We want to hear your story

Each of us has a story of our life’s journey – a story of joys and sorrows, accomplishments and disappointments, love and loss. And now, the Holy Father has asked us to journey together and to listen to one another during the Synodal process.

Dec 03, 2021

Each of us has a story of our life’s journey – a story of joys and sorrows, accomplishments and disappointments, love and loss. And now, the Holy Father has asked us to journey together and to listen to one another during the Synodal process.

As part of the Synod, Pope Francis is asking all members of the Church to listen to each other under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to discern together the most authentic ways of addressing the world’s challenges and giving meaning to how our faith can heal the world’s wounds. We want to hear about each other’s journeys.

We have been through a lot over the past year and a half; and maybe we have a new perspective on the value of the Church in our lives. Maybe you have been challenged to practise your faith differently and have experienced positive fruits as a result; or maybe you have faced circumstances that have made you rethink your relationship with God. Whatever it is and wherever you are … we want to hear about it.

It is important to keep in mind that the synod process is not about meetings to talk about how we are going to get things done. First and foremost, these are meetings to talk about where we are, about what we need – and to ask how the Holy Spirit is guiding us to take the next step.

The goal is not to create some big project or implement a programme. The goal is to find out where our people are and to listen to their voice - to hear their stories.

In our arch/dioceses, the Synod is well under way, through online conversations and surveys, through listening sessions in small groups, and through individual outreach.

So broad should this sharing be that the process is not limited to regular churchgoers or to those in active ministries. Practically that is where many of the synodal conversations will begin. But such sharing is especially intended for those who do not show up regularly and may, in fact, have walked away from the church or are little noticed, for whatever reason.

Pope Francis calls them people “on the margins” of society and the church, and it is there that the listening must be focused. We want to hear from all Catholics – parish members, the young and the old, daily communicants, the materially impoverished, immigrants, refugees.

We want to hear from those who are away – who feel marginalised or alienated - distant from the Church or disconnected from the Lord. We want to hear from you.

Everyone has a voice, and the opportunity to be heard. This is listening across a broad spectrum, patiently considering with an open mind and heart what another person is saying, even if the words run counter to our viewpoints.

It calls for courage in listening for truth in a person’s words, or at least allowing for the possibility. This is not argument but an acceptance of tension between perspectives, among sincere people, as together we discern what the Holy Spirit is asking of us.

Courage will also be necessary to speak honestly, not so much about issues of the day, but about one’s personal encounter with the living God. Synodality involves sharing one’s deepest experience of faith with another person to build communion with them.

The process of sharing one’s journey of faith, of being heard and discerning God’s will, is a process meant to permeate the whole Church and become a permanent feature and witness to the world. Synodality is a new step on our earthly pilgrimage — beginning now by listening to one another and to the Lord in prayer. It is a moment of grace meant to lead everyone into a deeper communion with Christ, to greater participation in His church, and moving forward in mission to serve all the world.

The journey of Advent to the Light of Christ reminds us of His Story — that Our Lord humbled Himself to be born in human form, an infant in a manger, to live, laugh, love, suffer and die for our salvation. We know His journey – and we want to share our journeys with each other to reach Him more closely in these difficult times.

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