Dominique WaymelInstitut Catholique de Paris, Dogmatic Theology

Introduction

1. The spiritual attitude of the Conciliar event

2. Ressourcement: a living appeal to Tradition

3. What inspiration for today?

Conclusion

The life of the Church is an essential theological locus, from within which it may be seen that the last Council has received widespread acceptance. In fact, without wishing to deny that there has been some opposition,1) it is noticeable that it has profoundly altered albeit in a manner differentiated by

1) Cf. L. Villemin, “ Résistance au concile Vatican II : diagnostic et analyse théologique ” in Vatican II, le commencement d’un commencement, ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, (Paris, 2013), 93-106.

geographical, social, cultural, and ecclesial situations the life of the Church and of Christians. Indeed, Pope Francis considers that Vatican II marked the beginning for the Church of ‘a new stage of her history’2) and maintains that ‘The Church feels a great need to keep this event alive.’3) Thus, fifty years after the closing of the Council, the Pope still considers it to be a common reference point which must remain as a “compass”4) for the life of the Church in a rapidly changing world.

But when we talk about Vatican II as a major reference point, what are we talking about? Inevitably, we think of the substantial volume of texts which were approved and promulgated. But what must continue to affect the life of the Church are not only the written texts but also the dynamics which pervaded the whole work of the Council. This, therefore, is the ‘work of Tradition’ which was undertaken by the Council and which must remain alive. This task was assigned to it by John XXIII: aggiornamento consists in setting forth the ‘immutable faith’ in such a way that the men and women of our time may receive it.5) This is indispensable in order for the faith to be living and missionary. We may note in addition that ‘practically all the important questions of the Catholic faith were thus reworked by the Council: from Trinitarian revelation to human conscience, from the liturgy to contemporary Christian action, from the notion of a Church as a communion to relations with non-Christian religions and with the unbelievers in our own time.’6)

2) Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 4.3) Ibid.4) Cf. P. Delanoy, “ Vatican II: une boussole pour vivre et annoncer l’Evangile au sein de la

diversité culturelle et religieuse d’un diocèse ” in Vatican II, le commencement d’un commencement, ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, (Paris, 2013), 107-112.

5) Cf. John XXIII, “Opening Remarks of Vatican II”, in AAS 54(1962), 786-795. 6) C. Théobald, “ Le concile Vatican II et la tradition de l’Eglise” in Du bon usage de la Tradition,

ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, (Paris, 2011), 68.

That said, how was this ‘work of Tradition’ able to function? J. Ratzinger affirms that the Council is ‘the fruit of a lengthy period of labour – or, to put it better: of a process of spiritual renewal reaching well back into the past, in which the believer is easily able to recognise the intervention of the Holy Spirit […] There is also a vast theological labour.7) The Second Vatican Council in effect took up the sum of the achievements of the biblical, patristic, pastoral, and liturgical movements. It caught hold of the buried treasures of tradition which had been rediscovered in the twentieth century.

When wishing to undertake a study of the Council that will allow us to face both the present and the future with hope, it seems to me to be particularly important to come back to its theological and spiritual position, the two being intimately linked with each other. Why? Because these are key positions for the Church – and each Christian – to be able to be faithful in the present day in fulfilling the mission which the Lord entrusts to her in the world, but faithful also to the future towards which she is moving. The history of people who turn towards God can never be a static history.

Thus I intend first to underline certain facets of the spiritual attitude which pervaded the Conciliar dynamic. It appears to me that keeping the Council alive presupposes that one places oneself within the spiritual attitude which allows a right relationship with and a right understanding of its tradition, in order to continue to ‘do the work of tradition’ in each time and place.

In the second section I will return to the notion of tradition and examine the theological movement which presided over this work of ressourcement from which Vatican II benefitted. As we have said, the Conciliar documents are the fruit of a vast theological work, which is the end point of the work of ressourcement, seizing upon Tradition in a living way. The memory of the

7) J. Ratzinger, “Einleitung zur Lumen gentium”, in Dogmatische Konstituion über die Kirche, (Münster, 1965), 7-10.

dynamic of this task must remain an inspiration and an appeal not just for the present, but for the future too.

Finally, in the third part, I will present some perspectives which this reflection uncovers for today.

Various elements characterise this spiritual attitude: first of all the opening to the unknown. This was possible thanks to a new consciousness of history which necessitates creativity, which will be my second point. Finally, I will address the role of dialogue.

