What is Synodality?
Synodality is a way of journeying together as the People of God. It represents a path for personal and Church renewal through the actions of the Holy Spirit, listening to what God has to say to His people. It calls for a style of listening and speaking to one another, discerning together with the power of the Holy Spirit, to find a path forward in addressing the issues the Church is facing in our day as we seek to carry out the mission of Jesus in making know the Good News.
Synodality (from the word ‘synod’ which comes from the Greek and refers an assembly or meeting, or more literally to journey a common path), is a term often used to describe the process of fraternal collaboration and discernment that bodies such as the Synod of Bishop were created to express.
The Significance of Journeying Together
Pope Francis states that “the Gospels frequently show us that Jesus is on a journey; He walks alongside people and listens to their questions and concerns lurking in their hearts. He shows us that God is not found in neat and orderly places, distant from reality, but walks ever at our side. He meets us where we are, on the often rocky roads of life” Pope Francis.
He continued: Today as we begin this synodal process, let us begin by asking ourselves – all of us - Pope, bishops, priests, religious and lay – whether we, the Christian community, embody this ‘style’ of God, who travels the paths of history and shares in the life of humanity. Are we prepared for the adventure of this journey? Or are we fearful of the unknown, preferring to take refuge in the usual excuses: ‘It is useless’ or ‘we’ve always done it this way?”
The Three Pillars of Synodality
Communion: God gathers us together as a diverse people, our shared identity is baptism. The communion we share finds it deepest roots in Christ who reconciles us to the Father and unites us with one another in the Holy Spirit.
Participation: A call for the involvement of all who belong to the People of God. - laity, consecrated and ordained persons - to journeying together, in respectful listening and discernment, creating space for the movement of the Holy Spirit, guiding us in seeking God’s will. The whole community is called to pray, listen, dialogue and discern, amid our often deep-seated differences, seeking as closely as possible the way of God.
Mission: The Church exists to evangelize. We can never be centred on ourselves. Our mission is to witness to the love of God. This synodal way has a deep missionary dimension to it.
These three dimensions are profoundly interrelated. There is no hierarchy between them, rather, each one enriched the other two.