SEE – A Contemplative Gaze

We are experiencing an intense and fruitful time in the Church since Pope Francis called us to embark on the path of Synodality. This period of life review, prayerful discernment, and deep revitalization aligns with the framework of the Second Vatican Council. It aims to stimulate and solidify communion, participation, and mission among all who form the People of God, called to live and bear witness to the faith received in Baptism and to help build a world reflecting the values of the Kingdom. As the Pope reminds us, “We are called to unity, communion, and fraternity born from feeling embraced by divine love (…). We walk together in the one People of God, to experience a Church that receives and lives the gift of unity and opens to the voice of the Spirit” (Moment of reflection for the beginning of the synodal process, October 9, 2021).

The method proposed by the Pontiff is none other than attentive and respectful listening to all members of the Church and paying attention to the desires and concerns of our contemporaries, to move forward together in the direction indicated by the Spirit of the Lord, the true protagonist of this process: “I reiterate that the Synod is not a parliament, nor a survey of opinions; the Synod is an ecclesial moment, and the protagonist of the Synod is the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit is not present, there will be no Synod” (ibid.).

Always seeking unity in plurality, we all feel involved in this synodal journey, ready to collaborate so that the Church may manifest its identity as an icon of Trinitarian communion, a sacrament of the Kingdom of God, and a caring servant of humanity in this world marked by so many challenges and contradictions, advancements and setbacks. No one can remain on the sidelines of this common task. “If an ecclesial practice that concretely expresses synodality is not cultivated at every step of the journey and actions, promoting the real involvement of everyone, communion and mission run the risk of remaining somewhat abstract terms” (ibid.).

As members of the Vincentian Family, how do we place ourselves in this synodal journey? What contribution can we offer the Church from the peculiarity of our missionary charism? And how does the spirit of synodality affect our personal and community life? Let us allow the Word of God and the experience of St. Vincent to help us walk firmly in that direction.

JUDGE – A Lucid Discernment

In the Light of the Word (Read: Romans 12:1-13)

Exercising ourselves in the art of discernment and preparing for sincere conversion and profound renewal, we are invited to mutual listening and effective collaboration to advance the Church’s mission in response to the legitimate hopes of the contemporary world, inspired by the charity that identifies us as members of the body of Christ. As Pope Francis guides us, “In the ecclesial body, the only starting point, and it cannot be otherwise, is Baptism, our source of life, from which an identical dignity as children of God derives, even in the difference of ministries and charisms. Therefore, we are all called to participate in the life and mission of the Church. If real participation of the entire People of God is lacking, the discourses on communion run the risk of remaining pious intentions” (ibid.).

The effectiveness of our ecclesial commitment and pastoral action is intimately related to the rediscovery of Baptism as the primordial sacrament that founds our common dignity and legitimizes the diversity of vocations, charisms, and ministries that dynamize the life of the People of God (cf. 1Cor 12:12-30). Only in this way can we collaborate in building a missionary, synodal, and prophetic Church, decentralized from itself, entirely ministerial, nourished by the communion and participation of its members, and recognized as a pilgrim servant of humanity, compassionately turning towards the poor. A Church that “contemplates and imitates the life of the Most Holy Trinity, a mystery of communion ad intra and a source of mission ad extra” (Pope Francis. Ibid.).

In the Light of the Vincentian Charism

Every charism has a distinctly ecclesial orientation. It arises from the perception of the Church’s needs situated in the world. The Spirit endowed St. Vincent de Paul with a special ability to read the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of faith so that he could intuit and visualize God’s plan within the concrete circumstances in which he lived and acted. The Vincentian Family strives to respond to the situations and demands of our time with the lucidity and vigor provided by the charism communicated by the Spirit through its founder, updating the mission of Jesus Christ and making visible the Church’s care for the poor in a state of permanent conversion.

St. Vincent insisted that his Missionaries imbue themselves with a profound ecclesial sense, visible in love for the Church, effective participation in its mission, and attention to its legitimate pastors. Vincent de Paul’s love for the Church translated in many ways, especially in his efforts for the reform of ecclesiastical structures, his vigorous opposition to all forms of corruption and abuse, his potent call for pastoral care towards the most abandoned, his intelligent dedication to the integral formation of the clergy, and his effort to involve the laity (especially women) in the service of charity. This titanic ecclesial commitment is reflected in his insightful observations regarding the Church’s urgent needs of his time: “What the Church needs is to have evangelical men who strive to purge it, enlighten it, and unite it to its divine spouse” (SV III, 181). And that is because “the Church is like a great harvest that requires workers, but workers who work. Nothing is so in conformity with the Gospel as gathering, on one hand, light and strength for the soul in prayer, reading, and retreat and, on the other hand, going out to share this spiritual nourishment with others. This is what our Lord did and, after Him, His apostles (…). This is what we must do and how we must show God through works that we love Him” (SV XI-4, 734).

