INTRODUCTION TO THE SYNOD
Taking part in the Synodal Journey
As you know Pope Francis has invited every member of the Church to take part in a synodal journey leading to the Synod of Bishops he is holding later next year. The word “synodal” comes from a Greek word meaning “journeying together.” It recognises that the whole Church is on a pilgrim journey of faith together on earth until we meet the Lord face to face. Pope Francis is asking us to think about what this journey is like. He is asking us to prayerfully reflect on our experience of sharing in the life of the Church under three titles: communion, participation and mission. Over these next few weeks we will be invited to speak with one other about the life of our Church and as we listen to one another to discern what God is saying to us and where God may indeed be leading us into the future.
As you know Pope Francis has invited every member of the Church to take part in a synodal journey leading to the Synod of Bishops he is holding later next year. The word “synodal” comes from a Greek word meaning “journeying together.” It recognises that the whole Church is on a pilgrim journey of faith together on earth until we meet the Lord face to face. Pope Francis is asking us to think about what this journey is like. He is asking us to prayerfully reflect on our experience of sharing in the life of the Church under three titles: communion, participation and mission. Over these next few weeks we will be invited to speak with one other about the life of our Church and as we listen to one another to discern what God is saying to us and where God may indeed be leading us into the future.
PRAY - REFLECT - PARTICIPATE
PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD
We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.
All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.
as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.
All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.
We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat... are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.
- Pope Francis, Statio Orbis Homily, 27th March 2020
- Pope Francis, Statio Orbis Homily, 27th March 2020
KEY WORDS
The theme of the Synod is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The three dimensions of the theme are communion, participation, and mission. These three dimensions are profoundly interrelated. They are the vital pillars of a Synodal Church. There is no hierarchy between them. Rather, each one enriches and orients the other two. There is a dynamic relationship between the three that must be articulated with all three in mind.
COMMUNION
By his gracious will, God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through the covenant that he offers to his people. The communion we share finds its deepest roots in the love and unity of the Trinity. It is Christ who reconciles us to the Father and unites us with each other in the Holy Spirit. Together, we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, through the living Tradition of the Church, and grounded in the sensus fidei that we share. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out God’s call for his people.
PARTICIPATION
A call for the involvement of all who belong to the People of God – laity, consecrated and ordained – to engage in the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another. This listening creates space for us to hear the Holy Spirit together, and guides our aspirations for the Church of the Third Millennium. Participation is based on the fact that all the faithful are qualified and are called to serve one another through the gifts they have each received from the Holy Spirit. In a synodal Church the whole community, in the free and rich diversity of its members, is called together to pray, listen, analyse. dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God's will. Genuine efforts must be made to ensure the inclusion of those at the margins or who feel excluded.
MISSION
The Church exists to evangelize. We can never be centred on ourselves. Our mission is to witness to the love of God in the midst of the whole human family. This Synodal Process has a deeply missionary dimension to it. It is intended to enable the Church to better witness to the Gospel, especially with those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world. In this way, synodality is a path by which the Church can more fruitfully fulfil her mission of evangelization in the world, as a leaven at the service of the coming of God’s kingdom.
