Editorial

Observing a synodal Lent

On Sunday, we begin our observance of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum. Before we know it, we’ll be singing alleluias and sharing with others the joy of Easter.

Lent is an inherently synodal season; it calls us to participate in a spiritual journey, and it combines introspection (meditation on God’s word) with actions that are both penitential and oriented to the common good. This Lenten season has been uniquely “synodal.” It is happening during a time when the Church has been asked to reflect on the synod synthesis published last fall after the October 2023 Synod in Rome.

“Synodal” is a word that is frequently misunderstood. Some react negatively to the idea that synodality is a priority for the Church today. Others are simply confused by what this seemingly vague term really means.

The word synod comes from Greek. “Syn” and “hodos” combine to mean a journey that is undertaken together. Synodality means that we walk together as pilgrim people on a path that has been marked out for us by the Holy Spirit. The challenge of synodality is to discern God’s will for us (God’s way, not our way) and to walk together in peace and harmony in spite of our differences and diversity.

The season of Lent is an excellent time to practice synodality, walking together as members of God’s family united in faith, hope and love. The traditional Lenten practices, which are too often seen as individualistic, are in fact other-directed.

We pray in order to converse with God and discern God’s will for us. We fast in order to deny ourselves and live for others. We give alms in order to help our sisters and brothers in need to travel with us. These are synodal activities—prayerful discernment, openness to the world around us, and the commitment to reach out to others and walk with them on our common journey.

It should not be surprising that our spiritual father, Pope Francis, has identified synodality as a priority for today’s Church. We are a deeply divided people who too often vilify those who are different from us or who disagree with us. We have lost our way as individuals, families and communities, and we need guidance and support as we struggle to understand who we are and what we are called to become as God’s faithful people.

If the concept of synodality seems vague, it is because we are accustomed to the separation and indifference of the individualistic “my way or the highway” attitude promoted by our society.

Often, we have a hard time imagining what it would be like to journey together in peace and harmony with “those people,” whoever those people happen to be.

We too often resist the idea of synodality because we are uncomfortable traveling with people who are strangers to us or who openly disagree with us by their words or actions. We don’t want to be seen as sisters and brothers to those we believe are inferior to us in their beliefs, actions or morality. We judge others to be unworthy and, so, justify our refusal to walk with them.

These are harsh words, but they are ideas that Pope Francis rejects as being profoundly unchristian. Indifference to our sisters and brothers is not the way of Jesus. Outright disdain for those who live differently, or who see the world in ways that we find offensive, is contrary to the Gospel precepts that we are challenged to live. Lent is an excellent opportunity to rediscover these values and to put them into practice in a synodal way.

Lent is a synodal season because it challenges us to let go of our prejudices and presumptions. To discern God’s will, we must let go of any preconceived notions. To open our minds and hearts to the truth, we must consciously let go of ideas that we cling to uncritically. And to be a synodal Church, we must be willing to listen to those who disagree with us even as we share with them our most fervent beliefs.

As we prepare for Holy Week, which is an opportunity given to us by the Church to walk with Jesus in a way that is truly synodal, let’s keep in mind that we are not self-directed individuals, but a people called to discern God’s will.

This Holy Week, let’s enter into communion with God, who wants us to be united with one other in spite of all our differences.

—Daniel Conway