Yves Congar OP, one of the leading theologians at Vatican II, wrote a book in the 1950s called “The Mystery of the Temple,” in which he looked back to the time of David and the prophets for answers to the rapid secularization happening in France in his day when people were abandoning God and the church. Could God’s presence then help understand God’s presence in his day?

I remember reading the book around the time of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s and saying to myself, “Poor France! Thank God for the United States where the faith is so strong and our churches full.” Now I’m reading Congar’s book again.

Some sentences in that book struck me: “We are always tempted to confine ourselves to what we see and touch, to be satisfied with this and to think that a preliminary achievement fulfills God’s promise.” 

Abraham thought God’s promise was fulfilled in Ismael, Joshua thought it was the conquest of Canaan. Solomon thought it was in his immediate descendants…”but these promises were capable of more complete fulfillment which would only materialize after long periods of waiting and urgently needed purification. Only the prophets–and this, in fact, is their task–draw attention to the process of development from seminal promises and to the progress of the latter towards their accomplishment through successive stages of fulfillment continuously transcending one another.”  (p 31-32)

We may look at the church or our world at this time and think it’s the end, but it isn’t.  It’s only a “preliminary achievement” in God’s plan. We need prophetic vision to help us “draw attention to the process of development from seminal promises” by successive stages of fulfillment.

We need to listen to theologians like Yves Congar.