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The Year of Faith
Topic Started: Thursday, 20. October 2011, 01:28 (594 Views)
Marts

The Pope’s Apostolic Letter on the Year of Faith was issued on 17 October. The Year of Faith is to commence on the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. What a disappointment. Instead of celebrating the 50th anniversary of VII the Pope has placed more emphasis on the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Although he does not say a lot about either.

One of the few comments the Pope makes about the Council is:

I would also like to emphasize strongly what I had occasion to say concerning the Council a few months after my election as Successor of Peter: “if we interpret and implement it guided by a right hermeneutic, it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church.”

Unfortunately this brings to mind the Church basically forbidding Catholics from reading the Bible until VII rescinded this ban. Now it appears we are not to read the documents of VII unless we use tunnel vision with the tunnel being a
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right hermeneutic!
Whose
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right hermeneutic?
Catholics can pray, read the documents of VII, read various commentaries and use such information to inform their consciences; that is the
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right hermeneutic
to
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interpret and implement
the Council.

It appears there will be no official celebration of the Second Vatican Council.

On The Year of Faith the letter is excellent. The Pope gives a beautiful description of faith:

Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord’s invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples.

Another excerpt is:

By faith, Mary tasted the fruits of Jesus’ resurrection, and treasuring every memory in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19, 51), she passed them on to the Twelve assembled with her in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:1-4).

I find this slightly misleading and many clergy appear to promote the idea that only the Apostles were present in the Upper Room at Pentecost to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. However, Benedict in his Pentecost homily in 2008 agreed with the Acts of the Apostles that there were about 120 people in the Upper Room, including many women; it is no wonder we rarely hear this mentioned:

(cf. Acts 1:12-14). It is a description rich in detail: the place "where they were staying" the Cenacle — was an "Upper Room"; the 11 Apostles are listed by name and the first three are Peter, John and James, the "pillars" of the community; mentioned with them are "the women" and "Mary the Mother of Jesus, and "his brethren", already an integral part of this new family, no longer based on blood ties but on faith in Christ. The total number of people which was "about a hundred and twenty", a multiple of the "Twelve" of the Apostolic College, alludes to this "new Israel".

http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16pent08.htm

It was good to see the Pope point out once again that
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A Christian may never think of belief as a private act.
Too many of us fail to share our faith, evangelise, because we think belief is purely personal.

Excerpts from the Apostolic Letter can be read at:

http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=115963
Edited by Marts, Thursday, 20. October 2011, 22:53.
Jesus told us, his disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13)
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OsullivanB

It's OK. So long as the Pope continues to use words like "hermeneutic" very few will have the first idea what he's talking about.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
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Gerard

Marts,

I agree with what you are saying. It is, indeed, a pity that this man, who was a reformer at the Council, turned fearful and reactionary afterwards, and is trying to turn the clock back. But not to worry, the setback is temporary. The documents still point the way forward.

One small point - V2 gave a push to Bible reading but that only emphasised a push that had been going on for at least a hundred years previously. The popes had been trying to encourage catholics to read the Bible but any residual resistance, left over from the Reformation, was coming from the middle management - priests. I still find resistance at that level.

Gerry
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Rose of York
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OsullivanB
Thursday, 20. October 2011, 09:06
It's OK. So long as the Pope continues to use words like "hermeneutic" very few will have the first idea what he's talking about.
There's nothing wrong with my understanding of English words in common usage but I can't even understand the definition

http://www.webster-dictionary.net/definition/Hermeneutic

Definition of Hermeneutic
Her`me`neu´tic
a. 1. Unfolding the signification; of or pertaining to interpretation; exegetical; explanatory; as, hermeneutic theology, or the art of expounding the Scriptures; a hermeneutic phrase.

When a man whose first language is not English uses words I have never heard or read in connection with anything in normal day to day life I react by thinking "this is not aimed at people like me who have to get on with our own lives, I will leave the study of the document to the people who complicate Christianity." Learned documents will not get Joe Soap down the road to come back to the Church.
Keep the Faith!

