‘Synod’ means ‘walking together.’  So, by walking a journey together, we, as the Church, want to reflect and learn what can help us to live a deeper communion, to achieve fuller participation, to have greater openness to fulfil our mission in the world. The synodal path that Pope Francis opened last Sunday (10^th October 2021) wants to involve all of us in this journeying together.

Synodal Journey

Pope Francis invites us to reflect on the aspect of synodality as the path that God expects of the Church of the third millennium. The meaning of the journey is of discovering the face of a synodal Church, in which everyone, the faithful people, the college of bishops, the Pope: all listening to each other, and all listening to the Holy Spirit. In the light of the Word of God and united in prayer, we will be able to discern the pathways to which God leads us. Since the Church realizes that synodality is the path for the entire People of God, the Synodal Process is no longer only an assembly of bishops but a journey for all the faithful. This journey together embraces the entire family of humanity, together with our fellow Christian denominations and other faith traditions. This journey together will call on us to renew our mentalities and our ecclesial structures in order to live out God’s call for the Church amid the present signs of the times. Only a ‘journeying together,’ can bring together in unity the variety of gifts, charisms, and ministries, embracing all humankind, whose joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties we share, pursuing the good of all, thus becoming the ‘the universal sacrament of salvation.’

The theme of the Synod is “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.” The communion we share is rooted in the love and unity of the Trinity. Christ reconciles us to the Father and unites us with each other in the Holy Spirit. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out this union with God and reconciliation between one another. Participation: Through the gifts we have received from the Holy Spirit all are qualified and are called to serve one another. In the free and rich diversity of its members, including even those who feel excluded, all are called together to pray, listen, analyse, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions. Mission: The nature of synodality enables the Church to witness to the Gospel, especially with those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world.

Three levels on which synodality is articulated

 The synodal path is rooted in the concrete life of the People of God. “Journeying together” is already being experienced in our ordinary way of living, praying, celebrating and working, even if the term synodality is not known or used. Another level takes place within ecclesial structures and processes, taking into account theological and canonical dimensions, in which the synodal nature of the Church is expressed in an institutional way at the local, regional, and universal levels. Another level is the universal level of synod when convoked by the competent authority.

‘Journeying together’ can be understood from two different perspectives

The first perspective looks within the particular Churches, about the relationships between their constituent parts; between the Faithful and their Pastors, bishops and different parishes or other ecclesiastical bodies, the Bishops and the Pope. How does each particular Church integrate within itself the various forms of vocations, movements and ecclesial and ecclesiastical institutions of various kinds like schools, hospitals, universities, foundations, charitable and assistance organizations, etc. What are the relationships and common initiatives with other Christian denominations? The second perspective considers how we journey together with the entire human family reflecting on our relations, dialogue, and possible common initiatives with believers of other religions, with people who are distant from the faith, as well as with specific social environments and groups, with their institutions (the world of politics, culture, economics, finance, labor, trade unions, and business associations, non-governmental and civil society organizations, popular movements, minorities of various kinds, the poor and the excluded, etc.). The spirit of synodality, I am sure, also motivates us to journey together with water creatures, animals, plants, and birds listening to their voices also.

Ten Thematic nuclei are given to reflect how synodality could be lived in our own different local contexts.

