Introduction:
We carry the people of Ukraine in hearts as we pray for the end of their suffering and for immediate peace. Jesus said when one or two are gathered in his name, he is there. Our Lenten theme is “PAX and Synodality: Our Journey Toward a Church Transformed.” Today our liturgy focuses on coming out of the desert to build a new Church. Let’s begin our celebration with a song that prays for healing: healing for the people of Ukraine, healing for a broken world, healing for us, and healing for our Church.
Opening Prayer:
Dear God,
You are not found in neat orderly places, distant from reality, but walk ever at our side. You meet us where we are. As we begin this Synodal process, let us ask ourselves are we walking on the same road, walking together? Look at Jesus in the Gospel. First, he encounters, then he listens, and finally helps the person discern.
Dear God,
Help us encounter, listen and discern. Help us to be completely present to the other with open hearts, courage, and willingness to be challenged. Help us to listen to one another. Help us to hear with our heart. Summon us to the spiritual discernment of the Synod and bring light to that grace-filled process of healing guided by the Spirit. Help us to know what it is (You want) to say to us in this time. And the direction in which She wants to lead us. Amen
Excerpts from Homily of Pope Francis, Opening Mass of Synod on Synodality 10/10/21
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
2nd Reading: Excerpt from Homily of Pope Francis,
Opening Mass of Synod on Synodality 10/10/21
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13
Homily: Myrtle Hendricks Corrales
The first reading relates the offering of the first fruits that God’s chosen were supposed to make when they entered the Promised Land after the Exodus. The first fruits are evidence that their journey from slavery is ended, and they now dwell in the Promised Land. The gospel depicts Jesus having his own wilderness experience. Jesus’ forty days serves as a reminder of the forty-year sojourn of the Israelites in the Exodus.
We planners identified with the desert experience of the Israelites and of Jesus. As PAX begins its journey with the Synod in the hope of a Church transformed, we feel it important to first recognize that many of us and Catholics throughout the world feel as if we have been in the desert with the institutional church.
For years the Church and its clericalism, patriarchy, closed-mindedness, and lack of compassion has disappointed many. In the late 1980s, the Church labeled homosexuality as an intrinsic evil. How good that Pope Francis has countered this by stating that gay and lesbian people are children of God and have a right to a family. Yet, we know the Church and much of the clergy have not gone far enough in supporting and embracing the LGBTQ community. The Church dictates that women cannot be priests because women do not image Christ; so, it appears it is not important to be like Christ in carrying out the gospel message, but to have a physical male body like Christ. The rampant child abuse, the lack of removal and consequences for the abusers, and the treatment of the victims are appalling. The Boston dioceses attempted to claim bankruptcy rather than compensate the victims. The lack of willingness to share power and responsibility for the future of the church has silenced the laity for years. This is the desert experience.
This stream of negatives does not deny the good that the Church has done. No other faith tradition speaks as strongly as the Catholic Church for the poor, marginalized, and the immigrant. Yet with these teachings, the Church itself needs to do more to be a model of these prophetic statements.
Now this Jesuit from Argentina, Pope Francis, invites us to participate in the life of the Church in most novel, significant way. He asks that every Catholic in the world to encounter, listen, and discern. He invites questions, concerns, and hopes of every Church, people, and nation. As people from around the world respond, there will be varied concerns. Leon made a subtle reference to this a few weeks ago in his comment that we may hear some things we do not like. For example, for one person desiring the ordination of women, there could be three opposed. Yet, Pope Francis asks that we have the courage to accompany him on this Synod journey. This synod challenges the culture of clericalism and purposes a culture of dialogue and consensus.
This synod is like prayer, and a prayer is where we bring our hopes for a desired outcome. Participating in the Synod as a prayer for a transformed church is like an experience many of us in PAX had over 44 years ago. Some of you remember when PAX met in the gym at St. Luke’s. PAX members were very active in the parish, holding offices on the parish board, sponsoring adult education programs, assisting parish members in numerous ways, and much more. PAX was aware that there was some animosity among some parish members toward PAX for various reasons—too liberal, had the best mass time, got their own priests, to name a few.