Everyone is in agreement that the convocation of the Council was a daring act and a risk. Have not the interior freedom and the faith of John XXIII, which were needed for him to launch both himself and the Church into this adventure, already been widely highlighted? It was an extraordinary of act of faith and trust in the Lord who by his Spirit guides the Church. To present an essay on the Council is also to place oneself face to face with the engagement which it requires from the Church and from each Christian. It calls for a reiteration of the act of faith and of the call ‘to open ourselves to this future which is widely unknown.’8) One must dare to take risks, neither doubting nor underestimating the means and resources which are given to us to be able to move forward into the future. Christianity, from the very beginning, has always included an unknown element which it has always welcomed and which has allowed it to progress: ‘it was a similar consent

8) Frère Emile, “ Pour une Eglise fidèle à l’avenir”, in Vatican II, le commencement d’un commencement, ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, (Paris, 2013), 120.

which was asked of Peter when the people came looking for him to bring him to Cornelius and the outcome was what he could not have imagined: the Spirit was given to pagans. So then he understood that the Church was to be spread amongst the whole of humanity and that she would be truly ‘catholic’.9) Thus, C. Géffré highlights: ‘The modalities of Christianity or even its historical form are unforeseeable. We do not know in advance what the Holy Spirit may kindle, whilst being sure that it will not be arbitrary forms but something which will only manifest and make real the potentialities contained in this past which has been definitively gained.’10)

J. Ratzinger - as a theologian – and later Benedict XVI, reminded us that we must not set any of the historical forms of the Church in stone as though they had an absolute value, but on the contrary, her nature and mission require that she be a community continually in renewal. He states numerous times in his writings that renewal is a fundamental ecclesiological principle. The Church needs ceaselessly to renew herself in her members and structures and must allow herself to be shaken up by the Lord who renews her ceaselessly so that she may remain an ‘instrument of God’s good deeds in the world.’11)

This welcome of the unknown and of the renewal which is necessary for service to the mission is rooted in the recognition of the profound changes which are taking place in the world. This was underlined by the Constitution Gaudium et Spes: ‘Today, the human race is involved in a new stage of history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by degrees around the whole world.’12) Thus, as J. O’Malley S.J. affirms in his article, “Reform,

9) Frère Emile, “ Pour une Eglise fidèle à l’avenir”, 119.10) C. Géffré, Profession de théologien, (Paris: Albin Michel), 251.11). J. Ratzinger., “La culpabilité de l’Église. Présentation du document de la commission théologique

internationale: Mémoire et réconciliation”, in Faire route avec Dieu, (cité n. 20), 266. 12) The Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 4.

Historical Consciousness and Vatican II’s Aggiornamento”13), the daring of Vatican II is a fruit of this consciousness of history.

J. O’Malley considers that taking history seriously this historical awareness makes one aware of one’s responsibility towards the future and of the freedom which not only permits creativity but demands it in the name of a greater fidelity to the mystery of faith.

This historical awareness, which several Jesuit theologians have particularly highlighted14), was already present before the Council amongst theologians who would play a key role there. Thus H. de Lubac wrote in his programmatic book Catholicism: ‘The house which we in our turn have to build, which is now our responsibility – for, on these eternal foundations, the Church is a constant building site – has, since [the time of the Fathers], changed style several times, and without making ourselves out to be superior to our Fathers, we must construct it according to our own proper style, that is to say the style which answers to our needs, our problems.’15) In one of his other works, Paradoxes,16) he condemns those who ‘because they are of no time, believe they are in eternity.’ Vatican II shows the way to distinguish between eternity and intemporality.17)

Therefore the deepening of the Church’s identity made it possible to discover that she does not only exist in and through history, but that history

13) J. O’Malley, “ Reform, Historical Consciousness and Vatican II’s Aggiornamento”, Theological Studies, 32(1971), 573-601.

14) Cf. Y. Congar, M-D. Chenu, H. de Lubac.15) H. de Lubac, Catholicisme, Œuvres Complètes, VII, (Paris: Cerf, 2003), 278-279.16) H. de Lubac, Paradoxes, Œuvres Complètes, XXXI, (Paris: Cerf, 2003), 23.17) E. Mounier, “Petite peur du XXème siècle”, in Œuvres complètes, t.3, (Paris: Seuil, 396), “Ceux

qui confondaient éternité et intemporalité, et qui finalement, pour refuser d’actualiser l’éternel, éternisaient le provisoire.”

affects her ‘in a way which does not destroy the identity, the conservation, the very transmission of what is conserved.’18) On the eve of the Council, Y. Congar highlighted in an article that ‘human history is the quarry from which the apostolic ministry must take its stones to build God’s temple.’19)

John XXIII introduced a relationship to the world which was a real turning point comparable, according to K. Rahner, to two other moments in the history of the Church: the first we have already mentioned: the decision to approach the pagans in the Acts of the Apostles, and the second: “the courage of the Fathers in appropriating the terminology of Greek civilisation to preach Christianity.” 20) Calling for discernment and interpretation of the signs of the times, the Pope, with a watchful attitude, appealed for people to “distinguish, in the midst of this cloud of darkness, numerous signs which announce a better time for the Church and the human race.”21) Thus, rejecting the prophets of doom, he affirmed that history is the “mistress of life”22). This outlook on reality is the fruit of his trust in the presence of Christ which allows him to discern that ‘humanity is at the turning point of a new era.’ The discernment of the signs of the times and the courage to dare to take risks through fidelity to the mission received, are positions on ecclesial and theological life, awakened in us by John XXIII and the Council, which are now essential.

But we must not forget that the Council also teaches us ‘this collegial way of discerning the signs of the times, under the unique authority of the Word

18) Y. Congar, La Tradition et la vie de l’Eglise, (Paris: Cerf, 1963), 86.19) Y. Congar, “Comment l’Eglise doit se renouveler sans cesse”, Irenikon, 1961, 341.20) Frère Emile, “Pour une Eglise fidèle à l’avenir”, 127.21) Jean XXIII, Discours d’ouverture du Concile le 11 octobre 1962. 22) Ibid.

of God.’23) The unfolding of the Council showed how much time it takes to convert oneself to truly listen to the Word of God but also to listen to what people of this age observers and others have to say to the Church. ‘It is this process of apprenticeship and conversion, taking place simultaneously on the individual and collective level, which the Council passes on to us, above even leaving us texts; a Conciliar process which is most apt for the unknown, sometimes troubling, situation which is ours today.’24)

The spiritual approach, and by extension the theological one, which presided over the work of the Council defined itself by a willingness to be moved by the Lord, he who enkindles any new thing. It defined itself too by taking the historical context seriously as a locus of Revelation, taking seriously the presence of God, who asks us to act according to principles which are not those of the world.

Thus Vatican II must stand as a compass to theologians, offering an approach towards tackling new questions, in the service of the Church’s mission, in an open and free dialogue. And if the Council was able both to take hold of new questions and to pass fresh eyes over old ones, it is thanks to the return to the classical sources of Christianity and theology. Biblical and patristic studies played a key role in ecclesiastical renewal.

This work of ressourcement took place through a living appeal to Tradition. But what does this phrase, ‘a living appeal to Tradition’ actually mean?

23) C. Théobald, “La concile Vatican II face à l’inconnu. L’aventure d’un discernement collégial des signes des temps”, Etudes, 417(2012, 10), 354.

24) Ibid.

When one hears the word tradition, one often thinks of what is transmitted; the content of the faith, and if one speaks of traditions in the plural it then refers to the totality of practices, customs, and laws which make up our Christian heritage. This is a true, but incomplete, understanding of the term. Tradition, in fact, is not limited to what is transmitted, but is first and foremost the act of donation: the Greek word paradosis, which was translated into Latin as Traditio, comes from the verb paradidonai, meaning to hand over or give. Over and above the content of what is handed on, ‘the Fathers of the early centuries were aware of the Church as a whole being caught up in the movement of “donation” which originates in God himself. The Church is not satisfied with communicating a teaching and a way of being, she herself lives by the gift of God in Jesus Christ, and it is this life which she has received that she must, in her turn, pass on at all times and in all places.’25) Therefore the whole Church is Tradition, in and through the Holy Spirit ‘who enables her not only to preserve the faith received from the Apostles, but, in this very fidelity, also to create the ways in which Christ can truly be welcomed in the present period of history.’26)

Thus we can come to understand that innovation is not excluded by Tradition but, on the contrary, is based on it, whenever the Gospel demands it. Thus ‘the sense of tradition is shown in fact in its very ability, from what is already given, to open up to new fields for this intelligence of faith.’27) This is clear in the Fathers. Tradition is not a repetition of what was taught by the Apostles, it calls for intelligence to work under the guidance of the Spirit so that what has been handed on by the Apostles may be better understood.

25) M. Fédou, “Tradition et vie ecclésiale : le témoignage des premières communautés chrétiennes” in Du bon usage de la Tradition, ed., Facultés Jésuites de Paris, (Paris, 2011), 53.

26) Ibid.27) Ibid., 61.

These clarifications on the nature of Tradition allow for an understanding that tradition is a living thing which may only be drawn on in a living way. This is indeed the approach which the Council left us so that any form of ressourcement must always be a return to a source of life, for which a real work of the intelligence is absolutely necessary so that an ecclesial discernment may operate and the spiritual path for today may be discovered.

It was within this mindset that the patristic ressourcement which was so rich in ecclesiology operated.

H. U. von Balthasar, who contributed much towards this patristic renewal, gives the context for how to envisage this work of returning to the sources so that it will be truly rich for theology:

What must the theologian do? His first movement will be to turn once more to the past; this return will be beneficial, on one condition: he must understand that history, far from excusing us from creative effort, imposes it on us. [ ] Being faithful to Tradition is therefore not at all a matter of repeating and passing on philosophical or theological theses literally, imagining them to be free from time an historical contingencies. It is rather a matter of imitating our Fathers in faith in their attitude of intimate reflection and daring creative effort, which are necessary preludes to true spiritual fidelity.28)

Therefore it is not a question of seeing the Fathers as witnesses to a certain stage of dogmatic development. In other words, it is a necessary step towards successive developments. But, as the theologians who marked the preconciliar period and the Council did among them H. de Lubac, H. Rahner, J. Daniélou, H. U. von Balthasar, L. Bouyer, it is right to search for the fundamental intuitions within the Fathers which directed their thought. In any

28) H. U. von Balthasar, Présence et Pensée. Essai sur la philosophie religieuse de Grégoire de Nysse, (Paris: Beauchesne et Fils, 1942), X-XII.

case this would not be in order to search for ‘ready-made’ solutions to today’s spiritual problems. The goal is to be more united with the mystery of the Church which travels across history in order to discover, at her feet, what the required action for the present moment is.

