Praying with the Synod Community in Rome October 1-3, 2023
/We invite you to unite in spirit and prayer with the Synod Community, lay women and men, priests and religious, bishops and cardinals, as they engage in a three-day retreat as a final preparation for this unprecedented Synodal journey. We join them in their call to embrace our Mission with ever greater integrity, to Participate with ever fuller inclusion and shared responsibility, to live the oneness of Communion with ever deeper authenticity. Dedicate some quiet time each day to engage these reflections or invite others to join you in shared reflection!
From Pope Francis, on the opening of the Synod in October:
The Gospels frequently show us Jesus on a journey; he walks alongside people and listens to the questions and concerns working 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 road of life. God travels the path of history and shares in the life of humanity. Are we prepared for the advantage of this journey? How do I live as though I am really on this journey with God?
Let us accompany the 464 members of the Synod Community as they engage October 1-3 in an opening retreat, preparing them to walk together focused on Mission, Participation and Communion.
We will pray for and with the participants each day of the retreat with one of these themes in mind.
Let us also pray for our Catholic Community at Stanford that we will be open to the transformation and new life that awaits us on our synodal journey.
JUMP TO:
Day 1: COMMUNION
Scripture:
John 13:34-35:
I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
Reflection:
Let us do an examination of conscience on love today:
Love is patient. Am I?
Love is kind. Am I?
Love is not boastful. Am I?
Love is not resentful. Am I?
Love does not harbor grudges. Do I?
Love does not judge. Do I?
Love does not rejoice in what is wrong. How do I understand this? Live it?
Love rejoices in the truth. Do I?
Love rejoices in the good fortune of others? Do I?
Adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits
From Synodal Documents:
A synodal church is a listening Church: this awareness is the fruit of the experience of the synodal journey, which is listening to the Spirit through listening to the Word and listening to each other as individuals and among ecclesial communities, from the local level to the continental and universal levels.
Where do I struggle most to accept my sisters and brothers in Christ? What would help deepen the communion among us in our CC@S? How might I contribute to that?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to listen with an open heart and an open mind to those around me. Help me to hear what is being said through word and gesture. Help me to be open and sensitive to the feelings and sensibilities of those around me. Help me to love as you love. Please be with the members of the Synod as they begin their journey on behalf of the Church. Help them to become a community united in your Spirit which inspires us all to grow in your Love.
Day 2: MISSION
Scripture:
Luke 4: 18-19:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Reflection:
Let us reflect on all the ways the Church is a force for good in the world: helping those who are in desperate need of food, clothing, a place to live, and support for their families; helping those who are oppressed by racism, sexism and prejudice; migrants fleeing violence and poverty. The Church is called to bring healing and comfort in times of grief to those in despair and without hope.
In what ways do I bring my own skills and energy to the service of others? In what ways can our Catholic Community at Stanford be more responsive to the needs of our suffering sisters and brothers?
From Synodal Documents:
A missionary synodal Church has a duty to ask itself how it can recognize and value the contribution that each Baptized person can offer in mission, going out of himself/herself and participating together with others in something greater. To make an active contribution to the common good of humanity is an inalienable component of the dignity of the person, even within the Christian community.
What is my Mission in life? How is my fidelity to this Mission impacted by my internal resistance and external challenges? Where might God be inviting me to use and share my gifts and energy?
Prayer:
Almighty God, the ministry of Jesus, which he called us to emulate, extended his healing power to all people, regardless of their origins or their state of life. May our synodal Church inspire us to have the commitment and empathy to be sources of healing in that same spirit, making ourselves and our resources available to friends and strangers alike. Help our Church to be a beacon of compassion to a world so much in need of hope. Help our Church to support us in our individual quest to bring the good news of Jesus to those around us who are in need of help and hope. Give us, as Church, generosity and kindness.
Adapted from Renew Scripture Series.
Day 3: PARTICIPATION
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you still a more excellent way.
Reflection:
Many of us do not consider ourselves particularly “gifted” for ministry, but the fact is, ministry needs all sorts of gifts and talents. Some of the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, ability to do mighty deeds, prophecy, discernment. Those are all good, but the gifts of generosity, kindness, compassion, a positive outlook, and even humor are important gifts for ministry as well.
What are the gifts God has placed in my life? What are the gifts God has given me so I can become the person God intended? What can our Church do to encourage all of its members to use their particular gifts for the common good?
From Synodal Documents:
Participation expresses concern for the flourishing of human beings, that is, the humanizing of relationships at the heart of the project of communion and the commitment to mission. It safeguards the uniqueness of each person’s face, urging that the transition to the “we” does not absorb the “I” into the anonymity of an indistinct collectivity…Participation is essentially an expression of creativity, a way of nurturing the relationships of hospitality, welcome and human well-being that lie at the heart of mission and communion.
How do I actively participate in our Catholic Community at Stanford and in the wider community?
How have I grown and been changed by my participation? What might be new ways the Spirit is calling me and our Catholic Community at Stanford to respond?
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see the ways in which I can enhance my engagement in the Church. Give me the courage and energy to move from bystander to active participant in the Church’s mission. Give those involved in the Synod creativity and openness of spirit to create new forms of participation that will encourage all to use their gifts. Help us as the Catholic Community at Stanford grow in our shared discipleship.
