On the spirituality page of the Catholic Peace Weekly a priest writes about the need for the participants to the 16th World Bishops' Synod to speak their convictions in the Lord in his weekly column on the Synod.
While
the importance of humble listening was emphasized during the 16th World
Bishops' Synod journey, it received little attention for its relative
boldness.
Pope Francis lamented the rigid ways of meeting the synod from
the beginning. He pointed out that it is
against the spirit of the synod that those present at the synod assume
that the pope is thinking something different and do not speak according
to their conviction.
Through the first plenary session of the 14th World
Bishops Synod held in 2014, Pope Francis explicitly expressed his views
on speaking in accordance with the 'synodic' spirit. Pope Francis
emphasized during the synod that everything that the participants feel in the Lord should be said without hesitation.
The synod must therefore be conducted in an honest and positive atmosphere. Don't worry about how others will judge what you're trying to say, but speak clearly. You should not be afraid of anything you face in the synod meetings. Through this, synod participants face various real-world problems and encounter moments of anguish that we don't want to see. Be careful of the temptation to finish quickly because you have something else to do. During the Synod progress incomplete situations experienced during the synod should not be recognized only as discord and raptures. These little gaps allow the grace of the synod to come into our lives.
The synod must therefore be conducted in an honest and positive atmosphere. Don't worry about how others will judge what you're trying to say, but speak clearly. You should not be afraid of anything you face in the synod meetings. Through this, synod participants face various real-world problems and encounter moments of anguish that we don't want to see. Be careful of the temptation to finish quickly because you have something else to do. During the Synod progress incomplete situations experienced during the synod should not be recognized only as discord and raptures. These little gaps allow the grace of the synod to come into our lives.
Bold
speaking in the spirit of the synod provides an opportunity for leading
players in various fields to speak with sufficient freedom. This
reflects the understanding of God's people in the Second Vatican
Council. Specifically: "Laypeople, by reason of the knowledge, competence, or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, is permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on things that concern the good of the church.(Paragraph 37
of the Constitution of the Church)
To
speak courageously in accordance with the spirit of the synod is to
participate in the activity of the Holy Spirit, which unites members of
the church with their different thoughts, callings, and mission as one dynamic
subject. But in reality, this oneness in the synod processes is difficult
to experience. Rather, it seems that the tension encountered in synod
meetings more often leads to an atmosphere of contention.
Practical efforts are needed to proceed with the synod in an atmosphere
that is active, prudent, and without worry or anxiety while maintaining
tension.
For
this, Pope Francis' explanation of listening may be helpful ((The Joy
of Gospel」, paragraph 171). "We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply
hearing. Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which
makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter
cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right gesture and word
which shows that we are more than simply bystanders. Only through such
respectful and compassionate listening can we enter on the paths of true
growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian ideal: the desire to
respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what he has sown in
our lives. But this always demands the patience of one who knows full
well what Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us: 'that anyone can have grace and
charity, and yet falter in the exercise of the virtues because of
persistent contrary inclinations'. In other words, the organic unity of the virtues always and necessarily exists in habitu,
even though forms of conditioning can hinder the operations of those
virtuous habits. Hence the need for “a pedagogy which will introduce
people step by step to the full appropriation of the mystery”.
Reaching a level of maturity where individuals can make truly free and
responsible decisions calls for much time and patience. As Blessed Peter
Faber used to say: 'Time is God’s messenger' ".
