"I feel more than ever duty bound to point to the [Second Vatican] Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the 20^th century: there we find a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning."
(John Paul II, 6 January 2001)

It is understandable that many Catholics are uncertain how to react to the upheaval and change the Church is experiencing today. This series of reflections is designed to help them find their balance. The talks set out to do this in two ways.

Firstly, they show how today's best theology can deepen and enrich our understanding of the main truths of our Catholic faith.

Secondly, they provide the material for discussions which will give parish and school groups the common understanding and shared vision they will need in the decades which lie ahead when – because of the diminishing number of clergy – they find themselves responsible for local Church communities.

Discussions of the basic truths of faith carried out in the right spirit – an open and generous spirit, motivated by a genuine love of the Church as the bearer of God's Good News to the world - can help form the kind of community the Church will need in the challenging times which we are going to face before too long.

John Thornhill SM