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The Rolling Stones celebrated their 50th anniversary in July. The Beach Boys are marking 50 years of bringing sun, sand, surf and harmonies to a world experiencing unrest and momentous change.

In May, President Barack Obama commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. In July, Bell Labs celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Telstar I satellite's launch into orbit from Cape Canaveral aboard NASA's Thor-Delta rocket. We marked the 50th anniversary of the detonation of Starfish Prime, a nuclear weapon, high over the Pacific as part of U.S. nuclear testing during the Cold War.

According to Rev. Thomas Massaro, SJ, a professor of social ethics at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, "Few anniversaries can rival the upcoming 50th anniversary of the opening, on October 11, 1962, of the Second Vatican Council for sheer influence, theological heft and even drama."

This influence extended far beyond the walls of the Catholic Church. Pope John XXIII called for a pastoral rather than a doctrinal council; he called for the Catholic Church to engage with the modern world, not shun it. He considered conversation with the world one of the principal tasks of the council, and his approach encouraged a radical, yet surprisingly traditional way of embracing our Catholic faith while engaging with the world.

The Second Vatican Council gifted us with a new language that has allowed us to rethink and reprioritize the deepest values of our faith. The Second Vatican Council addressed the issue of religious liberty and the separation of church and state, a fiercely protected value in our country, and this had profound implications in other parts of the world.

The Second Vatican Council has, for the past 50 years, influenced the way the world's 1.1 billion Catholics interact with one another, with other Christians, with non-Christian faith communities and with the world.

The years leading up to and following 1962 constitute a period of historic and dramatic change in many parts of the world in the social, political, scientific and cultural fabric of communities. In 1962 in the United States, we were experiencing the height of the Cold War; an icon of American success, Marilyn Monroe, died of a drug overdose; the Cuban missile crisis left everyone feeling very vulnerable; there was rioting on college campuses; the civil rights movement was gaining momentum; the oral polio vaccine was developed; 90 percent of U.S. households had a television set; the first U.S. rocket landed on the moon; and President John F. Kennedy vowed that the U.S. would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

It was a time of crisis, change, war, violence and upheaval in the world - but not in the Catholic Church. There was no shortage of ordained clergy or those called to the religious life, the pews were full and the Church appeared to be quite vigorous and healthy. The Second Vatican Council was the first ecumenical council called by the Church that was not in response to a doctrinal or other crisis...or was it? Maybe the Church was being called to respond to a different kind of crisis, one beyond her walls.

Perhaps Pope John XXIII sensed the need for the Church to open its doors and windows to the world in order to minster to the world. Perhaps the Spirit led him to understand that the world needed our ministry and service, our engagement and conversation. Perhaps he understood that the Church also would be enriched by this relationship, this call to holiness and service in a broken world.

The Second Vatican Council was, and continues to be, a source of inspiration and renewal - but it is not lacking in controversy.

It is becoming common practice in our culture to separate into "camps," often by taking something of complexity and reducing it to a sound bite. The effect is polarizing and divisive. We read and hear words and phrases that reflect a false dichotomy regarding the teachings and documents of the Second Vatican Council: "pre- vs. post-Vatican II" Catholics; rupture or discontinuity vs. renewal or continuity; conservative vs. liberal; innovation vs. tradition.

Why has debate on the "correct" interpretation of the Second Vatican Council erupted, and why is it so contentious?

There is nothing simple about an ecumenical council attended by more than 2,500 bishops from around the world over a four-year span of time. Vatican II continues to be a powerful influence in our lives as Catholics and as citizens of the world.

The 50th anniversary of a marriage, a band or a scientific discovery marks a significant passage of time. The 50th anniversary of an event in the history of the Church, while important, marks an event still in its infancy.

It's important to join one another around the table for prayerful dialogue, study, discernment and openness to the movement of the Spirit so we can continue to learn from, and be faithful to, the teachings of this enormously influential ecumenical council.

(Ms. Anderton is a candidate for a Master's degree from St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Albany.)[[In-content Ad]]

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