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Sunday, October 10, 2021

THE QUEST FOR RELEVANCY IN THE GREAT EPOCHAL CHANGE OF THE TIME--THE SYNOD BEGINS TO DO AGAIN WHAT HAS FAILED FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS, BECOME RELEVANT TO THE WORLD AND ITS SPIRIT

 Relevancy has worked so well for the post-Vatican II Church, the Anglican Communion, the Lutherans, the Presbyterians and other liberal Protestant communions. Will the quest for relevancy, inclusivity, and being "hip" and "groovy" work this time or will history repeat itself again and again and again?

And I presume this is Bishop-Elect Guido Marini's swan song as papal MC:

Pope: Celebrating Synod means walking together on the same road

Pope Francis celebrated Mass at St Peter’s Basilica for the solemn opening of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place in three stages over the next two years.

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis formally opened the Synod of Bishops on Sunday with a solemn Mass in St Peter’s Basilica.

Faithful from around the world – including laymen and -women, priests, seminarians, women and men religious, cardinals and bishops – took part in the liturgy, which marked the beginning of a two-year synodal process.

In his homily, Pope Francis took the day’s Gospel reading, recounting Jesus’ encounter with a rich young man, as the starting point for a reflection on synodality: “Celebrating a Synod,” he said, “means walking on the same road, together.”

Following the example of Jesus, he emphasized three verbs that characterize the Synod: encounter, listen, and discern.

Encounter

In the Gospels, we often see Jesus on a journey, open to an encounter with those He meets along the way, present to them, and concerned about their questions. Like Jesus, the Pope said, “we too are called to become experts in the art of encounter.”

This involves an openness to God, taking time for prayer and adoration, and listening to what the Holy Spirit tells us.

It also requires openness to others, as well as courage and “a willingness to allow ourselves to be challenged by the presence and the stories of others.

Participants in the Mass
Participants in the Mass

Listen

Pope Francis that a true encounter only comes through listening to others, noting that Jesus listens not just with the ears, but with the heart. When we follow Jesus in listening with the heart, “people feel they are being heard, not judged; they feel free to recount their own experiences and their spiritual journey.”

The Pope invited us to ask ourselves if we are good at listening, if we allow others to express themselves. He said that the Holy Spirit is asking us to listen to the “questions, concerns, and hopes of every Church,” and to the challenges and changes presented by the world around us.”

“Let us not soundproof our hearts; let us not remain barricaded in our certainties,” he pleaded. Instead, “Let us listen to one another.”

Pope Francis during the celebration of the Mass
Pope Francis during the celebration of the Mass

Discern

Pope Francis insisted that “encounter and listening are not ends in themselves,” but must lead to discernment. “Whenever we enter into dialogue,” he explained, “we allow ourselves to be challenged, to advance on the journey.”

As with the rich young man, Jesus helps us to discern, “to look within” and to discover what God reveals to us, “to discern in that light” what our hearts “truly treasure.”

This “is a valuable lesson to us,” Pope Francis said, adding that “the Synod is a journey of spiritual discernment that takes place in adoration, in prayer, and in dialogue with the Word of God.”

A moment of the Mass to mark the start of. the Synodal process
A moment of the Mass to mark the start of. the Synodal process

Where God is leading us

In these days of the Synod, the Pope said, “Jesus calls us, as he did the rich man in the Gospel, to empty ourselves, to free ourselves from all that is worldly, including our inward-looking and outworn pastoral models; and to ask ourselves what it is that God wants to say to us in this time – and the direction in which He wants to lead us.”

“Let us have a good journey together,” Pope Francis said in conclusion. He expressed the hope that we might be “pilgrims in love with the Gospel and open to the surprises of the Spirit.” And he urged us  not to miss out “on the grace-filled opportunities born of encounter, listening, and discernment.”

2 comments:

TJM said...

I think Father Timothy Ferguson of England, sums up the raison d'etre of the Synod quite nicely:

“Gosh, isn’t it wonderful that we’ve done such a lousy job of things?! If we hadn’t failed so miserably over the last 70 years or so we’d still have lots of young priests and religious, lots of healthy Catholic marriages, full seminaries and Catholic schools, and governments willing to listen to the voice of the Church’s authority when it comes to making decisions that impact the lives of the faithful. Now, since we’ve thankfully botched things up so badly, we’re back to where we were in the times of the barbarians. Whew! I hope we continue to fail miserably until we get back to the catacombs and are a small, persecuted minority. Won’t that be wonderful?!”

TJM said...

Today is the anniversary of Pius XII's death. The Church has been in a downward trajectory since that time. Miserere mei Deus!