More thoughts on Gaudium et Spes

The language of # 17 of Gaudium et Spes was called by Ratzinger, "downright Pelagian", and I'm shocked that I didn't notice it until re-reading it. My Pelagianism sensors are probably on the fritz with it's overabundance in many parts of the Church. Anyway, of what I've read so far, while I will admit it is overly optimistic, I feel like it makes up for this in it's pastoral nature.

I also find it interesting that the current Pope called a conciliar document heretical in language/emphasis. It gives me a better sense of how one can feel about certain decisions in the Roman Church and still remain orthodox. Alot of my doubts about Peter Kreeft were lessened after that.

I found an interesting article on the whole thing here: http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/08/from-ratzinger-to-benedict---17

Christ and Vatican II (pt.1)

"The Church firmly believes that Christ, who died and was raised up for all, can through His Spirit offer man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. Nor has any other name under the heaven been given to man by which it is fitting for him to be saved. She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history. The Church also maintains that beneath all changes there are many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in Christ, Who is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. Hence under the light of Christ, the image of the unseen God, the firstborn of every creature, the council wishes to speak to all men in order to shed light on the mystery of man and to cooperate in finding the solution to the outstanding problems of our time." - Gaudium et Spes - Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

After finishing the Ratzinger Report - a really long interview with Cardinal Ratzinger at the time, now, Pope Benedict XVI. He encourages those who wish to be truly faithful to the teaching of the Church not to return to Latin liturgy and pre-conciliar neo-scholasticism, but rather to go boldly into the future and to look directly at the documents.

I am reading Gaudium et Spes now (I'm pretty sure I've read Lumen Gentium and Dei Verbum before) and I just had to put this quote up because it was so Christocentric. I love that they say that all of human history finds it's focal point in Jesus. Amen.

la nouvelle theologie / ressourcement

For an essay on Karl Barth and Gianni Vattimo that I had to write, I proposed as a solution to the problem of the death of God/Metaphysics, ressourcement theology. I don't quite know how it happened, but it just did.

The more I read about von Balthasar and de Lubac and Gilson, the more excited I was, and the more I wanted to be a theologian or a historian of theology. It was amazing how new everything seemed and perhaps that is what people meant about 'the spirit of Vatican II'. I of course do not advocate women priests, or anything against magesterial teaching, but rather the re-emphasis of the ancient faith's answers to the questions of today.

I'm still reading through Gilson's "The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy", and I'm getting Karl Rahner's "The Trinity" as well as the rest of Pelikan's Church History. Hopefully they will teach me something more about this movement.

I don't know much about Rahner though, and people say I'm going to hate him, and that he's passe (couldn't get the accent working).