From Above? From Below?

A Catholic professor in the humanity department of a Catholic university writes about the Church in her column in the Catholic Peace Weekly as being like the soul of the world with the Synod on Synodality that will continue until next year.

There are times when she realizes what it is like to live as a Catholic. This is the case when people with different languages, customs, and cultures participate in the Eucharist together at a Mass held in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, even though they do not know the language. You can experience one faith, one Eucharist, and one church.
 
On the other hand, even though they are the same Catholic Church, they also know they are different from each other. The churches in Europe and Asia are different, and even within Asia, the situation within each country is so different that the methods of coping with it are bound to be different. So sometimes we ask if "one solution, one answer" is possible.
 
The hot issue in Catholic churches around the world right now is Synodalitas. Pope Francis said that the synodalitas journey is the path that the Lord expects from the 3rd-millennium church, and since then, churches around the world are moving along with synodalitas. Of course, the way each country responds to this will be different.
 
French theologian Yves Congar said that over the past 2,000 years, the church has repeatedly attempted reform, most of which began "from below" and "from the fringes". It is said that the reformation of the church was successful when the change that began through concrete life changes on the part of believers, religious, and clergy met with “a movement from above,” that is, with the magisterium. Of course, if it started “from above,” it succeeded when it met “movement from below.”

Synodalitas goes beyond the direction set forth by the Second Vatican Council and is greatly influenced by Pope Francis. And it seems that the characteristics of “from above” are more strongly revealed in that the ‘Vatican Synod’ is moving as the main axis and the local church must continue to cooperate and participate with their opinions. Perhaps this is why the local church complains of a kind of weariness.
 
Nevertheless, there are too precious motives and fruits that cannot be overlooked. In the first place, each local church, parish, diocese, or country, wanted to hear the voice of the people of God through the holding of a synod. It was to be a meeting of the whole people of God by doing so. In addition, how much joy, comfort, and hope the people of God experienced through the Synod is well shown in the ‘Work Documents by Continent’. Although the 'stimulus' came 'from above', it brought to the surface the diverse and lively voices and hopes of the people of God.
 
Some voices, of course, must be discussed at the level of the universal Church. But in fact, the different voices that come out of the various ecclesial communities are their treasures. It is our responsibility to create and develop our community based on these voices in our place of life, Korean society, parish, diocese, and each community. We don't just react to external stimuli, we actively use them. That is if the truth we discover is correct because of that stimulus.
 
What is clear is that the church that realizes synodalitas is a church in which clergy, religious, and laity enjoy equal dignity as children of God, are connected by brotherly love, respect each other's roles, and bear witness to Christ together. And this is the original spirit of the Catholic Church. Whether it is coming from above or coming from below what is important, is it precious, and necessary then can't we make it ours?