February 16, 2025 - Pastor Message
February 22, 2025JUBILEE 2025 DEI VERBUM
JUBILEE 2025
DEI VERBUM
“It has pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the secret purpose of his will (Eph 1:9). This brings it about that through Christ, God’s Word made flesh, and in his Holy Spirit, human beings can draw near to the Father and become sharers in the divine nature (Eph 2:18; 2 Pt 1:4). By thus revealing himself, God, who is invisible (Col. 1:15; 1 Tm 1:17), in his great love speaks to humankind as friends (Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15) and enters into their life (Bar 3:38), so as to invite and receive them into relationship with himself” (Dei Verbum 2, Vatican Council II, in Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils II [1990], trans. Norman Tanner).
By divine providence, Jubilee 2025 marks not only the normal period of 25 years between ordinary jubilees but also significant anniversaries of two pivotal events in the history and life of the Church: the very first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD; and the closing of the most recent ecumenical council, Vatican II in 1965. We will reflect together on the Council of Nicaea this summer, marking the 1700th anniversary of that council’s signature work, the Nicene Creed, that we proclaim every Sunday at Mass. Beginning this weekend and continuing periodically throughout the year, we will reflect on the four most significant documents of Vatican Council II, the last of which was promulgated 60 years ago this December.
To understand the importance of these documents, we need to understand what an ecumenical council is. It is a formal and extraordinary meeting to which all the bishops of the world in communion with the pope, who is the head of the college of bishops, are invited to gather, discuss, and decide the most important matters of Church teaching, practice, and life. It exercises the highest and most authoritative level of teaching in the Church, to which the faithful are obliged to give the obedience of faith. Every document of an ecumenical council does not necessarily have that level of authority, but many do, which can be known by the nature and presentation of the document. Creedal statements, like the Nicene Creed, clearly bear that level of authority. Another type of document that bears this level of supreme authority from an ecumenical council is a constitution, so called because its teachings are constitutive, or fundamental, to our faith.
Vatican II, the most recent ecumenical council, issued four constitutions that lay out for us the basic teachings of the Church in four major areas: divine revelation; liturgy; the Church herself; and the Church’s relationship with the modern world. We will begin our reflection on these constitutions by looking at the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, known by its Latin title, Dei Verbum (The Word of God). Dei Verbum sets the table for all the other teachings of the Church by setting out what we as a Church believe about how God makes himself known to us and calls us into a saving relationship with him - in his actions, in the sacred writings about those actions (i.e. the Bible), and in the teachings of the Church about those actions and writings - all of which ultimately comes from and is fulfilled in God’s living Word, Jesus Christ. Tune in next week for more on Dei Verbum, and keep celebrating God’s mercy as we continue together, pilgrims of hope, through this jubilee year.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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