31st Sunday of Year B
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.
1. Today’s readings focus on the best way of leaving one’s life open to God’s blessings. The first reading and the Gospel see this in loving God and loving one’s neighbour. One strong word is found in both readings. The word is: LISTEN. The first reading said: Listen oh Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord. This is a prayer formula that every pious Jews repeats three times every day. The first word is “Listen.” I want to focus on that common but important word in today’s homily. God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice more than we speak. Today most people speak twice more than they listen.
2. On 10th October 2021, Pope Francis inaugurated a three year synodal journey to last till October 2024. This synodal journey was on how to be a listening church in a world where people no longer want to listen. This journey was titled: for a synodal church: communion, participation and mission. The people wanted a church that should be more participatory and more inclusive. For three years, the people of God were listened to from parish level to the diocesan level until the continental and universal level. The synod on synodality finally ended last Sunday being 27 October 2024. After three years of listening to all who care to speak, the Church brought together 355 delegates, 27 % of whom were non bishops ( priests, religious and lay faithful). Joined to the group were leaders of other Christian denominations, described as fraternal delegates. For one month, the group with the Pope listened, consulted and discerned together on how the Catholic Church should become more inclusive, synodal and missionary.
3. On the evening of Saturday 26 October 2024, the group presented a 52 pages document to the Pope as the result of the listening. It is coincidental that today’s readings call us to listen. Pope Francis reacted in a way that will remain legendary for both political and religious governance in years to come. He accepted the work of the group in its entirety to show that he has listened and in this way called every Catholic to be a listener to those who work with him or her. By this act, he inaugurates a new era for the Catholic Church. He said that having called the people to advice him on how to move the church forward and having seen how their work was conducted, he does not need to bring out another document on how to be a synodal church in mission in the world today.
4. The Final Document of the synod has major recommendations that would transform the Church, making her more welcoming to all who desire to serve God in truth. Such include: differentiated co-responsibility of all members of the Church, which teaches that every baptized person has a place and roles to play in the mission of the church. This emphasizes the fact that every Christian is a stakeholder in the mission of the church. The Bishop, the priests and the lay faithful must all work together as the owners of the mission of the Church. It speaks of decision making in the Church which must follow an inclusive process and be concluded with accountability, done in a transparent manner through proper evaluation. It equally speaks of giving more opportunities to women in the decision making instances of the Church. Above all, it speaks of formation of all the sectors of the people of God on synodality. By listening, the Pope has discovered how to make the Church more participatory and more inclusive.
5. When God calls us to listen, he knows that without listening we cannot progress as we should. Pope Francis has listened. The local Churches, Bishops, Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful must now follow in his step. Listening must start from the families and extend to the Church and society. Parents must listen to their children, children to their parents. Wives must listen to their husbands and husbands to their wives. Bishops must listen to their priests and lay faithful and the priests and lay faithful to the bishops. Whoever exercises authority at any level of the Church’s life must listen to those in the group and vice versa. It is in this way that we can learn to love God and our neighbours, which Jesus presents as the highest commandments. You must start to become a synodal people of God wherever you find yourself.
@ Vitalis Anaehobi
03/11/24
