Pope Francis presided over the Great Mass in the Basilica of St. Peter, starting the process of the Conference of Bishops of the World. In his sermon, the Pope urged everyone to listen carefully, so as to meet the Lord and others, not to deaf ears, and not to hide behind various beliefs in self-defense.
(Vatican News Network)Are you willing to face the “adventures on the journey” and spend time with others; or would you rather hide behind various excuses and say “this will not help” all day, always sticking to the old rules? Pope Francis presided over the opening mass for the process of the Conference of Bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, October 10, and presented this reflection in his sermon. About 3,000 people attended the ceremony, including cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women, and lay believers. As the process of the Conference of Bishops with the theme of collaborating with one another was unfolding, the pope pointed out three key words, namely meeting, listening, and discerning, which he called the compass of church reflection. The Pope stated that holding a conference of bishops of the world means working together. This is as recorded in the Sunday Gospel, Jesus met a rich young man, listened to his confusion, and helped him distinguish.
The Pope said: “The word of God opens us to discernment and illuminates discernment. The word guides the world synod, lest it become an academic conference, academic seminar, or political conference, lest it become a parliament, But it is always an event of grace and a healing process led by the Holy Spirit. In the past few days, Jesus called us, just as He did to the rich young men in the gospel, He wants us to get rid of the mundane and out of our closed state, And our pastoral model day after day; He wants us to reflect on what God wants to say to us at this moment, and where he wants to take us.”
The rich young man eagerly asked the good teacher of Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Just as Jesus was not bored with this, so Christians are also called to “specialize in the art of encounter.” The Pope stated that Jesus did not leave in a hurry, but he has been serving the people he met and listening attentively. Therefore, we need to make room to pray, worship God, meet God, listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to say to the church, and accept questions from other people’s experiences. We should not “hide behind a grand-sounding relationship”; on the contrary, the encounter suggests that we embark on a new path and stop following it. We need to be able to “really meet the Lord and between each other”, “without grease and powder.”
Furthermore, Christians are called to listen attentively and devote the full time needed so that the other person does not feel judged, but can freely tell his experience. Faced with the wealthy young man, Jesus did not give the “pre-determined solution”, but listened attentively and let him speak freely. From this, the pope said, “We must ask ourselves sincerely on this journey together: how do we listen?” Holding a conference of bishops of the world is actually equivalent to following the steps of Jesus.
“This means to be surprised to find that the Holy Spirit keeps booing, bringing surprises again and again, and pointing out new ways and languages.” Bishops, priests, men and women, lay believers, that is, all baptized people, must learn to listen to each other and avoid unrealistic and perfunctory answers. “The Holy Spirit requires us to listen to the doubts, worries, and hopes of every church group, every nation and country, and also listen to the world, challenges, and changes before us. We don’t let the soul turn a deaf ear, and don’t hide behind various beliefs. Defense. I’m sure it sometimes leads us to complacency.”
In addition, in the conversation with the rich young man, Jesus also assisted him in discerning. This young man is a good man who obeys the precepts, but Jesus hopes to guide him beyond the scope of observing the precepts, so that he understands the true attachment in his heart, “thereby discovering that what is good for him is not more devotion, but emptiness: selling those Take possession of the things in his mind, so as to make room for God.” The Pope said that this is a precious instruction. In fact, the World Conference of Bishops is a “journey of spiritual discernment, a journey of church discernment, realized in worship and prayer, and is closely connected with the word of God.”
At the end of the ceremony, 25 people representing all the people of God approached the central altar of the main hall. Among them were a severely visually impaired person and his companions, two monks, two young pastoral workers, a Congolese family living in Rome, a lifelong deacon and his wife and children, A young man from a Romanian Latin rite, an Indian Catholic Syrian-Malabar rite, a Lebanese Maronite priest, a couple preparing to get married, two couples, and a young priest.
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