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MORE ON THE SYNOD AND US
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Two unconnected things surfaced in my mind today that I think relate closely to why I believe our participation in the upcoming Synod is important.
Some time ago I was in a counseling session with someone who was convinced that for most of their life no one had ever truly listened to them. It was an issue that would sometimes bubble up to the surface and cause emotional stress and sadness (and anger).
Recently I’ve been reading a theological work, a study on the Beatitudes. A line really impacted me with regard to the Synod. The author makes the observation that “…one’s own social location shapes how one responds to the Beatitudes.” In other words, the context of the Beatitudes is critical to understand, but our understanding will be conditioned by our own context. And so, she continues, “I’ve tried to be aware of my own [context], in part by seeking out voices unlike my own…”
This is the crucial concern for the Synod, from the point of view of Pope Francis. He wants the Synod in Rome in a couple of years to be the culmination of a long and serious process of true listening, not just “hearing” (think of Simon & Garfunkle’s “The Sound of Silence”). More than this, the Pope wants more involvement than “the usual suspects”— “Don’t limit yourself to those who come to church or think as you do…Let everyone come in… Go out to meet them, let them question you… Journey together…” “You may say to me: ‘Father, what do you mean? Are the poor, the beggars, young drug addicts, all those people that society discards, part of the Synod too?’ Yes, dear friends. …The Synod is for everyone, and it is meant to include everyone. …unless we include the ‘problem people’ of society, those left out, we will never be able to deal with our own problems.” We will need to seek out, to solicit, voices “unlike our own,” for the sake of clarity. That’s why we’ll be making participation in this process as wide-ranging as possible.
I’ll offer more of Pope Francis’ insights and desires down the line. Just know (which you do, if you heard my “Office Chat” either from Constant Contact or Our Savior’s Facebook page) that we will be taking participation seriously at Our Savior. For the entire “People of God” to be heard, the entire “People of God” need to speak.
