Smal up yourself’ on the synodal bus ride

By Fr Donald Chambers

I have travelled on public transportation in different countries, and my experiences have ranged from dangerous to hilarious.

In Jamaica, for example, passengers have their seats when a bus departs the terminus. The bus stops periodically along the route, not for passengers to disembark but for more passengers to embark, accompanied by the conductor’s words, “Smal up yourself” (make room for other passengers).

Notwithstanding the extreme heat, the confluence of body odours, loud music, sometimes violence, and bruised glutes, these bus rides are characterised by a levelled playing field among the passengers, no hierarchical or privileged positions or status, vibrant conversations throughout the journey about a myriad of topics including politics, religion, relationships, sex, raw and brutal honesty and openness about life issues, personal mistakes, and family problems. An intense sense of an informal community, albeit temporary and untested, develops along the journey.

I use the bus ride analogy to speak about synodality as a modus operandi and a modus vivendi. The synodal journey is like a minibus ride—uncomfortable, yet necessary.

It requires obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit, inviting us to create more room for others. In the words of a participant in the synodal process, “Accepting the other in my life can be uncomfortable, but it is a way to become more human. The other takes me out of myself, it opens me to relationship, and God is a relationship.”

Reflecting on the synodal journey, I am inspired by the synoptic narrative of Jesus with the disciples on the lake (Mk 6:45–52).  In the narrative, Jesus sends His disciples off “together” in a boat on a lake.

At night, Jesus appears walking on the lake, “startling the disciples, but Jesus calls out to them, “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” Despite Jesus’ assurance of His saving presence, Peter chooses to abandon the community to prove to himself that it is Jesus, and in doing so, he begins to drown.

In the Christian tradition, the boat, like the bus, symbolises community, and during a crisis or headwind, the community is encouraged to stay together. When we abandon communion for a personal agenda, we risk ‘drowning’. Isolation and disconnection leave us drowning emotionally and spiritually. We are meant to “smal up yourself” in communion.

We face many temptations along the synodal journey, such as clericalism and busyness. In Pope Francis’ address to the Synod Fathers, one testimony from the AEC Synod Synthesis states, “Out of touch with humanity and their current issues and challenges, some priests are outdated and arrogant, and the Church is prone to clericalism.”

Regarding busyness, a regional priest shared his experience of the synodal gathering. “The priest gathering day was amazing. It was very fruitful. . . I realised that I really need to make time to get together with the other priests. I get so busy and never get to visit.”

These pitfalls of clericalism and busyness are indicators of isolation and disconnection, which, if not addressed, may lead to us, as clergy, drowning spiritually and emotionally.

I am convinced that the synodal journey is a moment of grace within which Christ stretches forth His hands to save, especially those isolated and disconnected from communion.

Synodality is a journey in which the People of God walk together “… to listen to one another to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who . . . guide our human efforts…. and leading us into deeper communion for our mission in the world” (Handbook, 1.2).

It aims to discern together how to mission by listening to the Word of God in Scripture and the living Tradition of the Church and listening to one another to discern the signs of the times” (Handbook, 1.2).

The intended outcome is to inspire people to dream about the Church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate trust, to bind up wounds, to weave new and deeper relationships, to learn from one another, to build bridges, to “enlighten minds, warm hearts, and restore strength to our hands” for our common mission (Preparatory Document, 32).

On the synodal bus ride, we must engage in quality conversations to reach our destination of discernment and decision-making. Conversation in the Spirit, for example, is a spiritual tool for communal discernment that consists of three rounds of conversation, each meant to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from an initial focus on the movement of the Spirit in me (I) to other persons (you), and finally the community (We). This interior movement is a sign of conversion necessary for evangelisation.

The synodal bus ride can be an uncomfortable experience because it means each participant is invited to arrest their ego and respond to the Spirit. If we are open to the Spirit, we are guaranteed to experience conversion and deeper communion as fuel for the Church’s mission.

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