For, as St. Irenaeus says, she "being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert in their preaching, "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience; what the virgin Eve bound through her unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosened by her faith." Comparing Mary with Eve, they call her "the Mother of the living," and still more often they say: "death through Eve, life through Mary."

In expounding on Mary and the Church, the Council Fathers make it abundantly clear (to answer a common Protestant objection to the Church's view of Mary) that the honor given to her does not diminish Christ's role as the sole mediator between God and man.

For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ.

 On Mary as preeminent example for the Christian faithful:

Piously meditating on her and contemplating her in the light of the Word made man, the Church with reverence enters more intimately into the great mystery of the Incarnation and becomes more and more like her Spouse. For Mary, who since her entry into salvation history unites in herself and re-echoes the greatest teachings of the faith as she is proclaimed and venerated, calls the faithful to her Son and His sacrifice and to the love of the Father. Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted Type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things. 

The Fathers certainly do not call for a de-emphasis on the Church's Marian teachings, as many of the "Spirit of Vatican II crowd" like to claim.  Instead, they are clear about the Blessed Mother's role in salvation history and the Church.

This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed.

The section (and the constitution) close with a wonderful petition to Mary, asking her prayers and protection for all people of the world, that we may all be gathered together as one:

The entire body of the faithful pours forth instant supplications to the Mother of God and Mother of men that she, who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers, may now, exalted as she is above all the angels and saints, intercede before her Son in the fellowship of all the saints, until all families of people, whether they are honored with the title of Christian or whether they still do not know the Saviour, may be happily gathered together in peace and harmony into one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. 

Amen.  On the eve of the conclave, may Our Lady protect us with her most powerful motherly intercession as she always does.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.  Amen. 

Vatican II: Lumen Gentium IV

From their discussion of the nature of the episcopate and the hierarchy of the Church, the Council Fathers move next into an extensive discussion on the function and role of the laity.  I don't know if it is just because I am a layman myself, but I find this section very powerful.  It is a veritable treasure trove of excellent passages.  In paragraph 31, we find:

But the laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven.

For all of the intrigue and suspicion that surrounds Opus Dei in the secular sphere, I see definite shades of it in this passage.  The primary function of the group (or personal prelature, if we are going to be precise) is to lead ordinary men and women to holiness through the work of everyday life in the world.  The sanctification of the world through the work of everyday life is a concept that has been on my mind a great deal recently, as I struggle to see how my (often rather dull) daily activities are helping me grow closer to God.

Of course, since one of the primary functions of the laity (specifically, those lay men and women called to married life) is the rearing of children, the Council Fathers discuss the importance of family life in paragraph 35:

For where Christianity pervades the entire mode of family life, and gradually transforms it, one will find there both the practice and an excellent school of the lay apostolate. In such a home husbands and wives find their proper vocation in being witnesses of the faith and love of Christ to one another and to their children. The Christian family loudly proclaims both the present virtues of the Kingdom of God and the hope of a blessed life to come.

The following chapter, flowing logically from these topics, is about the universal call to holiness in the Church.    In paragraph 41, we find:

The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one—that sanctity which is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who obey the voice of the Father and worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. These people follow the poor Christ, the humble and cross-bearing Christ in order to be worthy of being sharers in His glory. Every person must walk unhesitatingly according to his own personal gifts and duties in the path of living faith, which arouses hope and works through charity.

The Fathers then explore the path to holiness for all of the various states in life.  Continuing their thoughts from above with regard to married couples, they write in paragraph 41:

Furthermore, married couples and Christian parents should follow their own proper path (to holiness) by faithful love. They should sustain one another in grace throughout the entire length of their lives. They should embue their offspring, lovingly welcomed as God's gift, with Christian doctrine and the evangelical virtues. In this manner, they offer all men the example of unwearying and generous love; in this way they build up the brotherhood of charity; in so doing, they stand as the witnesses and cooperators in the fruitfulness of Holy Mother Church; by such lives, they are a sign and a participation in that very love, with which Christ loved His Bride and for which He delivered Himself up for her.

These two chapters really should be required reading in marriage preparation classes -- there is so much good material in here about married life and finding holiness in the midst of everyday life.

Tomorrow: the Blessed Virgin Mary and her relation to the Church.

Vatican II: Lumen Gentium III

We now have the opportunity to explore what the Council Fathers actually say about another one of those "Spirit of Vatican II" topics: collegiality and the nature of the episcopate.  According to the "Spirit of Vatican II", the Council did away with all of that papal primacy nonsense and decreed that the bishops should all vote on everything (just a stepping stone to a purely democratic Church).  This, of course, is nonsense and not at all what Lumen Gentium says.

The chapter on the Church hierarchy begins by setting forth the historical basis for apostolic succession.  From the start, the Fathers make it clear that the primacy given to Peter remains effective to this day.  Thus, we find in paragraph 19: "And the apostles, by preaching the Gospel everywhere, and it being accepted by their hearers under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gather together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus Himself being the supreme cornerstone."

From the historical basis, the Fathers then turned to a (quite edifying) exposition of the special role of bishops as successors to the apostles and of priests and deacons as their assistants.  We then arrive at the discussion of the collegial nature of the episcopate:

Just as in the Gospel, the Lord so disposing, St. Peter and the other apostles constitute one apostolic college, so in a similar way the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are joined together. Indeed, the very ancient practice whereby bishops duly established in all parts of the world were in communion with one another and with the Bishop of Rome in a bond of unity, charity and peace, and also the councils assembled together, in which more profound issues were settled in common, the opinion of the many having been prudently considered, both of these factors are already an indication of the collegiate character and aspect of the Episcopal order; and the ecumenical councils held in the course of centuries are also manifest proof of that same character.

Much as the "Spirit of Vatican II" folks would like the section to end there, there is more:

But the college or body of bishops has no authority unless it is understood together with the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter as its head. The pope's power of primacy over all, both pastors and faithful, remains whole and intact. In virtue of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme and universal power over the Church. And he is always free to exercise this power. The order of bishops, which succeeds to the college of apostles and gives this apostolic body continued existence, is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church, provided we understand this body together with its head the Roman Pontiff and never without this head. This power can be exercised only with the consent of the Roman Pontiff. 

 Later, in paragraph 25, we find:

But when either the Roman Pontiff or the Body of Bishops together with him defines a judgment, they pronounce it in accordance with Revelation itself, which all are obliged to abide by and be in conformity with, that is, the Revelation which as written or orally handed down is transmitted in its entirety through the legitimate succession of bishops and especially in care of the Roman Pontiff himself, and which under the guiding light of the Spirit of truth is religiously preserved and faithfully expounded in the Church.

One of the more drastic changes brought about by this idea of collegiality has been the increase in number of and authority wielded by national bishops' conferences.  On a basic level, these conferences make sense -- given the common issues facing all of the bishops in a particular country, it would seem prudent for bishops to come together to develop common strategies.  But nothing in the Council documents states that national conferences of bishops should even exist, let alone wield as much influence as they do.

In fact, the Council fathers clearly believe that a bishop still has complete authority over what happens in his diocese:

The individual bishops, who are placed in charge of particular churches, exercise their pastoral government over the portion of the People of God committed to their care, and not over other churches nor over the universal Church. (Par. 23)

Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ, govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser and he who is the chief become as the servant. (Par. 27)

Don't get me wrong -- I very much appreciate the path down which the USCCB has been moving in recent years, with the revision of the English translation of the Mass and their strong words in defense of religious liberty, the right to life, traditional marriage, etc.  However, for much of its existence prior to a few years ago, it was part of the problem, not the solution -- primarily by issuing poorly-worded and poorly-conceived documents that they intended the Church in America to follow.

