More than a few years ago Rabbi Gadi and I undertook a new interfaith adventure entitled “A Jewish-Christian Inquiry into the New Testament.” That inquiry now takes a different direction as we venture into a discussion of the Second Vatican Council and how it brought on a new season of interfaith/ecumenical relationships. And so, this year we delve into a discussion of “Interfaith Friendships.”

       But first let me introduce you to a series of my reflections on Vatican II under the theme of “Moments of Grace.”  

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And the Pope wept quietly! The day: Thursday, October 11, 1962. The place: St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The scene: hundreds filled the massive church as “Good” Pope John was carried in procession down the center aisle preceded by 2500 cardinals, bishops, patriarchs, and abbots. John XXIII, overwhelmed by the power and significance of what was happening, wept tears of unspeakable joy. The twenty-first ecumenical council* in the Church’s history had begun.

    The council, which John had called three years before, scarcely three months after his election as pope, had become a reality. For the next few months, I will take you on a journey back sixty years and share with you what happened along with my own personal experience during those spirit-filled years, two of which I spent in the Holy City. What happened were not just cold facts and dates, but a spiritual movement the excitement of which will last me a lifetime.

    We call these reflections “Moments of Grace.” But what is “grace”? It’s not a magic elixir, not a merited reward, not a reality measured quantitatively, but is, simply speaking, “the life of God in us.” And what/who is God’s life, this “soul” of God? It is God’s own Spirit, a Spirit of love, life, imagination, dynamism, and creativity and, as individuals and as church, and God freely gives this Spirit as gift (grace).

    The Second Vatican Council is considered by some as the defining event of the Catholic Church, not just for the last century but also for the new millennium, the most important religious event of the 20th century. It was an overwhelming outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God’s gift to the Church. So many people living today, including many of the bishops, were not there and will never know the excitement each day brought. The presence of the Holy Spirit was tangible!

      Where, when, and how did this Spirit arise? There is no doubt in my own mind that the human instrument of the manifestation of the Spirit to the world, the sacrament of God’s grace, was Pope John XXIII himself, flowing from his own spirit and spirituality. 

    Who was this Pope John? What is the relevance of Vatican II for us today? Why should we care?  The journey is just beginning.

(* An Ecumenical Council is a formal gathering of all the bishops of the universal church. The Catholic Church traditionally recognizes twenty-one such councils. Councils are generally named after the places where they are held.)

 

Donald Russo, Ph.D.