1. Who are our journeying companions in our local Church and in society? When we say: “our Church,” who is part of it? What persons or groups are left on the margins? 2. Listening requires an open mind and heart. Whom do we usually listen to? Whom do we need to listen to? What space is there for the voice of minorities, the discarded, and the excluded? Are we able to identify prejudices and stereotypes that hinder our listening? How do we listen to the social and cultural context in which we live? 3. Speaking out happens only in integrating freedom, truth, and charity. How do we promote an atmosphere of communication free of duplicity and opportunism? How does the relationship with the media system (not only Catholic media) work? Who speaks on behalf of the Christian community, and how are they chosen? 4. “Journeying together” is only possible if it is based on together listening to the Word and the celebration of the Eucharist. How do prayer and liturgical celebration inspire and direct our “journeying together” and inspire the most important decisions? 5. All are co-responsible in the mission supporting its members committed to service in society (social and political commitment, in scientific research and teaching, in the promotion of social justice, in the protection of human rights, and in caring for the Common home, etc.)? Where there are different independent churches coexisting, is there collaboration in mission or we have competitions? 6. Dialogue in church and society is a path of gathering the experience of peoples. How are divergences of vision, the conflicts, the difficulties addressed? What experiences of dialogue and shared commitment do we have with believers of other religions and with non-believers? 7. We address our relations with the other Christian denominations. What fruits have we drawn from this “journeying together”? What are the difficulties? 8. How is authority exercised within our particular Church? What are the practices of participation and co-responsibility? 9. In a synodal style, decisions are made through discernment based on a consensus that flows from the common obedience to the Spirit. what are the procedures and methods we discern together and make decisions? 10.  For us today, this journeying together is a learning process of formation of the human person and of the Christian, of the families, and of the communities. How do we form people, especially those who hold roles of responsibility within the Christian community, to make them more capable of journeying together, listening to one another and engaging in dialogue? What formation do we offer for discernment and the exercise of authority? we need to be familiar with many tools that can help us to understand the dynamics of the culture in which we are immersed and their impact on our style of Church?

Avoiding pitfalls

1) The temptation of wanting to lead ourselves instead of being led by God. Synod is a spiritual process that is led by the Holy Spirit. Our humble efforts of organization and coordination are at the service of God who guides us on our way. 2) The temptation to focus on ourselves and only our immediate concerns. What is God’s plan for the Church here and now? How can we implement God’s dream for the Church on the local level? 3) The temptation to only see “problems.” Fixating on the problems will only discourage us. Instead of focusing only on what is not going well, let us appreciate where the Holy Spirit is generating life and see how we can let God work more fully. 4) The temptation of focusing only on structures. The Synodal Process will naturally call for a renewal of structures at various levels of the Church. The conversion and renewal of structures will come about only through the on-going conversion and renewal of all the members of the Body of Christ. The experience of synodality should focus on the experience of journeying together to discern the path forward, inspired by the Holy Spirit. 5) The temptation not to look beyond the visible confines of the Church. A Synodal Process is a time to dialogue with people from the worlds of economics and science, politics and culture, arts and sport, the media and social initiatives. It will be a time to reflect on ecology and peace, life issues and migration … to fulfil our mission in the world. 6) The temptation to lose focus of the objectives of the Synodal Process. No one Synodal Process is going to resolve all our concerns and problems. Synodality is an attitude and an approach of moving forward in a co-responsible way that is open to welcoming God’s fruits together over time. 7) The temptation of conflict and division. It is vain to try to impose one’s ideas on the whole Body through pressure or to discredit those who feel differently. 8) The temptation to treat the Synod as a kind of a parliament in which in order to govern one side must defeat the other. It is contrary to the spirit of synodality to antagonize others or to encourage divisive conflicts that threaten the unity and communion of the Church. It is also against the synod to polarise to promote one’s ideologies. 9) The temptation to listen only to those who are already involved in Church activities. This approach may be easier to manage, but it ultimately ignores a significant proportion of the People of God.

Synod is intended to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands for our common mission.

Spirit prays within

The inmost cries long for words,
what do they cry out for?
The Spirit knows them beyond words,
and reach them to their fountains.
Let our prayers reach to the inmost depths,
where Spirit makes our cries his own.

Be free

Sabbath to be a day of rest and to be meant for religious duties was a view of the Priestly tradition. Jesus, following the Deuteronomic tradition, understood Sabbath as the experience of being set free. Untying and freeing of yoke were also suggested by prophets as part of true meaning of fasting.

We are in fact afraid of freedom. Though unknowingly we like to be under bondages. We enjoy the safety of such bondages and give noble and pious forms to them. Then they become sacred and unquestionable. One of such favoured burden is a guilty conscience and guilt culture we live in. We cannot hold hope when protected by guilt and fear, and it explains how we fail in our true Christian living.

“The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’”

Let me see again

Look a bit deeper into the eyes of the other,
the merciful eyes that seek your kindness.
"Lord, let me see again."

Dream to be alive!

The fig tree in the parable Lk 13: 6-9 just grew where it was rooted. There was sunlight, water, nutrients ... and the fig tree was happy about it. But it had to dream about what it was meant to be. 

