Synod, not a project but an experience

By Fr Donald Chambers

Synod is not another pastoral programme or project to be added to the litany of Church projects. As a well-oiled institutional machinery, the Church constantly designs and implements new pastoral initiatives at the parish, vicariate, deanery, or diocesan level.

On the contrary, the synod is an experience – a way of being or living as Church (vivendi operandi).

On the mission of evangelisation, the People of God together discern concrete ways of carrying out the mission and organise, govern, and structure itself (modus operandi) to ensure inclusive participation in the Church’s overall mission.

In a word, the Church is like a bee colony. If the bees’ way of living is communal, then the colony organises itself to achieve its primary goal of honey production.

The pastoral principles of vivendi operandi and modus operandi as an experience are noticeable in the gospels. In the Risen Jesus’ encounter with the Emmaus disciples (Lk 24: 13–35), Jesus exercises active listening and active speaking.

He first approaches the disciples and asks, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” Jesus actively listens as they chastise Him for His ignorance about the “recent happenings in Jerusalem” and their ranting about its impact on them.

Active listening means listening attentively, without judgement, paying attention not only to words but also to the tone and feelings of the individual speaking, and avoiding the temptation of using the time to prepare what you will say.

Having listened, the Risen Jesus actively and honestly speaks from the heart by confronting their ignorance, “You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets.” Then He proceeds to offer meaning to His own life, suffering, death, and Resurrection in light of the Scriptures.

The encounter between the Risen Jesus and the disciples climaxes with prayer and communion. “Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessings. …”

In the end, the synodal-type experience bears the fruit of conversion on the disciples’ part and their renewed zeal and zest to restart the mission of evangelisation. “They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled. . . who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen’…”

The synodal experience of inclusive participation of the People of God needs to be reflected in the governance structure of the Church (modus operandi) that invites full participation.

In the account of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts of the Apostles 15:1–21, the matter for discernment was whether the Gentile converts needed to be circumcised to be saved, according to the tradition of Moses (Acts 15:5).

In a synod-style experience, participants with varying opinions spoke actively. For example, members of the Pharisaic party who had become believers insisted that the Gentiles should be circumcised, while Peter, Barnabas and Paul offered opposing opinions.

Significant in the account is the silence that occurred after Peter’s speech. The author writes, “This silenced the entire assembly.” The elements of active speaking and listening, and silence describe the experience.

The experience, however, was facilitated by a governance structure that accommodated varying opinions and a final discernment decision by the president of the Council, (Jas 15:13–21).

The retreat master of the most recent Synod Assembly, Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, gave some rich insights on the synod as an experience. Meditating on the Transfiguration of Jesus in the gospels, he likened Jesus’ journey with His closest companions (Peter, James, and John) to the mountaintop to a retreat. Jesus intentionally organised it due to the dissipating hope of His Messiahship among disciples because He taught that the Son of Man must suffer grievously, die, and rise.

Relating the Transfiguration experience to the synod retreat, Fr Radcliffe preached, “So we too prepare for our synod by going on retreat where, like the disciples, we learn to listen to the Lord. . . if we listen to the Lord and each other, seeking to understand His Will for the Church and the world, we shall be united in a hope that transcends our disagreements…”

In another meditation entitled ‘Conversation on the way to Emmaus’, Fr Radcliffe uses the Emmaus story to demonstrate how participants are called to listen and speak with each other.

He preached, “We listen not just to what people are saying but what they are trying to say. We listen for the unspoken words, the words for which they search”.

As the respective dioceses of the Caribbean reflect on the synthesis of the Synodal Assembly, they must create a relational atmosphere that invites active speaking, listening and silence, using the Conversation in the Spirit method as a suitable tool.

Remember, the gathering is not to be modelled on a parliamentary debate but an experience of an encounter with each other and the Risen Lord guided by the Holy Spirit, the main protagonist of the experience.

Fr Donald Chambers of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica is the General Secretary of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.