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Derekap
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I am relieved I am not the only Catholic who doesn't understand hermeneutics. How did The Church survuve over 2,000 yeara without them?
Edited by Derekap, Thursday, 20. October 2011, 12:00.
Derekap
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Emee
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Gosh I can finally "out" that I don't understand what is meant by "hermeneutic"!

I thought I was the only one... :bl:

Phew, it's such a relief to be able to admit that now!
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Rose of York
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One word proves a distraction to a significant document. My interest in the gist of the message went off on a tangent, due to the need to find out once and for all that hermeneutic means unfolding the signification; of or pertaining to interpretation; exegetical; explanatory; as, hermeneutic theology, or the art of expounding the Scriptures; a hermeneutic phrase.

It is high time documents written by Vatican flunkies for the enlightenment (that means information) of all were written in vocabulary that is familiar to most people. Have I missed the message, that the documents are not meant for mere laity, none of whom are credited with having average IQ and literacy?

This link is hermeneutic. It unfolds significance and pertains to signification.
http://s10.zetaboards.com/Catholic_CyberForum/topic/7107843/1/
Keep the Faith!

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Rose of York
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The EWTN link given in the opening posts gives lengthy extracts from the Apostolic letter. I found a link on the Vatican website, to the complete document.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html

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8. On this happy occasion, I wish to invite my brother bishops from all over the world to join the Successor of Peter, during this time of spiritual grace that the Lord offers us, in recalling the precious gift of faith. We want to celebrate this Year in a worthy and fruitful manner. Reflection on the faith will have to be intensified, so as to help all believers in Christ to acquire a more conscious and vigorous adherence to the Gospel, especially at a time of profound change such as humanity is currently experiencing. We will have the opportunity to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families, so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times. Religious communities as well as parish communities, and all ecclesial bodies old and new, are to find a way, during this Year, to make a public profession of the Credo.


I see no practical tips on HOW we as individuals can successfully evangelise the people we meet in our daily lives, outside of the parish, the church building, the religious communities, the Catholic societies. Pope Benedict invites his brother bishops to recall the precious gift of faith. Hey what about me, and my buddies? Don't we get invited?

Pope Benedict says we will have the opportunity to profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world; in our homes and among our families, so that everyone may feel a strong need to know better and to transmit to future generations the faith of all times. What about professing our faith outside of the cathedral and churches, and to people not in our own homes and families? Like for example the protestants and atheists who catch up with me when I'm walking the dog?

I have a funny feeling the bishops will reach out to people who are already regular attendees of our cathedrals and churches. We, laity, religious, deacons, priests and bishops in that order need to be out there just chatting about our faith, answering questions, setting a good example of loving neighbours by giving help where it is needed and forgiving all who do us any harm or just get on our nerves. Then they might say "see how the Catholics love the rest of us, what makes them tick?"
Keep the Faith!

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Deleted User
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I share the views of those who have posted so far. However, whatever position one takes on Vatican 2 and all that flows from it, couldn't we all agree on the need for a straightforward, clearly understood language on all discussion about Church matters whether it be doctrine, liturgy, parish organisation or protocol about how to pass the plate?


John
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Deacon Robert
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John, I am 100% with you on that.
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Rose of York
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I agree with John.

The medical profession publish learned papers for doctors, simple leaflets for patients. I propose the Church should do likewise, providing easily understood texts for the laity. I doubt whether many laity find the Catechism easy to follow. It would be of little help to a person interested in Catholicism asked if they could borrow a book explaining our beliefs.
Keep the Faith!

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OsullivanB

I suggest you lend them or direct them to "We Believe" by Mgr Alfred Gilbey.

Otherwise there are many books by Scott Hahn, and excellent shorter pieces from the CTS on most specific points that are likely to be of interest to the faithful and the enquirer alike.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer
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pat
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When I was going through RCIA about 12 years ago, One of the booklets that was circulating was one called This is the Church, a cut down, simplified version of Lumen Gentium, if I remember correctly. It had been produced by a group of lay-women who were aiming to do this for all the main documents of V2. I've just googled it and they are the Grail Society, most well known for their translations of the Psalms.
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Rose of York
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Am I alone in my concern that the Year of Faith will result in events aimed at groups of Catholics gathering at deanery and diocesan level to hold theoretical discussions about evangelisation, and a dearth of encouragement for the bulk of practising Catholics who lack the opportunity to travel to those events, to just do our bit, evangelising as and when the opportunity arises? We can read lots of documents, or we can just be available to answer questions when they are asked, and let it be known why we value our faith.

