The Final Report: “For a Synodal Church”
Forming a People for Missionary Discipleship
Once again, the numbers included in my reflection below tie to the paragraph number in the Final Report: For a Synodal Church - Communion, Participation and Mission.
The subtitle of this section is “So I send you.” The fifth and final part of the Final Document returns to the Upper Room, where everything began. When Jesus breathed on the disciples - he made them sharers in his mission and created the Church. Carrying and embodying both his spirit and his peace, the disciples went forth as missionaries to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God. (140)
This Section of the Report is brief - only three and a half pages - and yet it is packed with wisdom and intention. Proper formation not only in Church teachings (dogma and doctrine), but also in Church practices (listening, discerning, transparency, accountability, etc.) must be integral, ongoing and shared. All the People of God are called to serve, and all have charisms, experiences and valuable perspectives to offer. Formation enables the faithful to understand who they are called to be and what their role can be in carrying out the mission Christ gave the Church.
Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear!
We are a People with a purpose
We, the People of God, the successors to the first disciples, are a people sent forth for a purpose - to witness to the joy of the Gospel and grow in the practice of synodality. Synodality implies profound vocational and missionary awareness; a new way of living relationships and a new call to participation. It also means adopting the practice of ongoing discernment and creating a culture of evaluation. (141)
Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear!
Formation in faith begins with Christian Initiation. That is where our encounter with God begins. Here we also meet the many people who walk with us on our journey, foster our relationship with the Lord, and connect us to the many communities within the Church. This is not a process that happens once and for all, but rather is a process of continuous conversion, growing in love. (142)
Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear!
Formation continues in the Mass. In the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the three cornerstones of synodality - communion, mission and participation - are realized and renewed. (142) Here we are inspired, strengthened, and sent forth.
Formation must be integral, ongoing and shared
One of the requests coming through strongly across all contexts within the Church is that formation must be integral and ongoing. The People of God require proper formation so that they can witness to the joy of the Gospel and grow in the practice of synodality. Formation in synodality will make people aware that the gifts received in Baptism must be put to good use for the good of all. They cannot be hidden or remain unused. (141)
Another request was for a common and shared formation - including women and men, laity, consecrated, and ordained - who participate together in knowledge, mutual esteem and capacity to collaborate. Formation does not just aim for the acquisition of theoretical and theological knowledge, but also promotes the capacity for openness and encounter, sharing and collaboration, reflection and discernment in common. This requires the formation of suitable and competent individuals - formators - to do this important work.(143)
Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear!
Formation must be considered an exchange of gifts, enriched by the encounter of brothers and sisters in faith - especially those on the margins - overcoming prejudices and partisan views. (147) Formation doesn’t happen only in the classroom, but in families, small communities, parishes, places of service, and missionary and volunteer initiatives. Each person involved in these groups has the capacity to educate others on the journey through their witness. These encounters bring together people of different generations and experiences - and enrich and inspire the whole. No one is simply the recipient of formation; everyone has something to teach and something to learn. (144)
Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear!
Digital culture constitutes a crucial dimension of the Church’s witness in contemporary culture and an emerging missionary field. The digital environment affects learning processes, the perception of self and the world, and the building of interpersonal relationships. The Church must ensure its message is presented authentically and faithfully online. Through its educational work, the Church must also help children and adults develop critical skills to safely navigate the online environment. (149)
Finally, the Church must continue to offer ongoing and specific formation to promote a culture that safeguards minors and vulnerable adults. (150)
Concrete actions to be taken:
Formation for candidates for ordained ministry must be revised to incorporate the presence of women, immersion in the daily life of communities, and formation in how to collaborate with others within the church, especially in the practice of discernment. The procedures through which the Church undertakes formation of its ministers must be revised accordingly. (148)
Formation of Bishops is also necessary so that they can better perform that ministry of bringing out the gifts of the spirit from within the people they shepherd and preside over in a synodal way. (148)
Dear Holy Spirit, so much about this topic inspires me! Formation is, in a sense, the key to this entire synodal undertaking, this Church-wide conversion process. As a Church we need formation not only in what our Church teaches, but also formation in synodality - that is in listening to each other and the Holy Spirit, in co-responsibility, and in mission. Give us wisdom, give us courage, give us patience with each other. AMEN