Let’s Listen while ‘Journeying Together’:

Thanks to Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is in synodal mode. Many ask: What does ‘synod’ mean? Synod comes from two Greek words: ‘syn’ + ‘hodos’, literally ‘with’ + ‘path’ or simply ‘journeying together’. Pope Francis writes “A synodal Church is a Church which listens, which realizes that listening is more than simply hearing. It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. The faithful people, college of bishops, Bishop of Rome: all listening to each other, and all listening to the Holy Spirit, the ‘Spirit of truth’ (Jn.14:17).” Two catchwords are: ‘journeying together’ and ‘listening’.

Francis Gonsalves, SJ

The author is a Gujarat Jesuit, professor at JDV, Pune, and a columnist with The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle.