Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the importance of cultivating what he calls “a culture of encounter,” within our church, and between all peoples across society.
In “Fratelli Tutti,” the pope’s encyclical letter released last October, he asks for us to facilitate encounters “capable of transcending our differences and divisions.” For this to happen, though, we need to have meaningful conversations with one another; we need to move beyond pleasantries and
politeness.
The success of the upcoming synod, as you may already be tired of hearing, requires the participation of all people, especially those habitually excluded and unheard in ordinary church circles. Still, participation alone is not enough.
We are called to participate in the Synod process, not as opponents in a debate but as pilgrims on a journey, walking together side by side. We must share our hopes and fears, struggles and joys. And we are invited to speak with each other as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus, “talking with each other about everything that had happened.” The invitation at this time is for us to share our story with courage, and to open ourselves to the real-life experience of our companions on the
road—warts and all.
In the second chapter of Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis offers a powerful mediation on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). I think it encapsulates well what is at stake with the present Synod for our church going forward. I invite you to pray with this today:
The parable is clear and straightforward, yet it also evokes the interior struggle that each of us experiences as we gradually come to know ourselves through our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Sooner or later, we will all encounter a person who is suffering. Today there are more and more of them. The decision to include or exclude those lying wounded along the roadside can serve as a criterion for judging every economic,
political, social and religious project. Each day we have to decide whether to be Good Samaritans or indifferent bystanders. And if we extend our gaze to the history of our own lives and that of the entire world, all of us are, or have been, like each of the characters in the parable. All of us have in ourselves something of the wounded man, something of the robber, something of the passers-by, and something of the Good Samaritan. (No. 69 )
