INTERPRETATION OF SIGNS OF TIME – A FORGOTTEN TASK OF CHURCH?

Polazeći od obveze koju je Drugi vatikanski sabor naložio Crkvi, da u svako vrijeme ispituje znakove vremena i tumači ih u svjetlu Evanđelja, autor istražuje u kojoj je mjeri ta tema prisutna u pokoncilskoj teologiji. Najnovija koncilska obljetnica potaknula je produbljeno proučavanje i cjelovito sagledavanje dokumenata Koncila osobito Pastoralne konstitucije “Gaudium et spes” i ključne kategorije znakovi vremena. U nastavku je prikazan teološki napredak s obzirom na ulogu i značenje “signa temporum” te izradu kriterija njihova prosuđivanja. Javljaju se stalno novi izazovi vremena, a one stare sagledavamo iz nove perspektive. Znakovi su po sebi nejasni i ambivalentni, a zadaća njihova rasuđivanja iznimno je teška i neobično važna jer nam na taj način valja uvijek iznova otkrivati novost Evanđelja. Navedene su i neke praktične smjernice za djelovanje. U zaključku su sažete glavne spoznaje i misaone perspektive do kojih je autor došao.Starting from the duty assigned to the Church by the Second Vatican Council that it should examine the signs of time at any time and interpret them in the light of the Gospel, the author investigates to what extent that topic is present in the post- Council theology. The most recent Council anniversary initiated a deeper study and an integral analysis of its documents, especially the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes and the key category the signs of time. Then the author presents the theological advancement regarding the role and meaning of signa temporum as well as the formation of criteria for their evaluation. There have been increasingly new challenges of time, and the old ones have been valued from a new perspective. The signs by themselves are unclear and ambivalent, and the task to evaluate them is exceptionally difficult and very important because in that way the novelty of the Gospel is ever being discovered. Some practical guidelines for action are also given. In the conclusion the main perceptions and thought perspectives that the author himself has arrived at are summarized