In the beginning there was dream and everything came to be. We too share the same dream. A ladder, pyramid, or a pillar may be symbolising our desire to ascend to the divine presence above. Yet, some others go deep inside caves to connect to the interior divine power. Whether it is above or within the human conscience want to make a meeting point with the divine. We do receive responses that guide us. These responses touch us deeply in our ‘mortal’ bodies. We can understand St Paul’s presentation of mortal body – spiritual body, physical man – spiritual/inner man, only when we get the difference between the life without grace and the life in the freedom of grace. “Body may be dead,” because it is not producing any fruit of grace. What we produce is sin, and then the grace may be seen as external. Once we are willing to live, grace, in fact, wells up from within. There is the seed of grace, the fountain of grace inside of us. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.” If the life devoid of grace produces death and sin, the life welling up grace will produce fruits of Christ.

Dream to be alive!

Being in the present, can you interpret it?

Generally, we are good people, and we all have good will. But, we know that it does not reflect always in our words, attitudes, and actions. We know what to do, and what should have been done, but it does not happen. Is it because everyone does in the other way?

Doing good is not just some deeds of goodness. It also includes our desire to behave well, accept others, be patient, tolerate, maintain peace, ensuring growth. Etc. Some time, we may be lacking courage to do the good that is to be done. That first daring may free us for moving in the right direction. Perhaps we are ashamed of ourselves. Am I to do the good works? I am unworthy to do that. Ask for the embrace of God to feel the worth of ourselves. If we are envious, it may put us into competition and desire to defeat. It will not allow us to walk a humble path in relationships. If we are dominated by ego we will lack the freedom to do good even if want to.

A plant which has less water and nutrition surely lacks the capacity for growth, flowering and fruition. When we lack life, personally or as a society, we too will not be able to express the signs of life. I want to live to the full, but just can’t. Life will show its early signs of where we are moving towards. It will show our good orientations and freedom to do good, or our irritation, suspicion, prejudices and competitive spirit that hinder our doing good. 'Be in  the present' is a familiar phrase for us, But are we able to interpret it well? Interpret these signs as early as possible, sense the richness or the needs, make our efforts, trust in the Lord.  Our interpretation shapes the attitudes not only of ours, but of the whole of our generation. Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Struggle of the living

If we are dead, we cannot be sensitive to what happens. There will be decay, worms around. We cannot act. If we are alive, we are able to respond. Gracelessness or lifelessness can keep us fine with wickedness. Life and grace bring its struggles too. We cannot nourish grace and live a Christian life with exclusion and inequality. Only if we have grace within us, we will have the fire burning within. Ensuring the freedom of the children of God necessitates the hunger and thirst for justice. Even peacemakers have to struggle against false peace and ensure life. Fr. Stan Sami could have a peaceful death if he could be silent on miseries. Jesus could have died as a great Jewish sage just preaching nice things.

Waiting for the master

Unknown is the hour that someone needs Christ. Be ready, those coming near to you beg of you to open your richness. The gift of grace overweighs the fall. We are habituated to mourn over the fall being blind to the abundance of grace. The gift itself is a task and a challenge. Gift of grace challenges us to live like Christ at every moment of our life.

"Here in this person, I experienced the mercy and compassion of God. I know that Christ lives."
The master comes to you in the one who seeks the tenderness of Christ in you.

St Luke

Luke pictured a compassionate Christ, Christ who welcomes and belongs to everyone, a merciful healer, but pained as any child on earth, Christ who let himself be touched by the sick, women and children.

Drink the cup that I must drink

We have been on the way with Jesus in his journey to Jerusalem. He revealed to us who he is, enquired about what we think about him, taught us how to be a disciple. He also told us that he had to suffer. Now as nearing Jerusalem, he is clearer how he is going to suffer and die. “Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again” (Mk 10:33, 34).

As happened at the time of the previous predictions, here too there is a misunderstanding. As nearing Jerusalem, perhaps, the disciples expect the reestablishment of Israel and the Messiah being seated at the throne of David. James and John come forward asking for privileged positions in the kingdom.

In his reply to the disciples, we can feel the tender and gentle heart of Jesus in teaching them the depth of discipleship. Jesus speaks of the very purpose and meaning of his life as a life not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10: 45). He knew very well how authority and power can become an exploitative system. Abusive use of authority blind us against the reality of people, history and culture. We will turn deaf to the voice of God and cry of humanity. When Jesus says, “among you this is not to happen,” it is his desire about the quality of disciples, his vision of the Church and the nature of the kingdom of God. “You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt (Mk 10: 43).

