Final Synod document: non definitive translation of numbers 26

Final Synod document: non definitive translation of numbers 26 – 28

Wednesday, November 6th, 2024

As of writing this article, the final Synod document is still only available in Italian and German.

While we wait for the official English version, this is an Artificially Intelligent translation from Italian into English.

26. The celebration of the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, is the primary and foundational form in which the Holy People of God gather and meet. In the Eucharistic celebration, “the unity of the Church is both signified and produced” (UR 2). In the “full, conscious, and active participation” (SC 14) of all the Faithful, in the presence of different ministries, and in the leadership of the Bishop or Priest, the Christian community becomes visible, where a differentiated co-responsibility for the mission is realised by all. For this reason, the Church, the Body of Christ, learns from the Eucharist to balance unity and plurality: the unity of the Church and the multiplicity of Eucharistic assemblies; the unity of the sacramental mystery and the variety of liturgical traditions; the unity of celebration and the diversity of vocations, charisms, and ministries. Nothing demonstrates more clearly than the Eucharist that the harmony created by the Spirit is not uniformity and that every ecclesial gift is intended for communal edification. Every celebration of the Eucharist is also an expression of the desire and call for unity among all the Baptised, which is not yet complete and visible. Where the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is not possible, the community, while desiring it, gathers around the celebration of the Word, where Christ is nonetheless present.

27. There is a close link between *synaxis* and *synodos*, between the Eucharistic assembly and the synodal gathering. Although different in form, both fulfil Jesus’ promise to be present where two or three are gathered in His name (cf. Mt 18:20). Synodal assemblies are events that celebrate the union of Christ with His Church through the action of the Spirit. It is He who ensures the unity of Christ’s ecclesial Body in both the Eucharistic and synodal assemblies. The liturgy involves listening to the Word of God and responding to His covenant initiative. Similarly, the synodal assembly listens to the same Word, which resounds in both the signs of the times and in the hearts of the Faithful, and responds by discerning and implementing God’s will. Deepening the connection between liturgy and synodality will help all Christian communities, in the diversity of their cultures and traditions, to adopt celebratory styles that reflect the image of a synodal Church. To this end, we propose the establishment of a specific Study Group to consider how to make liturgical celebrations more expressive of synodality. This group could also address preaching within liturgical celebrations and the development of a catechesis on synodality from a mystagogical perspective.

Meaning and Dimensions of Synodality

28. The terms “synodality” and “synodal” derive from the ancient and consistent ecclesial practice of gathering in synod. In the traditions of the Churches of the East and the West, the word “synod” refers to institutions and events that have taken various forms over time, involving a plurality of participants. Despite their diversity, these forms are united by the act of coming together to dialogue, discern, and decide. Through the experience of recent years, the meaning of these terms has been better understood and even more deeply lived. They have increasingly been associated with the desire for a Church that is closer to the people, more relational, and a home and family of God. Throughout the synodal process, a convergence on the meaning of synodality, which underpins this Document, has emerged: synodality is the journeying together of Christians with Christ and towards the Kingdom of God, in union with all humanity. Mission-oriented, it entails gathering at various levels of ecclesial life, mutual listening, dialogue, communal discernment, the formation of consensus as an expression of the presence of the living Christ in the Spirit, and making decisions in a differentiated co-responsibility. With this in mind, we better understand what it means that synodality is a constitutive dimension of the Church (cf. CTI, n. 1). In simple and concise terms, one could say that synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform to make the Church more participative and mission-oriented, that is, more able to walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ.