Posts Tagged ‘Second Vatican Council’
Spiritual Growth in the Documents on Ecumenism from Vatican II
I am putting Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Unitatis Redintegratio and Nostra Aetate together to talk about ecumenism. Orientalium Ecclesiarum discusses the Eastern Churches who are in a state of schism with the Roman Catholic Church, but who have valid apostolic succession and valid sacraments. Unitatis Redintegratio is the main document on ecumenism, discussing our relationship with non-Catholic…
Read MoreSpiritual Growth and Evangelization in the Second Vatican Council
Spiritual growth includes becoming active in the mission of Christ and his Church. Evangelization is an important part of that mission. In fact, Jesus’ last command, “Go and preach the good news to all the earth” is called the “Great Commission.” In the documents Ad Gentes and Inter Marifica, the Second Vatican Council makes it…
Read MoreSpiritual growth in Dei Verbum from Vatican II
What is the Word of God? Dei Verbum, which means “Word of God” in English, is the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from the Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. It’s funny that most American Catholics are so used to hearing our Protestant brothers and sisters calling the Bible “the Word” that they immediately assume Dei Verbum…
Read MoreSpiritual Growth in Lumen Gentium from Vatican II
Lumen Gentium is the Sacred Constitution on the Church. Pope Paul VI wrote the encycilcal Ecclesiam Suam (Pathways of the Church),. In that document, he tells us that Lumen Gentium is an examination of conscience for the Church. It asks the question, “Church, what do you say of yourself?” It uses Sacred Scripture and Sacred…
Read MoreA Quick Tour of the Documents of Vatican II
Most Catholics have never read the documents from the Second Vatican Council and don’t really know what the Council teaches. Instead they assume they know what the Second Vatican Council taught based on the changes that happened in the Church after the Council. Unfortunately, this means that the actual teachings of the Council have yet…
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