Reviewing the Homily of the 4th Sunday of Easter
I would like to recommend that you watch and reflect on the Homily given by Fr. Ron Coyne of the Boston, Mass Diocese on the 4th Sunday of Easter at St. Cecilia’s parish in Boston. (cf. video of homily below). I found it to be quite thought provoking.
Fr. Coyne contends that we are witnessing a revival of pre-Vatican II attitudes and practices at this time in the life of the Catholic Church. Some of the signs he points to are the renewed interest in the use of the Latin liturgy as well as more rigid liturgical practices. He also points to the practice of priests and seminarians wearing cassocks, catholics receiving Communion on the tongue, etc. The tensions and divisions between progressive Catholics and traditional Catholics (often referred to as ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’) have been referred to by Pope Leo and often experienced among Catholics.
Pope Francis made the full implementation of the Second Vatican Council a defining goal of his pontificate and Pope Leo has used his weekly general audiences for a catechesis on Vatican II documents, explaining the documents and exhorting us to do a systematic rereading of the Council’s actual texts. Yet, there are priests, seminarians and laity who have a disdain for Vatican II, and in some instances reject the Council.
In his homily, Coyne tells of growing up as a priest in the aftermath of the Council and as the reforms were implemented he experienced what he describes as a profound spiritual transformation. He credits Vatican II with helping him (and all of us) to understand that people with a “vocation” are not just priests and religious, but in a broader sense include laity in married life, public service workers, healthcare workers, teachers and other professionals. Vatican II teaches that our basic vocation from baptism is a universal call to holiness and to active mission. In the document Lumen Gentium, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, we come to understand that every baptized Christian shares in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and royal offices, empowering them to actively build the Church and evangelize the world, regardless of their specific state in life. We can say that our core “vocation,” i.e. calling comes to us at our Baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses that through baptism we are consecrated to God the Father in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit - “incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ” cf. #1272 In Lumen Gentium we hear clearly of our core vocation: “The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all their Christian activities they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the marvels of him who has called them out of darkness into his own wonderful light.” (#10. To explore the Church’s official teachings on this foundational calling, you can read Lumen Gentium Chapter II.
Another central theme of the homily is Coyne’s embrace of a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of Catholicism. He emphasizes: God’s unconditional love, the dignity of the human person, openness to dialogue, empathy and hospitality, inclusion. He concludes by contrasting two theological mindsets and frames them as a Pre- Vatican II mindset: “If I am good, God will love me,” and a Vatican II mindset: “God loves me, and that makes me good.”
Copy/Paste to View Homily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB1TBzAcDT0
PLEASE COMMENT FOCUS QUESTION What about Vatican II do I think is very important for us a Catholics today to affirm and make a clear aspect of our spirituality