I really need to get a move on in this series, as I have other things I would like to hit before Holy Week and I still have the other two constitutions from Vatican II to cover.  I have to limit myself to two more posts on Lumen Gentium, even though there are many more worthwhile topics: one on the laity and the universal call to holiness, and the other on the Blessed Mother.

Vatican II: Lumen Gentium II

The second chapter of Lumen Gentium deals with the people of God.  The Council Fathers begin first by setting forth the history of God's people, from the first covenant with Israel through to the fulfillment of the old covenant and the establishment of the new by the coming of Christ.  Much of the first few paragraphs deal with the functions performed by the people of God and the gifts allotted to them.  The Fathers are clear in paragraph 13 that all men, whatever their state in life, work together to build up the Church:

In virtue of this catholicity each individual part contributes through its special gifts to the good of the other parts and of the whole Church. Through the common sharing of gifts and through the common effort to attain fullness in unity, the whole and each of the parts receive increase. Not only, then, is the people of God made up of different peoples but in its inner structure also it is composed of various ranks. This diversity among its members arises either by reason of their duties, as is the case with those who exercise the sacred ministry for the good of their brethren, or by reason of their condition and state of life, as is the case with those many who enter the religious state and, tending toward holiness by a narrower path, stimulate their brethren by their example.

The Council Fathers then turn their attention to the Church, Protestants, and non-Christians in three respective paragraphs.  With regard to those within the Church, the Council Fathers make it clear that the Church is the sole means of salvation:

Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.

The "harshness" of this passage, of course, hinges on one's interpretation of the word "knowing" -- must one only be made aware that the Catholic Church was founded by Christ, or must one come to know the Church's fundamental teachings?

The harshest words, though, are saved for those within the Church who do not live out their calling:

He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a "bodily" manner and not "in his heart." All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged.

With regard to non-Catholic Christians, the Council Fathers recognize that many such persons love Jesus deeply, honor Holy Scripture, and even profess a love and admiration for our Blessed Mother.  The Fathers do not pass judgment on whether non-Catholic Christians will be saved, though they do mention in passing that they "do not profess the faith in its entirety."

Finally, with regard to non-Christians, the Council Fathers state that they also have a place in the plan of salvation.  Persons of the Jewish and Moslem faiths, in particular, may be included by virtue of their belief in the God of Abraham.  The Council Fathers also addressed the place of those who do not know the Gospel or God:

Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.

My initial thought was that in this day and age, it would be almost impossible to find anyone who has not heard the Gospel.  In reflecting on this further, I believe that there are countless persons in our world (especially in "advanced" societies) who have never truly heard the Gospel.  Though by this reasoning, those who do not know the Gospel are not necessarily condemned for that lack of knowledge, is it not much more beneficial for all men to hear the Gospel and be saved?

To that end, the Fathers close this chapter with a paragraph on the missionary nature of the Church: "For the Church is compelled by the Holy Spirit to do her part that God's plan may be fully realized, whereby He has constituted Christ as the source of salvation for the whole world. By the proclamation of the Gospel she prepares her hearers to receive and profess the faith." The obligation to proclaim the Gospel extends to all of the faithful according to their state in life -- not just the clergy or those whose vocation it is to teach the faith.

This could easily form the topic of another post, but suffice to say that this is one of the things with which I struggle most -- how can I most effectively witness for my faith as a working layman with a family?  I still haven't found a definite answer, but I know that God has put me in this place for a reason.  By His grace, I pray that I will be an effective evangelist.

Vatican II: Lumen Gentium I

From the focused subject of Sacrosanctum Concilium, we move now to the broader subject of the Church, as expressed in the constitution Lumen Gentium.  I always get this and Gaudium et Spes confused -- Lumen Gentium means "light of the nations," but this document is not the constitution on the Church in the modern world.

