Book Review: Reclaiming Vatican II by Fr. Blake Britton

Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church by Fr. Blake Britton

Among controversial topics in the Catholic Church, the Second Vatican Council is frontrunner. Conservatives complain about the liturgical changes and moral upheaval that happened in the wake of Vatican II. Liberals see those changes as progress, but hardly enough progress has been made. Often, people who comment about Vatican II have not studied its history or even read the documents it published. Instead, they rely on "what everyone knows" about the council as it has been passed down by media and pundits on both sides of the political aisle.

This book does not provide the documents of Vatican II. Rather, it gives an overview of the historical reaction to the Council and summaries of the teachings of the four key documents produced by the Council: Sacrosanctum Concillium (On the Sacred Liturgy), Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations), Dei Verbum (Word of God), and Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope). The history is interesting because it identifies the sources of the many misunderstandings during and after Vatican II. The Council was the first in church history to happen when media coverage was immediate and world-wide. A lot of media, then as now, is not focused on depth of understanding but on interesting conflicts or controversies. Also, the media used a political lens to look at the proceedings, though the Catholic Church does not divide into the typical governmental left- and right-wings. Even the progressive/conservative divide is inaccurate since the actual Church embraces both, recognizing a need to develop and to preserve. Fr. Britton shows that both are needed for authentic spiritual growth to happen. Unfortunately, many theologians with personal agendas were able to use the media as a platform to claim their viewpoints were where the "spirit of the Council" intended the Church to go. This "spirit of the Council" became a tool to advance a left-wing agenda within the Catholic Church. More unfortunately, the conservative backlash to the changes in the 1960s and 1970s took the media and the self-proclaimed experts as accurately representing the Council. So they became anti-Vatican II without understanding the Council's true teachings. 

To rectify this unfortunate situation, Fr. Britton encourages study of the actual documents. He also provides overviews of each document and what they actually teach about the liturgy, the Word of God (both the Biblical texts and the Second Person of the Trinity), and the Church's role in the modern world. He shows the relevance by discussing his own pastoral activities, implementing the call to beauty and faithfulness that he finds in the documents. His efforts have had many fruits in renewing fervor and devotion in his parishes. He makes a very compelling case to study the documents, to implement changes slowly (people get whiplash from quick changes, as history shows), and to proceed in the spirit of Christ who offered His life to the Father and renews that offer every time at Mass.

Highly recommended--the only downside is that I feel I need to read the documents of Vatican II!

Sample quote:

There is a crucial point here: the Eucharist is not primarily Jesus' gift to us. It is first and foremost his gift to the Father. We are not the center of attention in the liturgy. It is not about us. Rather, it is Jesus actively incorporating our lives into his worship of the Father. We are not the origin of the liturgy; we are participants in it. This is a point that was skewed by the paracouncil in the years following Vatican II. In an attempt to emphasize the role of the congregation, some people unduly accentuated the communal aspect of the liturgy while suppressing its most vital component: sacrifice. The Mass became primarily an act of the worshipping community as opposed to an act rooted in the activity of Christ. [p. 52 italics in original]

Also, this book was the subject of A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast #294. Check it out!