Can a blind man finally see the light
Well, if you were in the dark your whole life
Could you tell what the light looks like
Can a blind man finally see the light
On hearing that Jesus comes in synodality; an expression of the Church’s nature, her form style and mission,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And Bishop Zurek rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So Bishop Zurek…?
Bishop Zurek has to put on the façade of opening the Synod, but that doesn’t mean the Diocese of Amarillo has reason to shout with joy. Instead of allowing the Lord to do great things for us, His Excellency has already indicated that he will take the honor upon himself to easily degrade the Synod from the level of intentions and desires to that of rhetoric, and turn the process and events into empty formalities:
- The opening Mass of, nor any mention of the Synod for the Diocese has been put on the calendar.
- Additional stories on activities in the Diocese of Amarillo were posted on the website, but nothing about the Synod has appeared.
- Bishop Zurek’s expectations for a Red, Te Deum and Respect Life Masses were broadcasted on radio and social media, but God’s expectation and Pope Francis’s invitation for the Synod were ignored.
The fact is that if this Synod is only an item on the Bishop’s Schedule, and not embodied in structures and processes that bring life and light through the Gospel, the Church’s credibility will be undermined because the blind man will not have the faith to be saved.
IV. Synodality in Action: Pathways for Consulting the People of God
Different Articulations of Synodality
27. In the prayer, reflection, and sharing prompted by the fundamental question, it is opportune to keep in mind three levels on which synodality is articulated as a “constitutive dimension of the Church.”[20]
• the level of the style with which the Church ordinarily lives and works, which expresses its nature as the People of God that journeys together and gathers in assembly summoned by the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel. This style is realized through “the community listening to the Word and celebrating the Eucharist, the brotherhood of communion and the co-responsibility and participation of the whole People of God in its life and mission, on all levels and distinguishing between various ministries and roles;”[21]
• the level of ecclesial structures and processes, determined also from the theological and canonical point of view, in which the synodal nature of the Church is expressed in an institutional way at the local, regional, and universal levels;
• the level of synodal processes and events in which the Church is convoked by the competent authority, according to specific procedures determined by the ecclesiastical discipline.
Although distinct from a logical point of view, these three levels refer one to the other and must be held together in a coherent way, otherwise a counter-testimony is transmitted, and the Church’s credibility is undermined. In fact, if it is not embodied in structures and processes, the style of synodality easily degrades from the level of intentions and desires to that of rhetoric, while processes and events, if they are not animated by an adequate style, turn out to be empty formalities.
