Part 1 lays out the theology of the churchs relationship with the world we live in. John courtney murray, meaning of the document, in john courtney murray and robert a. Pastoral constitution on the church in the modern word. Joseph ratzinger, the dignity of the human person, in commentary on the documents of vatican ii, vol. The text of gaudium, et spes, part ii, chapter i, on fostering the dignity of marriage and the family, has been the topic of considerable commentary because of its importance for the churchs teaching in this delicate area, a topic which recently came to the fore because of the 1980 synod on the family. Yet, the power and strength of the institution of marriage and family can also be seen in the fact that time and again, despite the. The joys and the hopes and the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age are identical to that of the followers of christ. Fr robert also pointed that for tractors gaudium et spes is the source of mischieves in connection to the morden world. The church must read the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the gospel. Gaudium et spes pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world promulgated by his holiness, pope paul vi on december 7, 1965 the following is excerpted from the complete document of gaudium et spes. Predestination as the communication of divine goodness in aquinass commentary on ephesians, in thomism and predestination. He has used this document as a key element in many of his own encyclicals including fides et ratio faith and reason.
The church in the modern world gaudium et spes then and now michael g. Fides et ratio pope john paul ii page 3 downloaded from the catholic document archive. This is the reason that gaudium et spes is called a pastoral constitution. The treatment of conscience in article 16, in his view, raises many. The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of christ. Hollenbach discusses how reading the signs of the times guided the document in its discussion of social problems.
Gaudium et spes continues addressing the genuinely human when it declares that the church is dedicated not just to catholics but to the whole world. Gaudium et spes comes down hard on immense inequalities. The human person is the point of contact between the concerns of the church and those of. Gaudium et spes united states conference of catholic bishops. Gaudium et spes promulgated by his holiness, pope paul vi on december 7, 1965. After the introduction, gaudium et spes is split into two parts. Gaudium et spes had a great impact on catholic social teaching, and it is indeed telling that pope john paul ii has cited sections 22 and 24 of gaudium et spes more often than he has cited any other vatican ii document. Summary of guadium et spes pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world. More than that, the church is dedicated to more than mere socioeconomic freedom, but to the. The churchs service to the world and modern man entails leading him to the rediscovery of the created order and its. Yet it is the duty of every catholic to see that his political and economic doctrines are in conformity with the divine law as interpreted by the church.
A commentary on the second vatican councils declaration on the relation of the church to nonchristian religions by augustin bea. The call to grandeur and the depths of misery find their ultimate and simultaneous explanation in the light of revelation. From ratzinger to benedict by avery cardinal dulles. In the section on unification, gaudium et spes approaches the world too much from the viewpoint of function and utility rather than that of contemplation and wonder. Preface addressed to all people expressing the churchs desire to dialogue with the whole human family by using the common language of personhood. Gaudium is the longest of the four constitutions produced by this council and one of if not the longest document overall. Gaudium et spes joy and hope, the constitution on the church in the modern world, was the decree at the heart of the second vatican councils message, its tone differing from many earlier church documents in that it did not warn or condemn, but expressed sympathy and understanding for the world. In fides et ratio there is an essential continuity with gaudium et spes.
Gaudium et spes 56 posted on 22 may 2006 by catholicsensibility in these conditions, it is no cause of wonder that humankind, who senses a responsibility for the progress of culture, nourishes a high hope but also looks with anxiety upon many contradictory things which it must resolve. According to fr robert, proponents consider gaudium et spes as the canon within the canon, however, he disagrees with this view because he ppppoint out that gaudium et spes should be read in the light of lumen getum. Ratzinger traces the cause of this subsequent influence of gaudium et spes, which he regards as problematic, back to the spirit of the preface. Komonchak the catholic university of america this essay was first published as le valutazioni sulla gaudium et spes. The existence of the papal commission on birth control 196366, the fact that gaudium et spes the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world, 4752 indicated that the issues. Gaudium et spes notable quotations catholic charities of. Ratzingers commentary on the first chapter of gaudium et spes contains still other provocative comments. Gaudium et spes the church in the modern world catholic.
