Over the course of Lent, the Columbans in Dalgan have been hosting a series of talks on themes relevant to the Lenten period. Last week, Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath Diocese gave the talk and this week, Columban Fr Bobby Gilmore spoke about ‘Welcoming the Stranger. Next week’s talk will be on the support French Catholics gave Ireland during the Famine.
The series was launched by Columban Fr Tom O’Reilly who spoke about St Luke’s Synodal Perspective. Here are some key points from Fr Tom’s talk:
What can we glean from Luke’s two-volume work (Gospel of Luke/Acts of the Apostles) that might help us undergo the synodal conversion that is called for in the Final Document from the Synod in Rome last October? Luke can shed light on what it means to journey together, to be led and empowered by the Spirit, and to engage in Conversation in the Spirit.
Journeying Together
Luke highlights Jesus’ invitation to join him on his journey to Jerusalem, a journey which continues to the ends of the earth and is guided and empowered by the Spirit of the risen Jesus. To be a follower of Jesus is to a member of a community on the way together as Spirit-filled missionary disciples.
Columban Fr Tom O’Reilly talking about St Luke. Photo: ColumbanMissionImages
We are always ‘on the way’ to a fuller understanding of God’s dream for us and to greater fidelity in following Jesus and living by his values. No one can claim to have arrived at the point of fully understanding and living the Christian message. Depending on each other, we humbly search together for the way ahead.
Led and Empowered by the Spirit
The fundamental question we face in trying to become a more synodal Church is: ‘Where is the Spirit leading us today?’ Luke draws attention to the indispensable role of the Spirit in our life and mission as Jesus’ followers. More than any other evangelist, Luke highlights the role of the Spirit in Jesus’ life and ministry. Jesus inaugurates his mission with the words: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor’ (Lk 4:18). Luke also portrays Jesus as a person of habitual prayer (Lk 5:16).
Prayer was his way of keeping in touch with the guiding Spirit in the ups and downs of his life, a time when he got a clearer sense of the direction of his mission and was empowered by the Spirit to continue walking the path the Father set before him. For Luke, the Spirit is the fruit of persevering prayer (Lk 11:13). In the Acts of the Apostles, we discover that, like Jesus, the community of his missionary disciples was also guided and empowered by the Spirit on their journey, and they too opened themselves to this Spirit in prayer. The Spirit draws people into true community and drives the mission of the community.
Bishop Tom Deenihan speaking in the chapel in Dalgan. Photo: ColumbanMissionImages
Conversation in the Spirit
In the synodal process of Conversation in the Spirit (Spirit-led Conversation), people speak frankly and listen attentively, as they humbly search together for the way ahead. They hope to sense the direction in which the Spirit is leading them and be energised to walk in that direction. We can learn a lot from Luke’s account of the way the early Church addressed this vital question: ‘Should we accept Gentiles into our Jewish Christian community and, if so, under what conditions?’
In Acts 10-11 and Acts 15, we see the community grappling with this question and struggling to keep pace with the Spirit. They could follow the Spirit’s lead only when they moved beyond an argumentative mode and adopted a listening mode. We learn from Luke that we must prayerfully discern our major decisions in mission, not only with an open mind which critically analyses issues, but also with an open heart which can sense what lies behind the words being spoken, and with an open will to follow the lead of the Spirit in freedom, letting go of our own self-centred prejudices and interests.