Journey further is rather difficult. “Can you drink the cup that I must drink?” Jesus asks each of us. It is even difficult and dangerous to walk with him. God chose to be a friend, and servant to the least in the society. Freedom, power and blessings were the privileges of the few. Jesus exercised his power to raise others to the dignity of the children of God. The suffering and humiliation Jesus underwent was unavoidable from the day he proclaimed liberty to captives and the year of the Lord’s favour. Like the master, every disciple is called to make all share the joy of the kingdom of God. It demands that we forgo our tendencies to be a little ruler in the way we can. The more we come near to the sacrificial self-emptying the deeper is the challenge to discard the power to rule, command and control.

“Can you drink the cup that I must drink?” Jesus asks. If we say, yes, we need to first remind ourselves that our life is not for preserving for itself but to be given for the life of many. Then, concerning others “I” must be a servant of all. About our purpose and meaning “I” must be a life giving sacrifice in my life, prayer, work, decisions. This cup gently discourages us from our imaginations of the royal rule of Christendom. “Among you this is not to happen” also invites us to erase many military terminologies like war, weapon, attack, crusade… from our expressions of spirituality and faith. Even unknowingly such symbolism should not dictate a style of belief which Jesus never imagined.

The cup that Jesus had to drink was not simply that of physical or mental suffering. It was at the challenge of abandoning himself to be the life giving sacrifice in his living, speaking, and in dying. The self-emptying was there when he embraced the excluded and the neglected. Healing, raising and even challenging involved an emptying of self, giving of life. Cross itself is an outcome of his generous love. His suffering would merely be an injury inflicted by an unjust system. But offering of his life to give life for many turns his mental and physical injuries into wine and oil of healing, care, comfort and accompaniment.

“Can you drink the cup that I must drink?”

Where is the key?

The aim of the harsh sayings of Jesus  addressing the Pharisees and lawyers was that they would  remould themselves to the freedom of the children of God. It also calls to introspect their approach regarding laws and customs which were really meant to open the richness of life.

They had the key, they had the knowledge of the Law and the power to interpret. They used the key to close the richness against the people of God. Power of interpretation with bad intention will formulate patterns of customs to exploit people.

Do we use the key to open or to close. Do our faith, religious customs, devotions ...  ensure justice and love of God in persons, society, and in different systems we are engaged in.

What does it profit for a man if he does all religious customs perfectly and loses his soul?

N Fan

Don't be a crazy religious fan of anyone.
We might chose to believe the lies they say than the truth we ourselves might know.
Hero worship is not religious faith.

What should have been done!

When rituals loses their sacredness, they are like honouring scarecrows, seeking revelations from dry wood. It can happen with any of our religious rituals however noble and great they are.

If Jesus asked his people to begin a great annual sacrifice they would be very happy. Sacrifices without self-emptying has no life in it. Jesus wanted justice and love of God to form the pattern of our life.

Mostly the popular religious figures are famous for the 'religiosity' they uphold and spread. They are easy, and can hide us from many of our responsibilities in the name of godliness. Those who have money can better do these 'offerings.' They feel themselves justified by the things they have fulfilled.

In our observances, devotions, religiosity... have we overlooked justice and the love of God?

Sign greater than Jonah

Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, and they repented. They listened to a strange man. But what was the base for their repentance? They were not given the Ten commandments, and they were not part of the Covenant. So if they had to change their hearts what did they change from? It had nothing to do with a  conversion in any 'religious' sense. It was turning away from evil ways, ways of cruelty, injustice and injustice. They cried out to 'god' asking for their life. 

There was a sign greater than Jonah, but they did not repent. Jesus was the sign, not any single miracle, healing, or even death or resurrection taken separately. The sign of Jesus asks us to repent, first to recognize that we are the children of God. There is growth, responsibilities, maturity along with weaknesses and failures. So, to repent is to be open to the Father as his children and trust in his grace. We may have sinned, but our identity is not a 'sinner.' We may have named so, but Jesus has not done it for anyone.