The first paragraphs of Lumen Gentium set forth a bit of exegesis on the history and mystery of the Church, beginning with its prefigurement in the Old Testament and continuing through Christ inaugurating the heavenly kingdom on Earth.  The part I found the most compelling was the section on the relationship between Christ and the Church in paragraph 6:

Often the Church has also been called the building of God. The Lord Himself compared Himself to the stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the cornerstone. On this foundation the Church is built by the apostles, and from it the Church receives durability and consolidation. This edifice has many names to describe it: the house of God in which dwells His family; the household of God in the Spirit; the dwelling place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple. This Temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by the Holy Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. John contemplates this holy city coming down from heaven at the renewal of the world as a bride made ready and adorned for her husband. 

The Church, further, "that Jerusalem which is above" is also called "our mother". It is described as the spotless spouse of the spotless Lamb, whom Christ "loved and for whom He delivered Himself up that He might sanctify her", whom He unites to Himself by an unbreakable covenant, and whom He unceasingly "nourishes and cherishes", and whom, once purified, He willed to be cleansed and joined to Himself, subject to Him in love and fidelity, and whom, finally, He filled with heavenly gifts for all eternity, in order that we may know the love of God and of Christ for us, a love which surpasses all knowledge. The Church, while on earth it journeys in a foreign land away from the Lord, is like in exile. It seeks and experiences those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right-hand of God, where the life of the Church is hidden with Christ in God until it appears in glory with its Spouse.

The allusions to Holy Scripture in this passage are bountiful.  Of particular interest to me is the reference to Ephesians 5 (the subject of my marriage post in the upcoming Seven Sacraments series).

In paragraph 8, at the end of the section on the mystery of the Church, we find one of the more controversial passages in all of the Council documents:

This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth". This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity. 

The two highlighted phrases above gave rise to objections by traditionalists that Lumen Gentium changed the traditional thinking that the Church of Christ is the Catholic Church (the Latin reads subsistit in, not est) and that this passage seems to indicate that Protestant communities contain elements of sanctification and truth.  The latter, if it is to be interpreted as these traditionalists claim, would at least implicitly call into question the traditional Catholic teaching of extra ecclesiam nulla salus -- if "elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the bounds of the Church, could salvation not also be found there?

Due to the controversial nature of this passage, there have been several attempts to clarify what was meant by this text.  One such clarification came in Dominus Iesus, a 2000 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  This document was authored in large part by Cardinal Ratzinger, as Prefect of the Congregation, and Pope John Paul II gave it his seal of approval.  For our purposes, relevant passages can be found in paragraphs 16-17:

With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”, that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church. But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches. Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church. On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery, are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church. Baptism in fact tends per se toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church. This section is clear that whatever elements of truth are found outside the visible bounds of the Church are only present due to a sharing, albeit imperfectly, in the fullness of grace entrusted to the Catholic Church.  This passage was not abundantly clear on the subsistit in controversy, however, so the CDF issued further guidance in 2007 in the form of answers to specific questions regarding the Church's doctrine on the Church herself as expressed in Lumen Gentium. This brief document sets forth the Church's authoritative interpretation of the controversial passage from Lumen Gentium.  In response to the question "What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?", the CDF (with Pope Benedict XVI's authoritative approval) replied: Christ “established here on earth” only one Church and instituted it as a “visible and spiritual community”, that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted. “This one Church of Christ, which we confess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic […]. This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him”.  In number 8 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium ‘subsistence’ means this perduring, historical continuity and the permanence of all the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic Church, in which the Church of Christ is concretely found on this earth.  It is possible, according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm correctly that the Church of Christ is present and operative in the churches and ecclesial Communities not yet fully in communion with the Catholic Church, on account of the elements of sanctification and truth that are present in them. Nevertheless, the word “subsists” can only be attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely because it refers to the mark of unity that we profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe... in the “one” Church); and this “one” Church subsists in the Catholic Church. According to the CDF, the use of subsistit in instead of est "indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church" and was not intended to change the traditional doctrine.  That, as they say, is that. Tomorrow: the "People of God" and the Church's relationship to members of other faiths.