Pope john paul ii and the christcentered anthropology of. This year is the 50 th anniversary of the promulgation of gaudium et spes, the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world. The postsynodal apostolic exhortation reconciliatio et paenitentia reaffirmed the importance and permanent validity of the distinction between mortal and venial sins, in. The pdf here contains the third chapter of the document which contains section 36 in both latin and english. Chenu, dossetti, ratzinger, in volti di fine concilio. However, it is recommended a full reading of the document and genuine attempt to interpret the message be done in order to fully appreciate the intention of gaudium.
The chapter deals with the value of the human person created in the image of god, explains the dignity and superiority of the human being over the. Part 2 takes up several more urgent problems in the modern world that call for a response by the church. February 20, 2005 founded on truth, built on justice, and animated by love forty years after gaudium et spes and on the occasion of the thirtyfifth anniversary. The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of. Pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world gaudium et spes. Man is the only creature on earth which god willed for itself, and he cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of. Gaudium et spes, the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world, is exceptional among vatican ii documents, not only for its great length over 35,000 words, but also for its origin and genre. Hollenbach correctly emphasizes that gaudium et spes differed from western political thoughts belief in. Summary of gaudium et spes the numbers given correspond to section numbers within the text. John paul ii, encyclical letter redemptor hominis 4 march 1979, 10. Forty years after gaudium et spes by rev robert j vitillo. Gaudium et spes promulgated by his holiness, pope paul vi on december 7, 1965 please note. Gaudium et spes or the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world, was the second vatican councils response to the horrors the world had witnessed up to the early 1960s when it was published. Veritatis splendor and moral objects boston college.
Vatican ii and the ecclesiology of joseph ratzinger the. Pope francis has just released a new document titled evangelii gaudium it is his first apostolic exhortation, and it is devoted to the theme of the new evangelization. Vatican ii continued in this vein continues this tradition by providing in gaudium et spes 1415 a virtual compendium of the biblical anthropology from which philosophy too can draw inspiration. Gaudium et spes proposes two principles that are central for the world of our time.
The council plainly affirms that no one can be saved in any other name but christs, rejecting any notions of secular salvation such as the communists and. According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and unbelievers alike, all things on earth should be related to man as their center and crown. The church and mans calling and some problems of special urgency. Gaudium et spes the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world from which he never tires of quoting in his many encyclicals and apostolic letters. Resistance to the proposals in gaudium et spes is usually motivated by extrinsic ideological commitments, on the left and on the right. Issued during the papacy of pope paul vi, 1965 gaudium et spes was issued when the second vatican council ended in 1965. The notes included in this document also offers a commentary explanation for each chapter. The first is the dignity of the human person and, hence, the responsibility of each catholic and of civil.
This community, the church, because of this, is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds. It is the only document that was not preceded by any preparatory schema, but instead resulted from an intervention by cardinals suenens and. Widely heralded as a landmark of catholic social teaching, the wideranging document gaudium et spes joy and hope. More than that, the church is dedicated to more than mere socioeconomic freedom, but to the freedom that comes from knowing and accepting gods love. Studi di storia e teologia sulla conclusione del vaticano ii, ed. A thematic summary of gaudium et spes faith movement. Quoted in leslie griffin, commentary on dignitatis humanae, kenneth.
The redaction and reception of gaudium et spes tensions within the majority at vatican ii joseph a. Pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world. Principles and disputations, edited by steven long, roger nutt, and fr. In describing the relationship of the church, the people of.
Notable quotations from gaudium et spes the church in the modern world second vatican council, 1965 people experiencing homelessness are especially. Rereading gaudium et spes on marriage and the family. Outline of evangelii gaudium introduction o beginning written to bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and lay faithful on the proclamation of the gospel in todays world 1 joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter jesus. The situation of men in the modern world 410 part i. A reference is providedsection 36 of gaudium et spes from the second vatican council. In the church and mans calling, the authors examine the. So, just in time, three professors at creighton university. Both the high calling and the deep misery which people experience find their final explanation in the light of this revelation. Salzman, and eileen burkesullivan gaudium et spes, vatican iis pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world, marked fundamental shifts in ethical methodology, in how we do ethics in the catholic tradition, and in how. However, it has become evident that there are different interpretations of what the.
1072 1158 672 146 323 575 362 1221 526 1144 737 13 497 962 1253 1074 1101 1440 630 1336 214 12 360 88 829 311 321 1041 1439 294 953 1162 858 616 1095