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February 3, 2022Brothers and sisters,
Last October, Bishop Rojas opened the Diocesan Synod in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to a worldwide Synod of Bishops in 2023. At that time I shared with you some introductory information. In the weeks to come our Diocese and Parish will begin the work of the Synod through use of listening sessions. I will share with you in the coming weeks how we will take the steps to reach out, not only to the faithful of our parish, but to those who for whatever reason have left the practice of the Catholic faith. In the Gospel today, Jesus challenged Peter to cast wide the net for a catch. After Peter first hesitated, he finally trusted and did as Jesus invited him to do. It was only then that the nets were filled with a great number of fish. Let us never be afraid to trust Jesus, but have the courage to cast our nets wide to see what gifts God wants to share with us! Let us now learn a little more about the process.
The entire Catholic Church is called to participate in the upcoming Synod of Bishops. The Synod is entitled: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission”. Synod is a Greek word (synodos) meaning a meeting or assembly. The two Greek words that make up Synod are syn, meaning together, and hodos, meaning way or journey. Pope Francis has called the entire People of God to journey together. This Synod is not just another meeting with oral prese ntations and written reports. This Synod is a process of journeying together. As the Church, we will listen to each other, dialogue with each other, pray together, discern together and make decisions together for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Pope Francis is asking each local diocese to gather together the clergy, religious, and laity to first listen to each other’s joys and hopes, and griefs and anxieties.
After we listen to each other, we are called to dialogue together on ways we can accompany each other as we seek to grow in holiness. Listening and speaking within the Church always involves prayer. We are listening, dialoguing and praying together so that we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. The “goal” of this journeying together is not to create a new vision or pastoral plan with objectives. Rather, the goal of our journeying together is to be present with one another, to listen and learn with each other, and to grow closer to the Lord and His Church.
The Church journeying together in a Synod is an ancient practice of Christianity rooted in Scripture. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear about Peter and Paul being “welcomed by the church, as well as by the apostles and the presbyters” (Acts 15:4) to listen, discuss, and discern together how to reconcile Jewish and Gentile religious practices. It was after much listening, discussion, and prayerful silence listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit, did the early Church discern how to proclaim the Gospel to all people.
In September 2021, the Vatican released a Preparatory Document and Vademecum with questions for reflection for the Synod. They asked that dioceses throughout the world answer these questions to provide feedback on their local experience called the diocesan phase. This phase will go through July 2022 having the dioceses hold listening sessions to hear the voices of the people during this time.
As we make our necessary preparations, I ask that you ready your hearts to learn more about this process and participate when the times comes. This will ensure that, as we journey together, we will remain committed to casting our nets wide to see what new gifts God will give to our parish community, our local diocese and Catholic Church universal.
Let us together glorify Christ’s Holy Name!
Father Erik Esparza
