30th Sunday B
Cobh,
29 September 2024
My friends,
This week past has been a very important one in the life of the Catholic Church worldwide. In the course of this week two documents have been published which will have a huge influence on the life of the Church across the world for decades to come – because wherever the church gathers in prayer, study or reflection these two documents will be carefully meditated upon for the wisdom, understanding and inspiration they will offer Catholic Christian disciples who desire to live the “abundant life” the Lord Jesus promises us.
The first document is the Final Report of the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the 2nd Session of which concludes today in Rome. The document is the fruit of the Catholic Church’s effort to engage in a worldwide consultation with people ‘on the ground’ on their experience of the Church in their own place and culture along with sharing the challenge and blessings of living as a committed disciple today.
This process of conversation, sharing, discussion was always set in the context of listening to the voice and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These were ‘conversations in the Spirit’ – not simply a pursuit of personal opinions and arguments. The aim of the entire project was and is to move the Church away from a rigid vertical model of authority to one where the voice of the faithful are heard and given concrete expression in the new structures more suited to our time and culture.
This has not been an easy task - it has led and continues to generate tension due to disagreement. The shared aim however of all is that the Church remains faithful and be true to its mission to bring the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
The ‘Final Document’ as it’s called, both sets out why the Church needs to embrace this Synodal Path if it is to release the gifts and inspiration of all Catholics to be a church on mission always.
This document will be carefully scrutinized by those who are committed. One truly important point made in the document is that this initiative while challenging and demanding for intentional Catholics, it is in continuity with insights and inspiration of Vatican II. It is not a rupture but a new impulse for the missionary focus of true believers.
For those who wish to read this document it will be available through a link on the diocesan website.
The other document is a bit of a surprise from Pope Francis – it is his fourth encyclical letter entitled ‘Dilexit Nos’ - “He Loved us”. I say a surprise because all the focus around him was on the Synod in Rome – which was focused on the Church, as the people of God and how it should be ordered and structured. Pope Francis in the midst of these important questions he balances the focus with a long document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus – as an image of his love for us, for humanity and in response our love in return.
Again, it’s a document that will stand the test of time because he draws deeply on the richness of the devotion over the centuries and how it reflected in the lived of so many saints and spiritual guides.
He calls for a new focus on the heart as the essence and core of our humanity.
“Let us never forget that our hearts are never self-sufficient, but frail and wounded. They possess an ontological dignity, yet at the same time must seek an ever more dignified life….
Let us turn, them, to the heart of Christ, that core of his being which is a blazing furnace of divine and human love and the most sublime fulfilment to which humanity can aspire”
Both documents are very different but deeply interconnected.
The Synodal Pathway is a teacher about how we can walk together in life with hope and solidarity. We are not and need not be alone.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus reaches out to us not as individuals walking alone rather the love experienced remains unfulfilled unless we reach beyond our aloneness to reach out another in their need.
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee.”