Thus patristic ressourcement showed the birth and growth of a Church, at the heart of which some catechumenal and liturgical practices might be seen, but also certain ecclesial forms which may be a source of inspiration for answering the needs of the Church today. The Church which the Fathers present is a Church in dialogue on various and diverse fronts29). The study of the Fathers does not provide us with readymade responses but helps us to reflect on this particular model of diversity, which is not opposed to unity but which is rather, in the words of Y. Congar: ‘the interior value of unity.’30)

Studying, for example, how Justin or Origen gave an intelligent account of their faith, in the midst of a mostly Pagan world, it is noticeable that they did not simply abandon the cultural and religious traditions of the Greek or Roman world. However, between them there were differences of opinion as to the best way of practising and thinking about the relationship between Christianity and other cultures.31)

The Council did not want to restrict itself to the forms of the Church of the Fathers. That attitude would have been a source of sterility for today’s Church. A living continuity must be put in place and it is necessary to avoid

29) Cf. M. Fédou, L’Eglise des Pères. Initiation à la théologie patristique, (Paris: Médiasèvres, 2007).30) Y. Congar, Diversité et communion. Dossier historique et conclusion théologique, (Paris: Cerf,

1982), 64.31) Cf. M. Fédou, L’Eglise des Pères. Initiation à la théologie patristique, (Paris: Médiasèvres, 2007), 21. Certain Fathers tried to go as far as possible in welcoming the cultural heritage received from

the ancient world, in particular Clement of Alexandria; others, on the other hand, highlighted above all the radical novelty of the Christian faith (Tertullian for example). Of course these are merely tendencies and one must be careful not to enshrine and harden these differences; but this diversity of approach is real nevertheless. Cf. Jean Daniélou, Message évangélique et culture hellénistique aux IIe et IIIe siècles, (Paris: DDB, 1961).

two pitfalls in navigating an understanding of Tradition: the degeneration model32) and the evolution model.33)

Thus referring to the Fathers and their antiquity not only does not exclude, but rather promotes, the growth of new faces of Christianity, whether they be in Europe, America, Africa, or Asia.34) The Fathers are role models, by their Spirit-led dynamism which filled their theological and pastoral activities; it is in this that they are models to be followed. It is essential for the Church to remain driven by the same Spirit who suggested the answers of faith to the Fathers in their controversies. The Church, prompted by the Spirit, must seize what the Fathers can still say to her and the way in which they can contribute to building her up today. This theological gesture is the one used by the Council; it explains its fecundity. However, fifty years after its close, it is still necessary that these principles laid out be actualized. The pneumatological principle continues to give life to the Church in any era, this

32) Cf. J. Ratzinger, Das Problem der Dogmengeschichte in der Sicht der katholischen Theologie, (Köln - Opladen, 1966). This theory is that of archaism, which we have mentioned already, believing that the oldest is the most original.

33) This theory absolutises the latest form and perceives an organic development in the history of the faith. In this perspective, renewal through a return to the original biblical and patristic sources does not make any sense.

34) Cf. M. Fédou, L’Eglise des Pères. Initiation à la théologie patristique, (Paris: Médiasèvres, 2007), 162-179; Y. Congar, La Tradition et les traditions, II. Essai théologique, (Paris: Arthème Fayard, 1963), 197-198: “[ ] il se pourrait [...] Qu’une préférence systématique pour les Pères procédât d’un anti-intellectualisme douteux. Il se pourrait aussi qu’il procédât, dans le catholicisme d’aujourd’hui, d’un manque de confiance dans ses propres forces: il cherchait alors un appui dans les siècles passés, d’une vitalité plus grande et plus naïve; Il se pourrait enfin qu’elle procédât d’une idée toute historisante et documentaire, statique et académique, de la Tradition, allant de pair avec une insuffisante considération de l’Eglise vivante [ ] On risquerait ainsi de blesser gravement le caractère missionnaire de l’Eglise, c'est-à-dire la mission qu’elle a reçue, avec la grâce correspondante, de rendre l’Evangile coextensif et présent à toute l’histoire humaine. Le travail qu’ont accompli les Pères, d’exprimer et d’expliquer l’Evangile dans le logos de la culture antique, est à faire aujourd’hui et sera à faire demain, à l’égard d’autres mondes humains. A cet égard, les Pères ont eu un rôle historiquement conditionné et défini, qui ne doit pas stériliser ou interdire, mais au contraire inspirer et stimuler d’autres rôles historiques analogues. Pour les remplir l’Eglise de tous les temps et de chaque siècle demeure aussi pleine de sève et de promesse que l’Eglise des IVè et Vè siècle.”

is the reason why it is possible to ‘use’ each period and go beyond it. The Church’s memory must lead to the possibility of accepting the greatness and the limits of each epoch.

