Why Vatican II
“His announcement was unexpected and surprising for almost all sectors of the Church which were dominated by the climate of the Cold War between the Soviet block and the Western bloc and satisfied with Catholicism unyielding in its certainties. The world seemed to have backed itself into a corner. But the pope had spoken about ‘times of renewal’. He believed, in fact, the Church was on the threshold of an historical juncture of extraordinary intensity.”A Brief History of Vatican II: Giuseppe Alberigo
‘Peace on Earth’: Encyclical Letter of Pope John XXIII – what does it say to the Church of today?
John XXIII writes of the ‘Essentials of the Common Good’ – how can it make an impact on our lives in the world today?
Am I at peace within myself?
“It was necessary to specify and distinguish between what belongs to the realm of sacred principles and the perennial gospel and what changes with the passage of time....and to discern amid such great darkness the many indications that give good cause for hope.”A Brief History of Vatican II: Giuseppe Alberigo
Discuss the importance Easter Proclamation ‘The Light of Christ’ for the Church of today?
What are the causes for hope in our world and church?
I am called to be a light for others, how does my life reflect that truth?
“But something new had been happening in Catholicism, something that had been underway for a long while. Because of it, many ideas were changing, though it would be a number of years before the emergence of bishops guided by ideas grounded in the Bible and Tradition, and by missionary and pastoral consciousness....and the very proclamation of the Council, withits ecumenical perspective, together with the more humane and Christian atmosphere of John XXIII’s pontificate, promised to accelerate the processof renewal.A Brief History of Vatican II: Giuseppe Alberigo
Has our understanding of the place of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church developed?
Is my vision of mission reflecting my call to holiness in Baptism?
How are ecumenical aspects of church teaching helping me to become accepting and tolerant?