It may be curious that the Pope has announced that he will not publish a post-synodal exhortation, as was usual, accepting the document with the proposals approved by the assembly, and that on Sunday, at the closing mass, he did not dedicate a single line to said propositions. It seems, rather, that Francis wanted to show the path that this event points out for the Church at this moment in history. “Synodality is the historical channel for the mission,” said the president of the Episcopal Conference, Luis Argüello, to immediately point out that all this effort of reflection and deliberation is oriented to the mission. The Pope has pointed out, to begin with, that those of us who by grace and free decision are already part of the Church need (the first) to perceive “the shock of salvation” and “let ourselves be awakened by the force of the Gospel.” A warning so that no one takes faith for granted, the first step to becoming fossilized. Only this commotion, which we can also call conversion, will allow us to welcome, as Francis asks, the cry of all the men and women of the earth: those who thirst for the Gospel and those who have distanced themselves, but also those who are indifferent. The Church that the Lord wants cannot be paralyzed or indifferent, but must take up the cry of the world, even if it is a cry of protest full of confusion. Francis has said it with his own words that are quite a program, already outlined in the letter ‘Evangelii gaudium’: «Brothers, sisters, not a sitting Church, a standing Church; not a mute Church, a Church that picks up the cry of humanity; not a blind Church, but one illuminated by Christ, which brings the light of the Gospel to others; “Not a static Church but a missionary one, which walks with the Lord on the roads of the world.” I was struck by the fact that, at the end of the homily, Francis wanted to point out two significant elements of St. Peter’s Basilica: the relic of the apostle’s former Chair, radiant after its recent restoration, and “the glory of the Holy Spirit.” , nestled in Bernini’s majestic baldachin. Regarding the first, the Pope has said that “it is the chair of love, unity and mercy, according to that order that Jesus gave to the apostle Peter, not to dominate others, but to serve them in charity”; Regarding the second, he said that it is the true focal point of the entire Basilica, because the center of ecclesial life is always the gift of the Holy Spirit. I do not believe that these final references are the result of chance, but rather a synthetic indication at the end of this synodal stage. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church that, being a body, the Lord has wanted to provide with a center that gives security and unity on its path throughout history, the ministry of Peter. Two events linked to each other, which we cannot forget when it comes to understanding the Synod and what is coming now, that is, the path it continues.
#José #Luis #Restán #Collect #scream #silences #world
