‘The Church is Christ’s!’: How to respond to the Synod on Synodality

When our Holy Father Pope Francis initiated the Synod on Synodality in October 2021, many gasped. Others cheered. All were interested in digging deeper: what is being discussed, who is influencing decisions made, would fundamental Catholic Church teachings be rendered null and void, would heretical doctrines be newly enforced as “inspired by the Holy Spirit” and done in a spirit of “accompaniment”? This, and much more, we the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church are thinking and anticipating finding out sooner rather than later.

Where does this all leave us, though? For many, anxious, worried, afraid and distrustful. For others, hopeful, excited, enthusiastic and zealous.

Whichever of these two ends of the spectrum you fall into, the question of the day is this:

How do we respond to the ongoing Synod on Synodality which aims to conclude in October 2024 and foster “communion, participation, and mission“?

Prayer

Our Holy Father Pope Francis himself states: “Without prayer, there is no Synod.” As the current Synod-2023 small-group discussions are entitled “Conversations in the Spirit”, this points us in the direction of 1) conversing directly with our Lord daily and 2) invoking the Holy Spirit on ourselves, all synodal participants and influencers, and repeating this conversationally spiritual formula daily.

Through the entirety of the Synod-2023 and Synod-2024, strive to pray or, better yet, sing the Veni Sancte Spiritus (“Come Holy Ghost”), the Sequence hymn sung on Pentecost Sunday. Pray it daily for all synodal participants, influencers, and voting members, to be imbued with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The English version of the prayer is here. Set a phone reminder for a suitable time of day you can pray the three-minute Veni Sancte Spiritus daily.

Following these three minutes, note that it is not a coincidence that the ongoing Synod is taking place during the month of the Most Holy Rosary. So, devote time each day to pray with this weapon of our times specifically for the discussions and eventual outcome of the Synod on Synodality. An easy way to pray the Rosary right away is to bookmark the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary with His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, set a phone reminder with the link to the 24-minute prayer, and recite it at your favourable time of day. 

With these two weapons, you would have devoted 27 divine minutes of your day growing in Godfidence!

Learning. 

Rightly ordered learning. What is the history of synods in the Catholic Church’s past? Which topics were traditionally discussed? Who are the usual types of participants assigned to deliberate on and influence the Holy Father’s decisions on the matters at hand? How does this ongoing Synod of Synodality compare with former meetings to address hot-button issues like priestly celibacy, women deacons, or gay marriage? 

Take, for example, the mid 16th-century Council of Trent, which defined authentic Catholic doctrine, reformed abuses and errors in the Church and affirmed traditional Church teachings. Given the fact that the ongoing Synod of Bishops’ voting members consist of 27 per cent whom are non-bishops, this begs the question: Have any previously held synods ever had voting members who were non-bishops? 

Additionally, personally review documents, such as the Instrumentum Laboris, which will be covered during this Synod-2023 to see, first-hand, what the general flow of discussions will look like. Lastly, get a general idea of what modules the synodal participants are examining each week this month. 

As you learn the history and essence of synods as a whole, keep in mind this poignant statement by Saint Edith Stein:

“Do not accept anything as truth that lacks love and do not accept anything as love that lacks truth. One without the other is a destructive lie.”

Thus, our rightly ordered learnings about synods will unearth the fact that they should journey forward within tradition and not away from tradition. We cannot truly love without being truthful.

Boundaries

Think back to the 2020 pandemic and the constant influx of “credible” news updates reporting on the spiking mortality rates. Who knows which news source’s numbers were actually accurate? What effect did the barrage of news reports have on our anxiety levels? How did the live news status updates affect our resolve to keep our gazes on Our Lord? Do you see where I’m headed? 

The only way to stay detached from the undulating wave of synodal progress reports is to know when to simply switch off. Identify what exactly that means for you. Is it going to be a maximum of five minutes spent to read main headlines online on set days of the week, and then directing your attention elsewhere? The decision is up to you.

Lack of news uptake boundaries means giving into undue curiosity – staying glued to every news website and social media analysis and comment sections wars – which not only kills the cat but also the peace of the Holy Spirit within you.

Thus, try out setting a set day, time and duration you will now spend absorbing synodal news updates. Abide by it. You will testify as to the difference it will make in your sense of hope, peace and focus on real life happening right before you.

Hope

No matter how conversations from Synod-2023 end and eventual decisions from our Holy Father Pope Francis are made, this fact remains and will never ever change: The Catholic Church belongs to Jesus Christ.

Irrespective of decisions made at this ongoing global assembly, the Church is Christ’s! 

Christ reigns!

He is in control.

Christ the King wins this war!

So, let us heed the wise and timely words of good Saint Padre Pio:

“Pray, hope, and do not worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

Let us fervently pray, properly learn, effectively set boundaries, and hope against hope in order to keep our gazes on Our Eucharistic Lord, maintain our peace, and be well-informed hopeful Catholics who will never leave Holy Mother Church. Not now. Not ever!

(Delegates attend before the opening of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, at Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican, on October 5, 2023| Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)

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