30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Synod on the Family – MP3 – Audio homily
A world event which has gained a great deal of attention in the last few weeks is the Synod on the Family. Much speculation and even controversy has come from this. One problem with the reporting on such events is that much of the media has little or no knowledge of how the Church functions on a day-to-day basis.
The word synod is defined as “a coming together.” There are many different types of synods from the diocesan level to the universal level. Of course, this Synod on the Family is at the universal level. Its function is to offer counsel to the pope and the curia on how to handle a specific aspect of the faith or Catholic life.
Listen to the dialog
In this case they are dealing with the difficulties and problems experienced by families in the twenty-first century. The pope listens to the dialogue and then after a few months will oftentimes offer his thoughts in a document called an Apostolic Exhortation. This particular Synod has two parts. The first took place this fall and a summary has recently been published. The Cardinals will go back to their diocese until next year. They will reflect, study, and pray about the issues discussed. Then they will once again come together a year from now to discuss and formulate yet another document. This document will likely be more concrete and have specific suggestions for the Holy Father to consider.
One of the main thrusts of these synod talks is to reach out to those who may feel marginalized. This theme comes directly from Pope Francis who often writes and speaks about the need to “reach out to the margins or peripheries.” Many times there is a tendency in the world as well as the Church to just focus on the majority or the most active. In the case of the Church, these are the ones who are in the pews every Sunday. Pope Francis has tirelessly preached that the Church and each individual must go in search of the “lost sheep.” These are the ones on the margins or outskirts of the Church and even society. Jesus has a special love for each of them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the Church must have a “preferential love for the poor.” This is not just the physically poor, but also those who are psychologically and spiritually impoverished.
They feel unwelcome
Some of these “least of our brothers” are being discussed by the Cardinals of the world at the Synod. Within each country there are countless families who feel unwelcome in the Church. Some these are marginalized by poverty, mentall illness, lack of education, divorce and remarriage, and same-sex attraction. There is no doubt that each one of these groups may at times feel unwelcome in the Church and/or society. They may even think that the Church or even God has abandoned them. We cannot be satisfied when people feel left out of the family of God. Jesus turns his back on no one and all are welcome in His Body the Church. In fact, the Church is the place for sinners and the broken-hearted.
Jesus warns us in the first reading that if the poor ones “cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry!” We must love our neighbors as ourselves. This presupposes that we have the knowledge and understanding of what they are going through. And so…this is why the Synod on the Family is
taking place. It is a self-reflection by the Church to see how we are treating those on the margins. To invite them to explain their thoughts and feelings to the Pope and Cardinals. To listen to them without judging their motives.
The cry of another
Naturally, the Church will not agree with everything that is expressed, but at least we can understand the situation better. In his concluding homily, Pope Francis explained how to properly enter into dialogue with those who are not embracing the full Gospel message. First, we must avoid “hostile inflexibility.” This looking only at the law or rules of the Church and closing oneself off to listen to the cry of another in a painful situation.
The second, and just as important, is the “destructive tendency to goodness” in the name of “deceptive mercy.” This is, in the Pope’s words, “binding the wounds without first treating and curing them.” There is always a tension when we want to love and help others. To love them from a purely human perspective is insufficient and even harmful. We must first learn to love as God does. We experience the love of God through the Gospels, Tradition, and especially prayer. The Lord teaches us to love others with a supernatural love.
Changing hearts
At this time in human history one could say that many are feeling marginalized or left on the outside of society and the Church. The call of the Gospel is to reach out to these lost sheep with compassion and mercy. This effort will necessary mean listening and dialoging. This process changes us and hopefully enables us to reach out to others with sincere love. Not just seeking to get along with others, but to love with a desire to see the other achieve true happiness. This is not merely a human love; it is a supernatural love which has the power to change hearts. It can bring people out of the margins into full communion with God and the community of believers.