Let Us Listen

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In preparation for the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which began Oct. 4, the participants gathered for a retreat in Sacrofano, about 20 miles from Rome. Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe, a former Master of the Order of Preachers, led the three-day retreat, which ran from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.

Fr. Radcliffe gave several meditations during the retreat, which are available at vaticannews.va. For this column, I had hoped to synthesize them, but I found so much food for reflection that I’d fill several pages were I to do that, so I’m going to focus on Fr. Radcliffe’s Oct. 2 presentation titled “Conversation on the way to Emmaus.”

First a note about the synod. This event, with 364 voting members as well as a number of non-voting attendees, is meant to ask how the members of the Church can journey together. Two years ago, local churches throughout the world held listening sessions in their communities, asking questions of Catholics and non-Catholics alike about what the Church’s priorities should be. Those responses were then collated in reports from the various regions, which were sent to Rome for the Synod.

Here in Utah, almost 250 listening sessions were held, with almost 5,000 people attending. Among the priorities identified by the majority of participants were the need to be more welcoming, the need for more catechesis and formation, and the need for communication and dialogue in presenting Church teaching. (The full report from the diocese is available at https://www.dioslc.org/documents/1460.pdf.)

Not everyone throughout the world has these priorities, however. With so many people with such different life experiences providing input, disagreements about what the synod should accomplish are inevitable. For example, “The German submission said that we must leave ‘the comfortable position of those who give hospitality to allow ourselves to be welcomed into the existence of those who are our companions on the journey of humanity,’” Fr. Radcliffe said.

Disagreements have been part of the Church since the very beginning. Scripture tells of how, as Jesus and his followers journey toward Jerusalem, “the disciples quarrel, misunderstand Jesus, and eventually desert him,” Fr. Radcliffe pointed out.

“But the Risen Lord appears and gives them words of healing to speak to each other,” he added. “We too need healing words that leap across the boundaries that divide us: the ideological boundaries of left and right; the cultural boundaries that divide one continent from another, the tensions that sometimes divide men and women. Shared words are the lifeblood of our Church. We need to find them for the sake of our world in which violence is fueled by humanity’s inability to listen. Conversation leads to conversion.”

When Jesus appears to the disciples on the way to Emmaus, “The disciples are speaking angrily,” Fr. Radcliffe said. “The Greek means literally, ‘What are these words that you are hurling at each other?’ So Jesus invites them to share their anger. They had hoped that Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, but they were wrong. He failed. So, he walks with them and opens himself to their anger and fear. … Do we, like Jesus, dare to ask each other: ‘What are you talking about? Why are you angry?’ Do we dare to hear the reply?”

He pointed out that “Jesus does not attempt to control the conversation. He asks what they are talking about; he goes where they go, not where he wishes to go; he accepts their hospitality. A real conversation cannot be controlled. One surrenders oneself to its direction. We cannot anticipate where it will take us, to Emmaus or Jerusalem. Where will this Synod lead the Church? If we knew in advance, there would be no point in having it! Let us be surprised!”

The advice Fr. Radcliffe gives to synod participants can be applied to disagreements in our own lives. We can ask what the other person is thinking about, why they are angry. And we can listen to their response. Fr. Radcliffe suggests that this listening should include imagining “why the other person held his or her view. What experience led them to this view? What wounds do they bear? What is their joy?”

In his Oct. 2 meditation titled “Friendship,” Fr. Radcliffe said that “friendship flourishes when we dare to share our doubts and seek the truth together. What is the point of talking to people who already know everything or who agree completely?” Too often I am guilty of wanting everything my way, which includes having everyone agree with me. But to expect that would be to deny myself the wonder and beauty of the differences brought by others. My world is narrow enough as it is; I need to listen to the experiences of my companions toward the kingdom, and allow them to help guide my journey toward the kingdom.

Marie Mischel is editor of the “Intermountain Catholic.” Reach her at marie@catholic.org.