I would like to begin by quoting from the first of a series of six talks for the three-day retreat of participants gathered in the Vatican for the Synod of Synodality. The talk started by getting straight to the point: “We are gathered here because we are not united in heart and mind…. The vast majority of people who have taken part in the synodal process have been surprised by joy. For many, it is the first time that the Church has invited them to speak of their faith and hope. But some of us are afraid of this journey and of what lies ahead. Some hope that the Church will be dramatically changed, that we shall take radical decisions, for example about the role of women in the Church. Others are afraid of exactly these same changes and fear that they will only lead to division, even schism.”
My dear brothers, dear friends in the Lord, the preacher was Fr Timothy Radcliffe, the 85th Master of the Order of Preachers, or to us Jesuits, the Father General of the Dominicans. In that series of six talks, he laid out a spiritual and theological vision for the Synod of Synodality. Incidentally, since 2019, the 88th Master of the Dominican Order has been Fr Gerard Timoner III, a Filipino and the first Asian to hold the position.
A Jesuit writer once remarked, “when the Jesuits find themselves in real trouble, they know they can turn to the Dominicans for help.” And so, it was fitting that Pope Francis, a Jesuit, chose a Dominican to set the tone for the Synod on Synodality, which faced criticism from some corners of the Church.
Fortunately for us, we can change slightly Fr Radcliffe’s opening line for our occasion: we are gathered here “because we are united in mind and heart.” Indeed, we are united, for there is something of Saint Dominic in Saint Ignatius. It all began in 1521 when Ignatius was recuperating after being hit by a cannonball at the Battle of Pamplona. The injury fractured his right leg and damaged his left. During his recovery, only two books were available to him: on the life of Christ and on the lives of saints. The book on the saints, entitled The Golden Legend, was by the Dominican James of Voragine. As Ignatius read the compelling tales of the saints, he developed a true devotion to St Dominic, declaring, “St Dominic did this; therefore, I must do it.” Indeed, there is something of Saint Dominic in Saint Ignatius.
As some of us know, every year, except during the pandemic, our Jesuit novices at Sacred Heart Novitiate undertake a Pilgrimage Experiment. They walk for 5-6 days, begging for food and shelter, starting from Bocaue, Bulacan, and ending at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag, in Pangasinan. There, they are sheltered by our Dominican novices-friends at their novitiate. The friendship we share traces back to those experiences and has brought us together today.
Fr Timothy Radcliffe was asked, “Given the problems and divisions facing the church, what would a successful Synod of Synodality look like?” He replied, “This Synod will be fruitful if it leads us into a deeper friendship with the Lord and with each other.” And he continued, “The foundation of all that we shall do in this Synod should be the friendships we create. It does not look like much. It will not make headlines in the media… (but) these friendships are formed by being truthful about our doubts and questions with each other, the questions to which we have no clear answers.”
Dear friends, in today’s Gospel, we are reminded to look beyond our earthly lives, the goals we set here, and the daily chores we must attend to. These may lead us to believe that this is all there is to life. But life is more than just performing chores or observing rules and regulations. In this world, we believe there is a spark of the eternal — something new, something more. Fr Radcliffe saw this. Pope Francis recognized this. The glimpse of the eternal, the spirit of something more, of something new, serves as the foundation of the Synod for Synodality. We are also encouraged to recognize and discover this truth for ourselves.
In today’s Gospel, and during this Easter season, Jesus reminds each of us here, now, that He has come to reveal the meaning behind everything we do in life. The Holy Spirit leads each one of us to discover the true meaning in all our actions and experiences. The Holy Spirit guides us toward new opportunities, new consolations, and new hopes. So, we are invited, indeed urged, not to close ourselves off. Let us keep our lives open to the eternal, to the spiritual. The purpose of our gathering today — our friendship, our charity, our unity, our love that produces peace and harmony — these are the keys to where God is. For where love is, there is God. And where love abounds, true friendship dwells.
God, Father-Son-Holy Spirit, we beg you to reveal to each of us, to our heart today, what it means to remain in you, to abide in you, to dwell in you. Amen. St Ignatius, pray for us. St Dominic, pray for us.