Thus, St. Vincent could rejoice in seeing the work that the Spirit accomplishes in the Church with the collaboration of those who place themselves in His hands as docile instruments of His action in favor of the less fortunate: “What a joy for us, the Missionaries, to be able to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit guides His Church, working as we do for the instruction and sanctification of the poor!” (SV XI-4, 730).

ACT – A Renewed Commitment

In his reflection for the start of the synodal process, Pope Francis spoke of three risks that could threaten the opportunity the Synod offers for pastoral conversion with a missionary focus. Let us examine how these risks affect the life of our Vincentian Family from our specific realities. It is essential not to consider these risks by only looking outward but to reflect on how they act within ourselves and our branches. Critical thinking devoid of self-criticism cannot be authentic or fruitful.

Formalism

“A Synod can be reduced to an extraordinary event, but of facade (…). Instead, the Synod is an effective spiritual discernment journey that we undertake not to give a good image of ourselves, but to better collaborate with God’s work in history.”

→ In everything related to our life and mission, are we content with projecting a good appearance or maintaining a good reputation (personal, community, institutional, etc.)? In our ministries, is it enough for us to follow the agenda or attend to what is prescribed punctually? How is the spiritual and missionary vitality that should inspire our personal behaviors, fraternal coexistence, pastoral conversion, and apostolic dynamism? “Sometimes there is a certain elitism in the presbyteral order that separates it from the laity; and the priest ultimately becomes the ‘owner of the parish’ and not the pastor of an entire Church moving forward. This requires us to transform certain vertical, distorted, and partial visions of the Church, the presbyteral ministry, the role of the laity, ecclesial responsibilities, governance roles, among others.” → Do we develop an adequate understanding of the mystery and mission of the Church in light of Vatican II? Does our ecclesiological vision rest on the conciliar notion of the People of God, within which we all have the same dignity in the legitimate diversity of vocations, charisms, and ministries? Do we understand the ordained ministry as what it truly is: a sacrament of the servicial charity of the Good Shepherd? Do we recognize and encourage the laity’s protagonism in the Church and society? Do we share the decisions and responsibilities that concern us all, or do we limit ourselves to sharing the burden of tasks?

Intellectualism or Abstraction

“The reality goes one way, and we with our reflections go another, turning the Synod into a kind of study group, with cultured but abstract interventions on the Church’s problems and the world’s evils; a kind of ‘talk for the sake of talking,’ where one acts superficially and mundanely, ultimately falling again into habitual and sterile ideological and partisan classifications, and moving away from the reality of God’s holy people and the concrete life of the communities scattered around the world.” → How do we position ourselves in front of the realities surrounding us, especially those that closely affect the poorest and the present moment of the Church and the Vincentian Family? Do we succumb to the temptation of fatalistic pessimism? Do we take refuge in convenient optimisms that keep us in our comfort zones? Or do we nurture a realism illuminated by faith and filled with hope, which recognizes failures, does not condone inconsistencies, points to new horizons, and opens new paths? Do we know how to avoid unilateralism and embrace the richness of the different?

Immobility

“In the end, there is the attitude of ‘it has always been done this way’ (always done like this), which is a poison in the life of the Church. Whoever moves in this horizon, even without realizing it, falls into making the mistake of not taking seriously the time we live in.” → Are we determined to assume personal and community discernment as a criterion for our decisions and choices? Do we understand that true fidelity to tradition requires attention to the breath of the Spirit who ‘makes all things new’? Do we realize that conversion requires concrete acts and bold decisions? Do we demand of ourselves the same radicality with which we judge others?

Conclusion

Pope Francis also speaks of three opportunities that characterize this time of grace and which we can embrace with an open heart:

1. “We are called to be a Church that lives Synodality not occasionally, but structurally. A place open where everyone feels at home and can participate.”
2. “A Church of listening (…). Being a synodal Church means placing oneself on the same level, listening to each other, and feeling that we are one People of God. One listens to the Spirit in adoration and prayer. Lessening the distance between shepherds and the faithful, overcoming clericalism and feeling with a true ecclesial mentality and sense.”
3. “A Church of proximity. Returning to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion, and tenderness. A Church that does not separate itself from life but takes charge of fragilities and poverties, healing wounds and healing broken hearts with the balm of God.”

These opportunities for the synodal Church, in the concrete moment we are living, are an exciting project for the life and mission of the Vincentian Family. Let’s make them our own and work generously so that they are the criteria that guide our journey in this favorable time.

Source: Summary of a working paper on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation of the Mission, published on cmglobal.org.

Click on the following image to access all the information on the Second Vincentian Family Convocation, November 14–17, 2024 in Rome, Italy: