ACCOMPANIMENT AND SYNODALITY

Mary set out in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.” Luke 1:39-45

ENCOUNTER

A touching and instructive feature of this Gospel account is that the angel seemed to know that Mary would need someone who could accompany her as she was beginning this strange and wonderful journey emanating from her “Yes” to whatever God was asking of her. The angel tells her of a somewhat similarly miraculous occurrence of her older cousin and Mary sets out “in haste” for what? Companionship? Words of reassurance and wisdom? A time of sharing the wonderment, the joy and the fear of what would lie ahead for each of them and for the sons to be born? A time of communal prayer, thanking God and asking for guidance and strength? This is not unlike many of the times we spend with our own present day accompaniers.

Mary’s arrival at the house is a deeply touching moment. The two women greet each other. Mary greets Elizabeth and the soon-to-be born son in Elizabeth’s womb acknowledges the presence of this young, newly pregnant mother-with-child.

ACCOMPANYING ONE ANOTHER

That precious encounter is a good example of the accompaniment of people that Pope Francis is asking us to experience in our upcoming participation in the 2021-2023 Synod on Synodality. Accompaniment is not something new in Pope Francis’ advice to us. It has been a consistent theme of his papacy as can be seen in numerous speeches, homilies and documents.

“The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this “art of accompaniment” which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Exodus 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates, and encourages growth in the Christian life.” (Pope Francis’ 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 169)

SYNOD ON SYNODALITY

Below are portions of the official Vatican News October 10, 2021 article “Pope on Synod: The participation of everyone, guided by the Holy Spirit”.  I was published the day after Pope Francis’ launch of the special Synod on Synodality in which we are invited to participate.

“The theme of the upcoming 16th Synod of Bishops is: ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission’. Synodality indicates walking together and listening to one another but above all to the Holy Spirit. To deepen this essential characteristic of the Church, the upcoming synod is unlike any previous one. It starts with, and involves all the faithful at local Churches across the world, promising to listen to all, especially to laypeople. That is why this Synod is a 2-year process, starting from October 10, 2021, to October 2023.

“The diocesan listening phase will run until April 2022 and will be followed by a continental phase from September 2022 to March 2023. The final “universal Church phase” will culminate in the traditional assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican in October 2023.”

This Vatican News article concludes:

“Keeping in mind that God’s style is one of closeness, compassion and tenderness, the Pope said the Synod is also an occasion for the People of God not to be aloof but to become a Church of closeness by her very presence, bandaging wounds and healing broken hearts with the balm of God.

“NOT ANOTHER CHURCH BUT A DIFFERENT CHURCH”

“For this, the Holy Father said, we need the ever new breath of God, the Spirit, who sets us free from every form of self-absorption, revives what is moribund, loosens shackles, and spreads joy. ‘There is no need to create another Church, but to create a different Church,’ the Pope said citing Dominican priest Father Yves Marie-Joseph Congar. ‘For a “different Church”, the Pope urged all to invoke the Holy Spirit with greater fervor and frequency and humbly listen to Him.’”

I strongly urge you to read the entire Vatican News article on the opening of the Synod, to pray for the success of the Synod and to participate in some of the local meetings.

Sister Loretta