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Exodus’ telling of the Israelites camping in the desert, coupled with Jesus’ missioning of the 12 disciples to “go out to the lost sheep of the House of Israel,” brought to mind the ongoing Synod on Synodality underway in our Church and its implications for how we as a Church might become less polarized and exclusive, while at the same time becoming more compassionate, loving, and hospitable to everyone Jesus invited to the table. I do not mean my personal guest list of those I like, but Jesus’ guest list, which includes…well…everyone.

In 2021, Pope Francis announced a synod on synodality (Synod 2021-2024) to take place in Octobers of 2023 and 2024. This involved, in its early stages, a time of local preparation where parishes around the world were invited to take part. If you happen to be unfamiliar with church synod, Pope Francis has essentially asked us to reflect on how our church can create spaces where she listens to the Holy Spirit through the voice of her faithful.  This synod is particularly significant because it recognizes the laity as a voice of The Church in a much broader way.

This Diocesan Stage of the synod involved conversations among many clergy and laity at parish and diocesan levels. You can read the reports as well as a synthesis from the Archdiocese of Moncton on the diocesan website.  Pope Francis described these synod conversations as a “time to look others in the eye and listen to what they have to say, to build rapport, to be sensitive to the questions of our sisters and brothers, to let ourselves be enriched by the variety of charisms, vocations, and ministries.”  According to Francis, this process “is a walk together, and it is what the Lord expects from the Church of the third millennium.” 

In 18 years of serving in pastoral ministry, I have heard many frustrated people echo some variation of “The church needs to adapt to the world around it, or else it will become irrelevant.”  I love our Church, and in my own lifetime she has been a personal source of great comfort, belonging, and nearness to God. I also think there is truth to this statement about the need for change, not because I believe God has changed recently but because I believe I have changed and the way in which I understand God has changed. There is a bit of a problem though, and it is not intended as a criticism of anyone in particular, because I think it is a part of our human nature. The problem is that not 100% of the time, but often enough, humans are stark-raving terrified of even the most subtle change to the status quo or challenge to our world view.

I took part in the Continental Phase of the Synod in January of this year, where I participated in conversations with English-speaking faithful from across the United States and Canada. Listening to others from such a multiplicity of backgrounds was fascinating and gave me a much better appreciation of our Church’s rich diversity.  It was also encouraging to know there are still spaces where we can look one another in the eye and have respectful conversations grounded in good listening. 

During the conversation I participated in (which took place on Zoom), every person was given adequate time to speak and share their observations without having someone else roll their eyes, shut them down or disagree with them. It was a powerful exercise in listening. The working document for the Continental Stage of the synod was entitled “Enlarge the Space of Your Tent,” taken from Isaiah 54:2. The document states “This tent is a space of communion, a place of participation, and a foundation for mission.”

An invitation for some and also a challenge for many, we have been asked to reflect on our meaning when we claim all are welcome, or when we claim God sent Jesus into the world to save everyone, or that God loves each of his children equally. We often say these things but across my time in ministry I have also often heard “All are welcome, but…” or “God loves each of his children equally, but…” In either instance the imposition of “but” changes the meaning of the sentence and takes on more judgment and responsibility than belongs to me.

Through the synodal conversations which took place over the past couple of years, and through today’s readings I also hear an invitation to broaden our own tents in outreach and mission; to create space for, make feel welcome those Jesus invited to the table. No buts. 

Trevor Droesbeck
Archdiocese of Moncton
Office for Evangelization and Catechesis