Ordinary 7

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Samuel 26: 2, 7-9; 12-13, 22-23; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38

A few weeks ago I presented some statistics about our Diocesan Church and offered observations of parish life after 37 years as a priest. I envisioned that we are in a time when I believe the people need to “mind”, that is, care for and nurture, the Church. This “minding” will lead the people into the future where you can become equal partners with the clergy in caring for and being responsible for the life of the Church.

In response to that homily a number of parishioners said to me, “Just tell us what you need Father”. This response, given with the best of intentions, is revealing. Note how clergy oriented it is. “Father, what do you need”.  There is an aspect of paternalism about the comment: “You tell us”. This response reflects that the role of the people is to serve and work at the behest of the clergy following the adage that the people are to “pray, pay and obey”. The Second Vatican Council though began a shift in how all the baptized are to view ourselves as Church; a shift from a top down, clergy oriented structure to a Christ centered, Spirit guided Church in and through all of its members with which we are struggling with and will struggle with for a long time to come.

While “minding” the Church does include volunteering, participating in liturgical ministries, pastoral outreach, social justice activities and advocacy for the least among us; it more fundamentally must include from every member: a vibrant life of prayer, an openness to the often unsettling movements of the Holy Spirit, the willingness and courage to speak up for the common good, and shared leadership and authority.

The vision proffered will take a long time to come to fruition but like a huge merchant ship on the ocean which doesn’t turn on a dime; it begins with a first turn of the rudders. Or like the builders of the great gothic cathedrals, those who broke ground for the foundations of these magnificent buildings know they would never see them completed. Yet they forged ahead in hope and daring.

So Pope Francis is making the first turn of the rudder; is pushing his foot on the spade and breaking hard earth for a foundation and inviting us to participate.

In October of 2021, Francis called the Church to a multi-year process called a “synod”. A “synod” is a gathering in which the church discerns what truth the Holy Spirit is teaching and where we are being led as a multi–cultural universal community.

The word “synod” means “journeying together”. It was adopted in the early Church to refer to gatherings of bishops from a particular region to pray, discuss and resolve issues and problems that were too significant to be dealt with by any one bishop. Such gatherings acknowledged that the Holy Spirit speaks through the gathered community of believers not through any one person.

SIDEBAR: Our doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope, understood properly, is not the Spirit speaking through one person, but one acknowledged person confirming what has already been revealed within the body of the Church by the Holy Spirit.

We first see this synodal process in the Acts of the Apostles in what is known as the Council of Jerusalem [Acts 15:1ff]. That council is revelatory for us.  It discussed questions raised in regard to whether ritual circumcision and kosher restrictions should be imposed on Gentile Christians. In other words, do you need to become Jewish to become Christian? After discussion and prayer about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, these core aspects of Jewish identity were abandoned. Talk about turning a ship in another direction! But that decision was made I expect in the midst of heated, heartfelt discussions and intense listening. The letter send to the Gentile Christians of Antioch teaches us much. They wrote: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond necessities…” Note, the Church confirms the decision of the Holy Spirit not the other way around. This process is called discernment. Insight and guidance on this way of listening to the Holy Spirit was given to us by Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

What Francis, a descendant of Saint Ignatius, is inviting the entire Church to participate in is not a one-time event but a very ancient and Spirit filled way of “being” Church for the future. The Orthodox Churches have kept this form of governance, regions of Western bishops have always met to discuss significant issues as does bi-annually the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the New York State Conference of Bishops. But Francis is including the entire Church. Francis’ desire is that we become a SYNODAL Church at all levels: a praying Church which is attuned to the Holy Spirit grounded in first listening to each other.

Listening with an open heart is a hallmark of Francis’ papacy because listening is the foundation of all dialogue. To listen without prejudice is to begin to understand another person’s experience. From understanding blossoms hope, reconciliation, and shared responsibility. Understanding doesn’t mean we will always agree with each other but it does allow us to walk together.

This return to a synodal process of discernment and decision making is presently beginning at the diocesan level throughout the world. Each diocese is being asked to hold meetings as broadly as possible to honestly consult and listen to the concerns of the People of God. Particularly important are the voices of the poor, the marginalized and excluded people of society and the Church.

On Easter Tuesday, 19 April 2022, Saint Mary’s Parish will host such a gathering for our vicariate region of Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie Counties. Here is a clear example of what I mean by “minding” the Church. Every Catholic Christian is invited to pray, listen to each other and speak up for the common good.

Now it must clearly be understood that the synodal process is not a democratic process. This gathering is not to express a majority rule or to be used as a gripe session. It is a process to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church and where the Spirit is leading us. Our Master and Teacher will always be Jesus Christ speaking through the Spirit to the Church. Jesus in his final talk with his disciples said: “If I go, I will send the Holy Spirit to you. [For] I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when the Spirit comes, the Spirit will guide you to all truth. The Spirit will not speak on her own but will speak what is heard…” [John 16 7b, 12-13]

If listening is at the heart of the synodal process, what voices do we need to listen to as a Church?

Regrettably, the clergy will meet separately from the laity. I find that this works against the synodal process. Why shouldn’t you, the people, hear what is on the minds of the clergy? I guess it will take time to detach ourselves from a solely clerical oriented Church.

But to prime the pump then, issues that concern me and that I will bring forward include:

• Listening to Catholics who have experienced divorce and remarriage. How do we seek together a more gracious process for healing than the present juridical annulment process and the exclusionary discipline of not receiving Holy Communion? How do we balance the teaching of Genesis and Jesus on marriage with an imperfect world?.

• We need to listen to the experience of gay and transgender people to move beyond the judgement, prejudice, violence and pain of trans and gay people. We may need to reflect on whether the Sacrament of Marriage can be broadened.

• We need to listen to people’s experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. How can this Sacrament be celebrated in ways alongside the private practice 7th century Irish missionaries have bequeathed to us to reflect the communal aspects of sin and the baptismal character of the Church.

• We need to listen to the experience of women who have lived for centuries in a predominately male oriented Church and society. This must lead us to the issue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and a full shared authority among all the members of the Church.

• We need to listen to the experience of people and particularly the younger members of our Church who are leaving. Why are they leaving? What insights can we ascertain from them?

The synodal process centers on listening to the Holy Spirit speaking through each other. It is a messy process. Authority from on high is easier. It is always easier to have someone else make the hard decisions releasing us from the difficult work and responsibility of reflection and discernment.

I strongly encourage you to pray, to check our website under SYNOD ‘23, to reflect on your experience in the Catholic Church and to consider attending our regional meeting. This is one way in which you can “mind” – care for and nurture the Church.