As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, we are all starting to think about what we are going to give up such as sweets or coffee, and one of the key themes of Lent is fasting.  But this brings up the important question of why do we “offer it up” and what is the meaning of redemptive suffering? Many of the answers come from St. John Paul II in his magnificent apostolic letter “Salvifici doloris” (On The Redemptive Meaning of Christian Suffering).  St. John Paul II gives us great insights on how Jesus, through his own suffering and death, has transformed our suffering to become redemptive.    

On Dec. 8, the Church celebrates the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II was the first “pastoral” ecumenical council in the history of the Church.  Called by St. John XXIII in 1959, the Council was not convened to settle doctrinal questions or disputes as in the past, but to bring about a great missionary renewal of the Church to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the modern world. However, the legacy of Vatican II over the past 60 years has not been without controversy. There has been much confusion and misunderstanding surrounding Vatican II because there has been a widespread misinterpretation of the Council since it’s closing sixty years ago.