One obstacle to our repentance may be our feeling of ourselves as a holy, selected people, and condemning others to be sinners. There is no need of repentance for 'me.' Thus we lose the freedom of the children and close ourselves within hard shells of our certainties we create for God. If we repent, our repentance welcomes all because all are children of God. Can we make an attempt to pray for a few people whom we really don't like? Christian charity and repentance demand that. Can we be open to the good news spoken by the 'other'?

Wisdom for the Rich Young Man

It would have been really good if we were able to know what is real and true, and the real intentions of people around. We would be happy and successful if we were able to make right decisions and choices. Wisdom guides us to search for the will of God in all things and act accordingly as sincerely as possible. 

For a righteous and godly living, we need the gift of wisdom. Wisdom is closely related with the gift of knowledge. By knowledge we come to know reality even when it is hidden, or when there is confusion and chaos, or when we are trapped to cunningness of others. Knowledge also helps us to know God’s will and plan. Wisdom gives us a direction to our life especially in a specific context according to the knowledge we have received. Wisdom guides us when and how the truth known to be responded to or acted upon according to the will of God. When wisdom is put to use, a “knowing” truth turns into a skill of insight and putting God’s Word to work. Wisdom guards and shapes us into a man or woman of God by possessing the skill of using truth in a generative and fruitful manner. Knowledge without wisdom can make us intolerant and we might do damage with the truth we possess. Wisdom helps us to understand the truth within the providence and mercy of God, and be at peace and serenity. A life of wisdom ultimately results in a life that gives glory to God. 

The word of wisdom or utterance of wisdom or teaching of wisdom also has a prophetic function with the goal of guiding others toward a life of holiness and worship. Wisdom enables us to speak, teach, instruct and counsel others in compassion, and interpret their life in clarity towards the fullness of life. It leads us to practicing righteousness. 

Wisdom guides the society too giving light to the social conscience. It reveals the truth about time, its challenges, conflicts and struggles. We learn how to go about according to what God wants. We have many examples from the life and teaching of Jesus, how he was guided by wisdom. In wisdom, he had to dishonour some conventional practices and accepted values. Many of the lawful signs of blessings, like richness, were interpreted to secure the unjust practices that maintained the status of the privileged. Jesus discerned those so-called blessings as having no value in the kingdom. 

Rich young man makes his entry calling Jesus as ‘good master,’ seemingly for an approval of his own greatness. He was perfect in following the laws. But the lawful richness was a hindrance for him to enter the kingdom, just as the righteousness of the Pharisee in the temple was a hindrance to see someone crying out for God’s mercy. Being religious does not necessarily make a disciple. Rich young man was lacking something like the rich man who was blind towards Lazarus. 

Of course, the poor are invisible, they are seen as unworthy burden on the public purse. In their struggle to survive they are exploited. Though it is lawful to have wealth and richness, the self-centred storing of wealth necessarily creates poverty, injustice, hunger, and inequality. According to the law, it was not necessary for the rich man to share his wealth, it was not necessary for the priest and Levite to attend to the wounded at the roadside. They were disabled to see how the law should guide them. In fact, there they lacked wisdom. Therefore, today we need to reflect more on a globalisation of solidarity and fraternity if globalisation in the level of economy left many uncared. Who owns and has the benefit of increased wealth, fast developments, amazing infrastructures… 

Wisdom guides us to see and act within an integral whole, for the common good and fulfillment of all. The saying of Jesus to the rich young man is today for the individuals, nations, organisations, and global corporates. They do act legally and perfectly following every commandment from the beginning. They keep Jesus too in good records in a very religious manner. Jesus would say, you lack something, sell your richness, share the benefits of developments and technology with the poor, and follow me. Justice, and righteousness according to God's will makes a disciple. Will it make you sad? May wisdom keep us in the path of God.

Hallowed be your name

Prayer is a pattern of life more than a religious activity. Jesus taught the prayer 'Our Father...' saying, "when you pray, pray like this." Anyone who sincerely pray the Our Father  will be a person "of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, relenting from evil." That is how God's name is glorified and His kingdom is established.

The Old covenant bond was "I am your God and you are my people." The New Testament bond is "God is our Father and we are all God's children" We cannot show our love for the Father by hating or desiring the destruction of any of the brothers and sisters.