This background of tension is integral to the story I am about to relate.
A member of PAX learned that a parish woman we knew as an acquaintance had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Our hearts ached for her: she was our age with children ages 2, 8, 10, and 12. Margaret Schellenberg asked me to call this woman, Denise, to determine if she would welcome us to come pray for her. I called Denise; after a brief hesitation, she said yes.
Margaret Schellenberg, Joan Urbanczyk, Barbara Lamont, Rosa Scott, when she could leave work, Mafalda Marrocco, and I went to Denise’s home every Wednesday morning to pray. As the weeks turned into months, members of St Luke’s parish joined us. Some of these parish members were very traditional, some members occasionally attended PAX, some were part of the Cursillo movement, and some were fundamentalists.
As we prayed, some women would speak in tongues. I remember when the young associate pastor once attended and spoke in tongues, it sounded like Gregorian chants—it was beautiful. One week a new member of the parish joined us. She approached me to state that she never thought she would pray with a member of PAX, but she smiled and said, “Well, here we are, and I am going to sit next to you.” Our band of six had grown to over 40 women united in our prayer for the complete healing, the full recovery of Denise.
Denise seemed to be improving; she had signs of healing. She felt better, gained weight, and had more energy. Inspired by her progress, the music director at St Luke’s composed a song entitled “Praise! Denise is being Healed.” Then one Saturday afternoon, Denise asked me to come to her home. She was in bed resting and asked that I sit beside her. She wanted to talk about her loving family: her devoted husband and four young children. We talked about the joy and work of the prayer group. As we talked, I gradually realized that Denise was saying farewell. Three days later, the associate pastor called to tell me that Denise was now sleeping with the angels.
At Denise’s funeral, we six PAX women were gathered outside the church waiting to enter. Some of the prayer group members approached to express their disappointment that our prayers had not been answered, that Denise had not been healed. We replied that Denise had indeed been healed, just not the way we had asked for. Denise was spiritually healed, so that she was able to leave her family and us gently and peacefully. And had not all of us too been healed? Look how the different fractions of the parish had come together with the united purpose of praying for Denise, and now our diverse group had become friends. We would always be united by this most profound experience.
This I know to be true to this day. Forty-four years have passed; yet, if members of the prayer group, by chance meet, we embrace and are genuinely happy to see one another. The Denise prayer group was an extraordinary group of women who came to appreciate and celebrate our differences and were united in our purpose. We journeyed together and I believe for all 40 women it is one of the most significant experiences of our lives. In our prayerful journey with Denise, we encountered, we listened, and we grew.
It appears that the PAX Community may have an opportunity like the Denise prayer group. Pope Francis asks us to join this Synod prayer group, to pray for the healing and transformation of the Church, to join him on the Synodal journey. We do not know how it will end; we may not realize the fruits of our labor; we may never see fruition of our deep concerns. Yet, what if this journey does lead to a transformation? What if it is not futile? What if it is successful? What if there is healing? We cannot know the outcome, but what is certain is that the PAX community will grow because of the journey. We all know the expression that the journey is more important than the destination. Could there be a better example of this expression than the Synod on Synodality?
With open hearts, with faith, with hope, let’s answer Pope Francis and begin this Synod journey. A journey the Pope describes as “a journey of spiritual discernment, of ecclesial discernment that unfolds in adoration, in prayer, and in dialogue with the word of God.”
Marie Dennis stated that “We have a Promise and are waiting for it to be fulfilled. Maybe a new Church birthing is a step in the right direction.” Let’s be as Pope Francis invites: “Pilgrims in love with the Gospel and open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit. Let’s not miss out on the grace-filled opportunities born of encounter, listening and discernment.” So dear sisters and brothers in PAX, let’s begin our Synod journey.