The Spirit & The Bride

New Season Intro: The Holy Spirit

Dr. Alan Schreck welcomes listeners to a new weekly podcast series on the Holy Spirit. Why learn about the Holy Spirit? Because he is God, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, and we hope to spend eternity with him. Jesus also reveals the Holy Spirit as the "gift of God" and "the promise of the Father."

The Lasting Significance of the Second Vatican Council

Pope St. John Paul II called the Second Vatican Council "the great grace God bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century" and "a sure compass to guide us in the century now beginning." Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed this view, and Pope Francis continued to carry it out. This episode focuses on three themes: the Council's mission to promote a three-fold unity (unity within the Church, with other Christians, and among all people), gratitude to God for the Council as a great gift to the Church, and the authority of the Council as the Holy Spirit's word to the Church for our times.
 
This concludes our journey through the documents of the Second Vatican Council.  Stay with us as we begin the next series on the Holy Spirit, coming soon!

Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Liberty

Dr. Schreck talks about one of the Second Vatican Council's landmark documents: Declaration on Religious Liberty, or Dignitatis Humanae. This document upholds the Gospel principle that faith in religious matters, either by individuals or groups, cannot be coerced and that public practice of worship and acts motivated by religious beliefs should be permitted, as long as "just requirements of the public order" are not violated. 

Vatican II's Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches and Declaration on Christian Education

Dr. Schreck talks about two brief documents from the Second Vatican Council. First, Orientalium Ecclesiarum explores the rites and churches that emerged in the East and how these liturgical and spiritual traditions show the richness of the Catholic Church. Then, Gravissimum Educationis illuminates how Christian education helps each person reach his or her full potential—and, ultimately, eternal fulfillment and joy with God in heaven.

Vatican II's Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life

Part of the Second Vatican Council's overarching concern in presenting the Catholic Church's nature and mission in our times was its teaching on religious and consecrated life. Dr. Schreck talks about the council's decree on "The Appropriate Renewal of Religious Life," or in Latin called "Perfectae Caritatis," the perfection of charity.

Vatican II's Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

Some have said the Second Vatican Council was the "Council of the Laity." Dr. Schreck talks about Apostolicam Actuositatem, the council's document that activated and broadened lay people's participation in the life of the Catholic Church and in her mission to make Jesus Christ present in the world.

Vatican II's Decrees on the Priesthood

Dr. Schreck talks about the Second Vatican Council's decrees on Priestly Formation (Optatam Totius) and on the Ministry and Life of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis).  The former emphasized the centrality of spiritual and pastoral formation of priesthood candidates, while the latter was a ground-breaking document that addressed the life of priests and their particular path to holiness. Dr. Schreck shows how priests are "set apart" through their ordination but not "separated" from the people they serve, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Vatican II's Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops

The role of the bishop in the Catholic Church was one of the important topics taken up by the Council Fathers (who were bishops themselves) at the Second Vatican Council. Dr. Schreck talks about their "Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops," or Christus Dominus, and its emphasis on bishops as carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, and the apostles in the life of the Church.

Vatican II's Decrees on the Church's Relationship to Non-Christian Religions and Missionary Activity

Dr. Schreck explores the Council's decrees on the Church's relationship to non-Christian religions (Nostra Aetate) and on the Church's missionary activity (Ad gentes divinitus). He talks about how the Catholic Church respects all that is true and holy in non-Christian religions and condemns persecution while also following Jesus' command to make disciples and evangelize. He also address common misconceptions about these teachings.

Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism

Dr. Schreck talks about how the restoration of unity among Christians, or ecumenism, was a priority for Pope St. John XXIII in calling the Second Vatican Council.  As a result, Pope St. Paul VI and the Council's bishops published the Decree on Ecumenism, or Unitatis Redintegratio.  Dr. Schreck shares about this topic in light of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January.