The Church develops like a body: she lives, grows, renews herself.35) The idea of development ‘is part of the fundamental, decisive, concepts of Catholicism, which are still far from having been sufficiently studied.’36) The Second Vatican Council has the credit for having solemnly formulated that for the first time in a Magisterial document.

Thanks to the biblical and patristic ressourcement, the Council thus brought back into the light different matters: the sacramental and mysterious dimension of the Church, the central role of the Eucharist in understanding the mystery of the Church, but also the local Church in catholicity, episcopal collegiality, the importance of synodality and of communion in the life of the Church. This Council, in fact, rightly perceived that the Holy Spirit does not provide a ready-made answers. The Holy Spirit asks us, on the contrary, to discover the new way of being Church in order to answer to the apostolic mission which is entrusted to her in this time and this place.

After the scholastic syntheses, rediscovering the Fathers gave the opportunity to discover a teaching whose base was to present Revelation not

35) J. Ratzinger, “L’ecclésiologie du Concile Vatican II”, 16-17: “Quiconque veut s’en tenir au sens littéral de l’Écriture et aux formes de l’Église des Pères exilera le Christ dans l’ ‘hier’. La conséquence en sera une foi complètement stérile, qui n’a rien à dire à l’ ‘aujourd'hui’, ou bien une puissance arbitraire qui fait l’impasse sur deux mille ans d’Histoire en les jetant dans la poubelle aux erreurs, et prétend décréter comment devrait être le Christianisme d’après l’Écriture et d’après Jésus. Le résultat ne saurait être qu’un produit artificiel de notre propre agir, sans aucune consistance propre. Il n’existe d’identité réelle avec l’origine que lorsque se donne en même temps cette continuité vivante qui développe l’origine et, de la sorte, justement, la sauvegarde.”

36) J. Ratzinger, “L’ecclésiologie du Concile Vatican II”, 16-17.

as a doctrine37) but as a story, the progressive economy by which God takes humanity and makes it capable of welcoming the incarnate Word.38)

So the ‘return to the sources’ through studying the Fathers, undertaken by Fathers Urs von Balthasar, Lubac, and Daniélou, greatly contributed to the conciliar renewal of Vatican II. It allowed for a reaction on one side against theology taken from the manuals - which often clung on obstinately to scholastic authors – but equally against the abuses of historical reasoning which sometimes screened off the actual testimony of the Fathers of the Church. Thus themes and emphases which had, for a time, been completely absent from theological language, were rediscovered.

The Council wanted a renewal which consisted of going from a conservative attitude towards an attitude which was not progressive but missionary. In other words, it invites us to take up the mantle of tradition and to be creative; this presupposes a discernment of the signs of the times.

37) The broad spread of neo-thomist theological syntheses kept this rediscovery of history in the background and promoted an understanding of the faith as an atemporal doctrine and truth. Historico-biblical research, like the rediscovery of the historical perspective in the Fathers’ thinking, contributed towards theology fostering a taking in hand – with a greater consciousness and objectivity – of the theme of history, to the point of rethinking its role in theological reflection. To observe the change which took place, one need only compare two constitutions: on the one hand Dei Filius (cf. DZ 3000, 3019, 3020) from 1870 from Vatican I in which Revelation is spoken of in terms of a ‘doctrine’ which must be preserved from errors and transmitted intact, and on the other hand the constitution Dei Verbum promulgated in 1965, which talks about ‘the economy of Revelation’ (DV 2) and ‘the history of salvation’ (DV 2).

38) R. Aubert, La théologie catholique au milieu du XXe siècle, coll. Cahiers de l’actualité religieuse, (Casterman, Tournai-Paris, 1954), 38-39.

This is indeed what Gaudium et Spes 11 tells us: ‘The People of God believes that it is led by the Lord's Spirit, Who fills the earth. Motivated by this faith, it labours to decipher authentic signs of God's presence and purpose in the happenings, needs and desires in which this People has a part along with other men of our age. For faith throws a new light on everything, manifests God's design for man's total vocation, and thus directs the mind to solutions which are fully human.’

Thus the Council highlights that the duty of undertaking a proper discernment when faced with new and unforeseen events belongs to the whole people of God and not merely to ordained ministers. This discernment must be carried out in a collegial way and by listening to the Word, to that which is truly human in society39) but also to the living tradition of the Church. Vigilance is therefore necessary, as C. Théobald highlights: ‘listening to the complex and discordant voice of “tradition” in the ecumenical sense of the

term – the “voice” of those who went before us and who risk being heard so loudly that we no longer hear the Word which God speaks to people today.’40) Therefore, we must undertake, as the Fathers of the Council did, a ressourcement into the living tradition, which helps us to envisage the present in a creative way, answering the challenges which arise as our fathers in the faith did. This is indeed the dynamic in which Pope Francis places himself, by refusing a centralised and unique voice, to answer the challenges with which the Catholic Church is faced. Taking up the words of Paul VI, he states in his exhortation Evangelii Gaudium:

39) The Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et spes, 1.40) C. Théobald, “La concile Vatican II face à l’inconnu. L’aventure d’un discernement collégial

des signes des temps”, 358.

