The Synod started with local groups of any interested persons gathered to pray and discuss their experiences in and concerns about the Catholic Church. The comments were recorded and summarized as well as possible and handed on to levels which represent larger areas; diocese, country and now (early 2023) continent. Links are provided at the end of the post for articles with some details about particular continental meetings.
Bishop Daniel Flores is in charge of the US Synodality process and from the North American Continental writing retreat expressed his experiences so far in an interesting article from Vatican News. Among many things, he said the local churches have done a good job and should continue with synodality.
In my second post on Synod 21-24, I wrote about my own local Diocese summary, which reported confusion about the mission of the Church itself. Many thought it was to carry out works of mercy, where others said we should get back to the basics of declaring the Gospel. As I reflected on this outcome, I thought of the situation described in the Bible in the Book of Acts, where members of the young Church were living together. It starts in Acts 6 (NABRE):
1 At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. 3 Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, 4 whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the holy Spirit… [goes on to name others].
The Twelve in verse 2 were 11 original apostles plus Matthias, added after Judas died. Some call this scene the beginning of the Diaconate, but in any case, the passage shows a distinction between designation of activities in the community. And yet, it did not take long for Stephen to show his wisdom in the things he said, and when questioned by authorities, went into a long discourse which ended in describing Christ as the “righteous one” proclaimed by the prophets (Acts 6:8-7:53). He was immediately killed but is now revered as the first Christian martyr.
The apostles, on their part, told people everything they could about Jesus Christ but also did healings and other “signs,” as described in Acts. The apostles healed persons “outside” the Christian Church, Jews and Gentiles who had never heard of Christ. Many who experienced and / or saw the signs became Christians, not just because of the miracles but because of hearing the truth of Who Christ is and what He did.
What is my point? Though individuals may have certain gifts and bring them to an organized group, the primary purpose of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel, to evangelize. Even those who “serve at table” are called to also “say the Word.” Though helping others is a necessary part of Church activity, it is no excuse to avoid proclaiming the Messiah. And evangelizing does not stop those with that gift from helping others when circumstances call for it.
As they should, the Continental reports are reflecting what has been already expressed from local on up. Women feel they do a lot for the Church and yet have little voice, the disabled and minorities feel left out, many divorced persons feel alienated, the youth want more involvement. In general, laity want to be taken more seriously.
To some degree many of the laity concerns, legitimate and painful as they may be, seem to be at the level of the Greek vs. the Hebrew widows. They are not to be ignored and we need to serve persons both inside and outside the Church. But there should be no question that the primary job of the Church is that of the apostles—to proclaim the Gospel. That is where we should start in our understanding of the Church’s main role and reevaluate how well it is doing in it, even as we continue to serve others.
The secondary roles of the Church are still very important to consider, because when they are not carried out well, the results can be a large deterrent to the success of the primary function. If Catholic counterparts are perceived by secular women, youth or the disabled to not be treated fairly by the Church, I think it is a deterrent for these non-members to seek further involvement. I’m not saying that secular persons should let that stop them, I just think it is a facet of human nature that in many cases is at play.
That is why I think the meetings and the Synod will be helpful to all, despite a contingency of resistors. In his article mentioned above, Bishop Flores has expressed well how the process has already helped him see his own Diocese with new eyes and the coming Synod 21-24 will be a hopeful, continuing journey for us all.
Articles of some continental meetings:
