Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 19, 2025 - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Isa 62:1-5; 1 Cor 12:4-11; John 2:1-11]SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2025 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME[Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11] There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit....But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as she wishes. [1 Corinthians] Over the last three years there has been an event going on in Rome called "the Synod on Synodality!" I rather doubt that most pewfolks have paid a lot of attention to it, but it will eventually change the way we Catholics think of ourselves as "Church." It's not as if the ideas debated at the synod are new. The Second Vatican Council restored a lot of ideas that had been lost in the scramble to meet the challenges of the Reformation (the Council of Trent 1545-1561) and of the French Revolution (the First Vatican Council 1869-1871). The concept of "synodality" fell under the table in the Latin (Western) part of the Church in favor of a strictly top-down vision that left the laity in a "pray-pay-obey" posture. St. Paul's vision of recognizing a broad range of ministerial "charisms" in service to the Body of Christ was limited to the clergy and religious under the strict control of the Vatican and diocesan bishops. The Second Vatican Council sought to restore the broader and less institutional understanding, while maintaining the usefulness of the institutional/hierarchical side as an instrument of service. The "Synod on Synodality" is a big step in realizing more fully the vision of the Second Vatican Council. St. Paul's vision is a practical one. It is a summons to a level of discernment that involves all members and not just clergy and religious. Everyone is gifted in some way. Today's passage from 1st Corinthians is followed immediately by the image of the human body in which one part cannot say it does not need the others. We know this from our own experience. Even a "minor" problem like an infected toenail can impact the whole body! Eye and hand have to work together. The discernment of preaching the gospel is more than the sacramental ministry of the clergy. It is the responsibility of all the Baptized People of God. I recommend a reading of the Final Report (even though it is a long one) of the Synod on Synodality to see how St. Paul's vision is being presented for implementation. The Holy Spirit will be working "overtime!" AMEN
Over the last three years there has been an event going on in Rome called "the Synod on Synodality!" I rather doubt that most pewfolks have paid a lot of attention to it, but it will eventually change the way we Catholics think of ourselves as "Church." It's not as if the ideas debated at the synod are new. The Second Vatican Council restored a lot of ideas that had been lost in the scramble to meet the challenges of the Reformation (the Council of Trent 1545-1561) and of the French Revolution (the First Vatican Council 1869-1871). The concept of "synodality" fell under the table in the Latin (Western) part of the Church in favor of a strictly top-down vision that left the laity in a "pray-pay-obey" posture. St. Paul's vision of recognizing a broad range of ministerial "charisms" in service to the Body of Christ was limited to the clergy and religious under the strict control of the Vatican and diocesan bishops. The Second Vatican Council sought to restore the broader and less institutional understanding, while maintaining the usefulness of the institutional/hierarchical side as an instrument of service. The "Synod on Synodality" is a big step in realizing more fully the vision of the Second Vatican Council.
St. Paul's vision is a practical one. It is a summons to a level of discernment that involves all members and not just clergy and religious. Everyone is gifted in some way. Today's passage from 1st Corinthians is followed immediately by the image of the human body in which one part cannot say it does not need the others. We know this from our own experience. Even a "minor" problem like an infected toenail can impact the whole body! Eye and hand have to work together. The discernment of preaching the gospel is more than the sacramental ministry of the clergy. It is the responsibility of all the Baptized People of God. I recommend a reading of the Final Report (even though it is a long one) of the Synod on Synodality to see how St. Paul's vision is being presented for implementation. The Holy Spirit will be working "overtime!" AMEN