Saturday August 22nd: The greatest must be servant

Queen ship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“In a synodal church of Jesus, we all possess equal dignity and are called to discern our future together.”

Matthew 23:1-12

As we continue to journey in synodality, walking together as a pilgrim people, we are called to “active listening, shared responsibility, and flattening rigid, top-down hierarchies.” Jesus is synodal in his being, rejecting clericalism and elitist mindsets that position leaders as superior to the community. Leaders in service are called to get close to people not to “tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders” but to actively listen and accompany them in their lived experiences of joys and disappointments.

In a synodal church of Jesus, we all possess equal dignity and are called to discern our future together.  As we implement synodality we are asked to look at the structures in our parishes and diocese to make them more synodal – listening, discerning, relational and self-emptying. Our Parish Pastoral Councils, Ministry Animation Teams, Parsh Ministries, Commissions are mandated to become more synodal. This requires a mindset of leaders who mirror Jesus’ concluding mandate: “The greatest among you must be your servant,” who see power not as authority over others, but as radical service.