The Synodal Pathway and Our Parish
A few weeks ago Bishop Alan sent us a pastoral letter about the way in which every parish in the diocese will be involved in the process of feeding in views from parish to diocese, from diocese to Bishops’ Conference level, and from there to the Universal Church. When that letter was read, I said we would be hearing and doing more in the near future. Now is the time to think about how we will do this.
At the recent opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis outlined what he hoped would be the way forward for the Church. 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: 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 stories of others.
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.”
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.”
So what will we be doing in Aldeburgh and Leiston?
Last Wednesday evening I met with Rhona Lewis, Chris Quinn and Hugh de las Casas, and this is what we discerned as the way ahead for us.
On the weekend of 22/23 after the homily, Rhona, Chris and Hugh will speak about the ‘Synodal Pathway’
On the three following weekends, after each mass, you will be invited to stay behind to keep a prayerful silence and then speak and listen to one another about your concerns and hopes for the Church. There will also be an opportunity to look at the ten topics which form the questionnaire. We hope you will participate in person for these three weeks, and whether you do or not, we also hope that you will fill in the questionnaires. The outcome of the discussions and the responses to the questionnaire will be collated and forwarded to the diocese.
We felt that, rather than asking people to turn out on other occasions, to stay behind after mass would maximise our potential, and hope that you will join in as best you can.
Questionnaire for the Synodal Pathway is now available on-line. Just go our diocesan website. https://www.rcdea.org.uk/synodal-pathway/. You don’t have to give your name, and there are a number of language versions of the questionnaire. It won’t take long to complete, and I will make hard copies available as well. But please do not hurry to fill it in. There is plenty of time, we have until 8th March before our responses are to be submitted.
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.
A few weeks ago Bishop Alan sent us a pastoral letter about the way in which every parish in the diocese will be involved in the process of feeding in views from parish to diocese, from diocese to Bishops’ Conference level, and from there to the Universal Church. When that letter was read, I said we would be hearing and doing more in the near future. Now is the time to think about how we will do this.
At the recent opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis outlined what he hoped would be the way forward for the Church. 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: 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 stories of others.
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.”
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.”
So what will we be doing in Aldeburgh and Leiston?
Last Wednesday evening I met with Rhona Lewis, Chris Quinn and Hugh de las Casas, and this is what we discerned as the way ahead for us.
On the weekend of 22/23 after the homily, Rhona, Chris and Hugh will speak about the ‘Synodal Pathway’
On the three following weekends, after each mass, you will be invited to stay behind to keep a prayerful silence and then speak and listen to one another about your concerns and hopes for the Church. There will also be an opportunity to look at the ten topics which form the questionnaire. We hope you will participate in person for these three weeks, and whether you do or not, we also hope that you will fill in the questionnaires. The outcome of the discussions and the responses to the questionnaire will be collated and forwarded to the diocese.
We felt that, rather than asking people to turn out on other occasions, to stay behind after mass would maximise our potential, and hope that you will join in as best you can.
Questionnaire for the Synodal Pathway is now available on-line. Just go our diocesan website. https://www.rcdea.org.uk/synodal-pathway/. You don’t have to give your name, and there are a number of language versions of the questionnaire. It won’t take long to complete, and I will make hard copies available as well. But please do not hurry to fill it in. There is plenty of time, we have until 8th March before our responses are to be submitted.
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.
