Holy Skepticism

In what ways are you skeptical about the listening sessions going on around the diocese right now? Be honest with yourself; how are you skeptical about all of this? You do not have to forgive yourself for being skeptical. There is no sin here. It’s brutal honesty that brings us before God so we can first listen to and walk with him.

When you are praying, how does it feel to know, that you know, God is actually listening to you? For me, it feels like an overwhelming immersion in God’s unconditional, forgiving love. It makes me smile, it grabs my attention and often brings me to tears. God is listening to little, ole me! Similarly, how does it feel when another human being places all their attention on you and they, too, listen intently to your story? Again, for me, I experience those same feelings as when I am convinced God is listening to me. I ask you to ponder: what would the world look and feel like if more of us listened to and walked with each other?

When I first read, in May of 2021, that Pope Francis had called a Synod on Synodality, I laughed out loud. It sounded like we were going to have a synod on synods. What? Did I hear it right? Is this some kind of double-talk to sound religious? What new changes were in store for us with a synod to discuss synods?

However, I quickly learned the real meaning of this process and excitingly devoured every article, podcast, and video I could find. And while it all sounded much better, I was still a skeptic. How would this work, and again, how would the church change in light of such a process? And the question many of us ask: why should I get involved just to be, once again, disappointed in the outcome?

I may be a slow learner, but if I give something enough time to sink in, I can finally get the point. And the point here, as always, is not about changing the church. My involvement in the process is not about changing Catholicism or keeping it the same. My experience is a self-experience. In other words, how will I change? This synod on synodality is designed to help me learn to listen to and walk with you, with others, with everyone, all so that my heart will change. I’m not in this to change your heart. That’s between you and God. If I enter this process while having an open ear, mind, and heart, I will begin to engage in my own inner search for God and, with great expectations, I will long to be resurrected with a new mind and a new heart of my own.

You see, we do not change the church or keep it the same by worrying about hierarchical matters. We’ll leave those decisions up to the hierarchy. That’s what they do. No, we change the church by changing ourselves; by changing the way we listen; by changing the way we accompany others; truly by changing our consciousness of experiencing Christ in other human beings.

As Catholics, we are sacramental people. We engage in the church by encountering Christ in the sacraments. Then, we live the graces of those sacraments by engaging in encounters with Christ in the people God places in our paths. We are called to live our faith; to live our sacramental nature in the world just like we do in church. We are called to encounter Christ in other humans. When we do; when we listen to and walk with them, all in the consciousness of the presence of Christ, our own minds and hearts are converted. We personally are the ones who are graced with change. And, because the people of God are also the church, when we change, the church changes. If our consistent practice is to listen to and walk with each other, then it becomes the consistent practice of the church as well.

How about you? In what ways are you skeptical about the listening sessions going on around the diocese right now? Be honest with yourself; how are you skeptical about all of this? You do not have to forgive yourself for being skeptical. There is no sin here. It’s brutal honesty that brings us before God so we can first listen to and walk with him.

What gets in the way of allowing your own heart to change? Is it fear? Fear of what? Is it ego? Are you willing to let God change your heart in this process? What would a changed heart look like?

I believe a changed heart opens my eyes a little. I begin to see others not by what they do (salesperson, working mom, custodian of a building, political leader, etc.). When a changed heart opens our eyes, we begin to see others in their authentic, God-created identity. We finally see each other as beloved, unconditionally loved daughters and sons of God. This is our true and only identity. We are the loved children of the Father, sisters and brothers of Christ the Son, and temples of the Holy Spirit.

Being made in God’s image and likeness, and being adopted as his children is a gift, a divine grace. If I can see you as God’s loved and beloved, then I can listen better, I can hear what you are saying, I can feel where you are coming from, and I can better understand your perspective. This is what a synodal church will look like. Will you join us, and invite others to join us as well?