I know Catholics who will become very knowledgeable about evangelisation but will get little chance to do it because their whole lives revolve around the Church and they hardly know a soul outside it. We need to be out there in the "market place".
Keep the Faith!

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Penfold
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Rose of York
Thursday, 20. October 2011, 23:20
I agree with John.

The medical profession publish learned papers for doctors, simple leaflets for patients. I propose the Church should do likewise, providing easily understood texts for the laity. I doubt whether many laity find the Catechism easy to follow. It would be of little help to a person interested in Catholicism asked if they could borrow a book explaining our beliefs.
OSB is right there are many wonderful user friendly pamphlets available from the CTS. I also recommend the works produced by the Redemptorists. In this year we are invited to prepare for the Year of faith 11 October 2012 to 24 November 2013.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html

This is linked to the idea of revitalising mission within the church and it will require parishes and deaneries to arrange seminars and study groups both as part of the preparation and as part of the actual fulfilment of the Year of Faith.

Transport is an issue as is the cost of buying the literature to support the programme. others may have different concerns which need to be identified and addressed, that is the advantage of having a year to prepare.
Car sharing, parish taxis, a parish library are some of the simple tried and tested, by me at least, meathods that can help. Others are to rotate the venue of the seminars so that the burden of arranging transport does not fall on the same people every week but can be shared around. Perhaps it is also worth considering forming a baby sitting syndicate and getting parish sponsorship for the CRB checks and perhaps also these helpers could run a crèche or Sunday School so that while the adults attend a seminar in one room the youngsters are cared for in another. These are just a few suggestions as to how the practical problems of fulfilling the Year of Faith can be dealt with, I am sure that among the members of this forum there will be a great many more practical solutions offered. I think we should embrace this as an opportunity to be positive and creative.
Over the next few years we shall be celebrating the 50th aniversary of many great documents from Vat II. This is truly a "Golden Opportunity" for those of us who have been labouring in the vineyard to bring the documents of Vat II to life and to encourage each other to grow in our faith.
We do have documents that are user friendly and they cater for all ages and abilities and it is unfortunate that because of theft,security and cost issues some parishes no longer have a CTS stand at the back of church. If only a few volunteers were willing to run a stall while people have their teas and coffees after mass it would be a start. I also recommend people subscribe to the Redemptorist web site
http://www.rpbooks.co.uk/
It is free to register but you have access to a wide range of literature and as a subscriber qualify for discounts.
I have a trunk which contains a variety of useful books and where ever I go I open it up as a parish library, people simply put their names in an exersise book with their phone number and the date and 2-3 weeks later the book returns, if a book proves popular I buy another copy if it does not return I phone the number and polity remind the person to return it. I have not lost many books and in one case the parishioner was so apologetic because they had left it somewhere and though they could not afford to replace the book, which cost £55, they made a donation of £10. It is possible and I have encouraged a few friends to adopt a similar system. I am sure if I worked on it and refined the process it would be possible to insure the books against accidents and loss but to be honest the premiums would probably be more expensive than the total cost of replacements so far in over 20 years I have only had to replace 4 books, total cost less than £200 which is not bad, some one can do the sums but I reckon it works out at less than £10 a year. The cost of buying the books is considerably higher but again it is manageable. I have spent over £3000 but each parish can budget according to their means.
The on-line library on this forum can save people a fortune for books such as the CCC are expensive. So some of the "Text Books" which I have in my trunk would not be needed if I where starting again. Thanks to all who maintain the excellent forum library.
Some parishes have web-sites, and parish on-line forum could be a very good way of reaching out to those in remote areas, after all in Australia they have been running schools in the outback over the radio for years.
Anyway enough rambling I think this year of preparation for the Year of Faith is a wonderful opportunity and this forum is in a very good position to provide a positive response to people who may be seeking to renew or rediscover their faith.
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