In the face of such widely varying situations, it is difficult for us to utter a unified message and to put forward a solution which has universal validity. This is not our ambition, nor is it our mission. It is up to the Christian communities to analyse with objectivity the situation which is proper to their own country.41)

Events will give rise to needs, requests, which much be addressed with creativity and daring at this moment in history. Thus, the ecclesial and social locus is a ‘theological locus’, essential for theological reflection, and the unfolding of the Church’s mission.42)

‘Seeing, judging, acting’, such is the method which Aparecida wanted to adopt following the perspective opened up by the Council43) and the one which must inspire every local Church44). Each member must feel involved. For this, a faith-filled reading of reality is needed, that is to say a scrutiny of the signs of the times in the light of the Holy Spirit in order to place oneself at the service of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus Christ so that all may have life in abundance (Jn 10,10).45)

Discernment presupposes an attitude of permanent pastoral conversion as a personal readiness to listen attentively to what the Lord tells us.46) The idea of the people of God, brought to light by the Council, shows that the Church lives across time so that each generation must take its place whilst also

41) Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 184.42) Cf. M. Cano, who lists ten ‘spaces’, but does not put them all on the same level. Scripture and

Tradition are fundamental and between them make up a starting point. Among the eight others, the life of the Church, its Magesterium, theology, philosophical thought, and human history, are included. (Müller, Pauvre pour les pauvres, 133)

43) The Second Vatican Council, GS 4: ‘interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, [the Church] can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other.’

44) Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 30.45) Cf. Aparecida Document, 33.46) Cf. Aparecida Document, 366.

accepting the great continuity of all the human beings who have made up the Church and familiarising oneself with it.47) The Church can only live in this world if every generation gives her its flesh and blood, its life in all its breadth.48)

This cannot be enacted without an apprenticeship in dialogue.

To enter into this apprenticeship for dialogue, let us listen once more to the voice of Y. Congar, who did not hold back from stating that there is no dialogue if one is not ready ‘to change something in one’s own thought as a result of what the other says.’49) Acceptance of dialogue, which entails acceptance of otherness, is often the sign of an authentic spiritual dimension to one’s character: ‘Sometimes, true spiritual depth is found in the soul of the one who is ignorant of the truth, but searching for it, whilst a superficial spirituality, the lack of a serious commitment, is in the one who strides forward armed with a ready-made orthodoxy, for whom all errors are already known and repudiated, the whole truth known and formulated.’50)

It is certain that our era, marked by so many upheavals, is asked to live this ‘open and opening fidelity’51) which characterises the Council, knowing, in Rilke’s words, how to ‘live the questions.’ Y. Congar, that great theologian of the Council, was able to seize this invitation and, despite his advanced age at the time, stated that:

47) Cf. J. Ratzinger, Le sel de la terre, 185.48) Cf. J. Ratzinger, “Einleitung zur LG”, 11.49) Jean Puyo interroge le Père Congar, (Paris: Centurion, 1975), 41.50) Y. Congar, Chrétiens en dialogue, (Paris: Cerf, 1964), 127.51) G. Martelet, N’oublions pas Vatican II, (Paris: Cerf, 2012), 13.

I reproach myself sometimes for not living52) the questions enough, for cutting them off with answers too quickly. Under these conditions, they might be nothing but answers to yesterday’s questions or those from the day before yesterday, but perhaps not to those of today or tomorrow.

Let us not be afraid of these new questions, for even if they may cause a sensation of dizziness within us, they may also be an opportunity for us to discover the unfathomable mystery of Christ and his salvation offered to all and present in the very heart of human history. 53)

Dialogue with others, both Christians and non-Christians, must be undertaken in an asceticism of mind in order for it to be truly fruitful. It implies a welcome of the other in his or her otherness and a willingness to discover the other in truth. ‘The incarnation of Jesus, his coming amongst men, is an event which manifests this Trinitarian God, a God who is continually in search of relationship and communication.’54) Christ invites us after him to enter into a true relationship and a true dialogue with those whom we encounter on our path. Thus dialogue entails a real change of attitudes: this is shown in the style of the Vatican II texts which do not want to impose, but offer and suggest and lay out in order to awaken a freely given commitment to Him who is proclaimed.55)

52) Jean Puyo interroge le Père Congar, (Paris: Centurion, 1975), 238.53) Cf. Frère Emile, “ Pour une Eglise fidèle à l’avenir”, 132. 54) Agnès Kim, “Nostra Aetate, vers une nouvelle compréhension du dialogue interreligieux”, in

Vatican II, le commencement d’un commencement, ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, (Paris, 2013), 89.55) O’Malley, “Did anything Happen?”, Theological Studies, 67(2006, 1), 3-33: “I will summarize in

a simple litany some of the elements in the change in style of the Church indicated by the council’s vocabulary : from commands to invitations, from law to ideals, from threats to persuasion, from coercion to conscience, from monologue to conversation, from ruling to serving, from withdrawn to integrated, from vertical and top-down to horizontal, from exclusion to inclusion, from hostility to friendship, from static to changing, from passive acceptance to active engagement, from prescriptive to principled, from defined to open-ended, from behavior-modification to conversion of heart, from the dictates of law to the dictates of consciences, from external conformity to the joyful pursuit of holiness.”

The christifideles should give witness to and proclaim reconciliation with God and the universal fraternal communion towards which we are moving. At the time of the Council, Cardinal König stated, ‘Christianity must reveal itself to be a source of unity and reconciliation.’56) The Council opened the Church to non-western cultures but also to non-Catholic Christians, to non-Christian believers, and, in its final document, to the whole of humanity.

The Church is therefore commissioned to build a culture of peace. This is worked out through the witness of fraternal Christian communities.

Vatican II reminds us that in each of these communities, however small and poor they may be, and however widely scattered,57) Christ is present. It is in the heart of these communities that a daily creativity in the way of living and being in the world needs to be unfolded. It falls to the priest and laity together to discern the signs of the times in order to find the path which dialogue with the world must take.

Each community, each Christian group, must be responsible for their own actions. The Church’s mission of reconciliation is being conceived from the Eucharistic community of the local Church. The principal of subsidiarity should be implemented at each level of the Church. The vision of the Church presenting itself as an imposing, international, uniform institution should be broken down. The Council’s vision was of small communities which were truly rooted in a particular place and history and yet fully Catholic and thus were sent out as missionaries to all the members of the one human family.

56) Cardinal F. König, Documents conciliaires, t. II. (Paris: Centurion, 1965), 201; cf J. O’Malley, “Vatican II ou la réconciliation de l’Eglise avec le Monde”, Etudes, 417(2012, 9), 211-222.

57) The Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 26.

For this living and missionary transmission, the Church reintroduced the sensus fidei with which the totality of the faithful is gifted.58) It is absolutely necessary, as we have just said, for each Christian to realise the responsibility placed upon them through their baptism and to cooperate in the discernment of the signs of the times. The Church, and each one of its members, is responsible for announcing the Good News to the whole earth through a living and diverse proclamation. This must be done in a spirit of dialogue and respect for the identities of local human communities. The service which the Church must give is not that of transmitting a static truth but a word of life and salvation, a person who meets their fellow travellers in their holy history.

As Pope Francis highlights, ‘Being Church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of humanity.’59) The Church has been chosen by God to witness before the crowds to a way of salvation, to announce the desire for communion of a Father God who loves each one of his creatures. The Church must be a sign and an instrument of the eschatological reconciliation towards which we are moving.

Today, even more that at the time of the Council, the Church must contribute to a human environment which is rich in technological advances, but ever poorer in meaning, in connections, and in trust.60) By following the sense of direction provided by John XXIII, the Council ignored the voices of

58) Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 119.59) Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 114.60) Cf. G. Müller, Pauvre pour les pauvres, (Paris: Parole et Silence, 2015), 103-122.

the prophets of doom. He expressed his desire to be a partner for this searching world when he declared, ‘The Church believes she can contribute greatly toward making the family of man and its history more human.’61) As Cardinal Müller points out, ‘The Council provides a model of conduct from which one may draw inspiration: a personal and communal conduct, profoundly evangelical, which has lost nothing of its freshness, but which remains open and a source of inspiration. We find ourselves faced with a spirituality, a “lifestyle”, a road which deserves to be travelled.’62)

Thus the Conciliar event, by its style, its intuitions, its pastoral orientation, remains an essential point of reference. But let us not deceive ourselves: the pastoral aim of the Council was not to elaborate pastoral recommendations but to undertake the ‘work of Tradition’. Today the task is to take inspiration from the boldness of the Conciliar event and to continue in our turn to undertake the work of tradition in order to stay faithful to the mission which the Lord entrusts to the Church.

We could speak of a spirituality of exodus: decentered from the self, centered on Christ and listening to the Holy Spirit, Christians and the entire Church are journeying through history whilst purifying and renewing themselves in order to be more ready for the innovation of the Holy Spirit and the surprises which God brings. This is indeed what Pope Francis asks of the Church today as he launches an urgent call for action for all the baptised to engage in a process of discernment with a view to a “pastoral and missionary conversion”63) of the Church. The ontological permanence of the Church includes its constant renewal until the end of time in order both to be present to modern people and to make herself known as she is, based in the event of divine Revelation: she is at one and the same time Mundus

61) The Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, 40.62) G. Müller, Pauvres pour les pauvres, (Paris: Parole et Silence, 2014), 184-185.63) Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 30.

reconciliatus et mundus reconcilians mundum64) she is the place of the reconciliation which has already been achieved in God but which is also offered to all those who have not yet been reconciled.

The foreword to the constitution Dei Verbum is a call to faith, hope, and charity, and is therefore set forth as a charter of the Council as the very heart of the Conciliar process.65)

64) Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Paterna cum benevolentia, 8th December 1974.65) The Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum, 1: “Therefore, following in the footsteps of the

[previous] Council[s] […] so that by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love.”

The Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum, Constitution dogmatique sur la Révélation divine, 18 Nov. 1965.

, Lumen Gentium, Constitution dogmatique sur l’Église, 21 Nov. 1964. , Gaudium et spes, Constitution pastorale sur l’Église dans le monde de ce

temps, 7 Dec. 1965.Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 24 November 2013.Francis, Bull of indication of the extraordinary Jubilée of mercy Misericordiae Vultus,

11 April 2015.

John XXIII, Opening Remarks of Vatican II, 11 October 1962, AAS 54(1962), 786-795.

Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Paterna cum benevolentia, 8 December 1974.Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, Aparecida

Document, 29 June 2007.

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Balthasar, H. U. Von, Présence et Pensée. Essai sur la philosophie religieuse de Grégoire de Nysse, Beauchesne et Fils: Paris, 1942.

Congar, Y., “Comment l’Eglise doit se renouveler sans cesse”, Irenikon, 196. , La Tradition et les traditions, II. Essai théologique, Paris: Cerf, 19631, 2010. , Chrétiens en dialogue, Paris: Cerf, 1964. , Diversité et communion. Dossier historique et conclusion théologique, Paris:

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Fédou, M., “Tradition et vie ecclésiale : le témoignage des premières communautés chrétiennes” in Du bon usage de la Tradition, ed., Facultés Jésuites de Paris, Paris, 2011.

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Frère de Taizé., Emile, “ Pour une Eglise fidèle à l’avenir”, in Vatican II, le commencement d’un commencement, ed., Faculté Jésuite de Paris, Paris, 2013.

Géffré, C., Profession de théologien, Paris: Albin Michel, 1999.Jean Puyo interroge le Père Congar, Paris: Centurion, 1975.Kasper, W., L’Eglise catholique, Son être sa réalisation, sa mission, Paris: Cerf, coll,

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König (card.), F., Documents conciliaires, t. II, Paris: Centurion, 1965.Lubac, H. de, Catholicisme, Œuvres Complètes, VII, Paris: Cerf, 2003. , Paradoxes, Œuvres Complètes, XXXI, Paris: Cerf, 2003.Martelet, G., N’oublions pas Vatican II, Paris: Cerf, 2012.Mounier, E., “Petite peur du XXème siècle”, in Œuvres complètes, t.3, Paris: Seuil,

1959.Müller, G., Pauvre pour les pauvres, Paris: Parole et Silence, 2015.O’Malley, J., “Reform, Historical Consciousness and Vatican II’s Aggiornamento”

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Vatican II and Ecclesiology: Ressourcement as Living Appeal to Tradition

When wishing to undertake a study of the Second Vatican Council that will allow us to face both the present and the future with hope, it seems particularly important to come back to its theological and spiritual positions, the two being intimately linked with one another. These are key positions for the Church and each Christian to be able to be faithful in the present day in fulfilling the mission which the Lord entrusts to her in the world, but faithful also to the future towards which she is moving. The history of people who turn towards God can never be a static history.

Keeping the Council alive presupposes that one places oneself within the spiritual attitude which allows a right relationship with and a right understanding of its tradition, in order to continue to ‘do the work of tradition’ in each time and place. The spiritual and theological attitude of the Council was characterized by several elements: an openness to the unknown which was possible thanks to a new awareness of history which necessitated creativity and dialogue.

If the Council was able both to take hold of new questions and to pass fresh eyes over old ones, it is thanks to the return to the classical sources of Christianity and theology. Biblical and patristic studies played a key role in

ecclesiastical renewal. During the Council, Tradition was understood to be a living thing which may only be drawn on in a living way. Thus any form of ressourcement must always be a return to a source of life, for which a real work of the intelligence is absolutely necessary so that one may employ an ecclesial discernment and discover the spiritual path for today.

The Council wanted a renewal which consisted of going from a conservative attitude towards an attitude which was not progressive but missionary. In other words, it invites us to take up the mantle of tradition and to be creative; this presupposes a discernment of the signs of the times. Therefore, we must undertake, as the Fathers of the Council did, a ressourcement into the living tradition, which helps us to envisage the present in a creative way, answering the challenges which arise as our fathers in the faith did.

This is indeed the dynamic in which Pope Francis places himself, by refusing a centralized and unique voice, to answer the challenges with which the Catholic Church is faced .‘Seeing, judging, acting’, such is the method which must inspire every local Church, as Pope Francis highlights. Each member must feel involved. For this, a faith-filled reading of reality is needed, that is to say a scrutiny of the signs of the times in the light of the Holy Spirit in order to place oneself at the service of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus Christ so that all may have life in abundance (Jn 10,10).

Thus Vatican II must remain a compass for theologians since it offers a position to adopt when faced with new questions, in the service of the Church’s mission, in an open and free dialogue.

Key Words: Tradition, Ressourcement, Conciousness of History, Signs of the Times, Dialogue