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Synod

- Synod
  
  In October of 2021, Pope Francis called for a Synod of Synodality. But what does that mean? Synod is a Greek word that literally means ‘on the same path. The Holy Father has asked the whole Church to ‘journey together’ on the same path in communion with one another. Together, we join with one another to listen to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and to prayerfully discern God’s will for us.
  
  Each diocese around the world is asked to participate in this process with a particular focus on the local parish and communities. Bishop Knestout wrote in the Catholic Virginian’s October 18, 2021 edition, “Our world, and sometimes even the Church, can seem divided along cultural, political, and economic lines. We experience division from one another because of our own selfishness and sinfulness. As a counter to this experience, synodality leads us to listen, speaking, accepting co-responsibility for participation in the process, discerning and deciding.”
  
  In 2023, all the bishops will gather together to discern, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the input of the local churches, how the Church can better journey together. Please pray for this process and that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the Church as the Holy Spirit has done throughout the centuries.
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- What is a Synod?
  
  What is Synodality? Synodality is the process of being Church, of journeying together, on the same path. It is how the Church has been Church from the beginning. Acts of the Apostles have several examples of Synodality as the people prayed together, listened to each other, prayed again, and discerned the right path for the Church.
  
  Synodality is prayerful. It is asking for the Holy Spirit to guide and be with us. It is listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is listening to the People of God. Hearing things in the context of our times and discerning the Holy Spirit’s plan for us as Church. It is about learning together, how we are to come together as a people in order to live out the mission of spreading the good news and living out the great commandment to love one another.
  
  Synodality denotes the particular style that qualifies the life and mission of the Church, expressing her nature as the People of God.
  
  We are called to journey together, as a pilgrimage together, called together by God to gather together in assembly summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. Synodality ought to be expressed in the Church’s ordinary way of living and working (from the International Theological Commission).
  
  Synodality is NOT a democratic process where the majority rules. It searches for the Common Good – what is best for every person.
  
  Synodality is about the wisdom of the whole community and not just the desire of the majority.
  
  It is NOT a corporate strategic process. It is a listening process where we listen humbly to others’ experiences, see our own experiences and theirs in the light of the Gospel, and come together as a community, accompanying one another on this faith journey with the Holy Spirit leading the way. However, the synodal process is not only about listening. It also includes time for prayer, reflection, and discernment to move toward a deeper understanding of what the church needs going forward.
  
  It is NOT only for those already involved nor an opportunity to push agendas or personal complaints. Pope Francis calls us to look to the margins, to see and hear those whose voices are not always heard, to welcome them, and to journey with them. He calls us to go to the periphery and to look from the periphery because we can see more from looking around from the outside. “You have to go to the edges of existence if you want to see the world as it is. I’ve always thought the world looks clearer from the periphery…” (Pope Francis from Let Us Dream, The Path to a Better Future).
  
  Mostly, this is a very prayerful, Spirit-led process.
  
  Please pray daily for this process, the guidance of the Holy Spirit upon our Church, and our journey together. The prayer for the Synod is below. It is a beautiful prayer, not just for the Synod but for how to live our lives as the People of God.