Church Politics

Documents of the Second Vatican Council: 1962-1965 CE

Hearing the word of God with reverence and proclaiming it with faith, the sacred synod takes its direction from these words of St. John: "We announce to you the eternal life which dwelt with the Father and was made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you, so that you may have fellowship with us and our common fellowship be with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:2-3). Therefore, following in the footsteps of the Council of Trent and of the First Vatican Council, this present council wishes to set forth authentic doctrine on divine revelation and how it is handed on, so that by hearing the message of salvation the whole world may believe, by believing it may hope, and by hoping it may love.

advtanmoy 01/09/2021 2 minutes read

Vatican City, Vaticanism and Vatican Politics

God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (Eph. 1:9) by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (Eph. 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (Ex. 33:11; John 15:14-15) and lives among them (Bar. 3:38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself. This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them.

“Placuit Deo in sua bonitate et sapientia Seipsum revelare et notum facere sacramentum voluntatis suae (cf. Eph 1,9), quo homines per Christum, Verbum carnem factum, in Spiritu Sancto accessum habent ad Patrem et divinae naturae consortes efficiuntur (cf. Eph 2,18; 2 Petr 1,4). Hac itaque revelatione Deus invisibilis (cf. Col 1,15; 1 Tim 1,17) ex abundantia caritatis suae homines tamquam amicos alloquitur (cf. Ex 33,11; Io 15,14-15) et cum eis conversatur (cf. Bar 3,38), ut eos ad societatem Secum invitet in eamque suscipiat. Haec revelationis oeconomia fit gestis verbisque intrinsece inter se connexis, ita ut opera, in historia salutis a Deo patrata, doctrinam et res verbis significatas manifestent ac corroborent, verba autem opera proclament et mysterium in eis contentum elucident”.