Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 22 October 2021, during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 22 October 2021

Let us pray:

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name. 

With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts; 

Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it. 

We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.

Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. 

Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right. 

All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen. 

Reflection

This prayer is called the Adsumus prayer. The word “Adsumus” conveys the notion of coming together and this is what the Synod is all about. We come together in the name and the presence of the Holy Spirit who will guide us. The Synod has been launched in our Archdiocese and the Archbishops’s Mass of the launch with its beautiful homily is available on the Archdiocesan webpage. Launches were also done on Parish level.

The task of the Church at this time – until April 2022, is to engage in listening. We are called to motivate each other to engage in the process by responding to the questionnaire which has been sent to our various constituencies. How nice it would be if families could engage in the process. Christian families constitute the most basic level of Church viz. the Body of Christ in the home. 

Our Gospel passage for today’s Mass taken from Luke 12:54-59, contains the following advice from Jesus: “Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison” (Luke 12:57-58). Notice the use of that biblical term: “on the way” which is key to our understanding of the term synod. In the last Archdiocesan News published at the end of September 2021, I explained the meaning of the term “Synod” using the biblical references to “the way”, “the journey” and “the road”. That is exactly what the word Synod means – to be on the journey together.

We sometimes equate our religious practices as walking around with our hands joined but in the instruction given by Jesus, being on the way is more than just a prayer walk. He encourages his followers to engage in the daily struggles and disputes which are inescapable parts of our lives. It is “on the way” that we have to negotiate our difficult relationships and seek resolution. Of the many indications of the theme of “the way” in the Gospels, I want to focus on the time Jesus broke bread for the multitudes. We see this in Mark 8:1-9. He did not want them to collapse “on the way” (Mark 8:3) – so he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them (Mark 8:6).

I wish you well as we embark on this journey, knowing that God is with us every step of the way.

Let us pray: Lord we note that Jesus did not want people to collapse “on the way” so took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them. Teach us to hunger for this bread always so that we may be nourished for the journey with others.

Bishop S. David OMI 
VG/Auxiliary Bishop: Cape Town

LAUNCH OF THE 2023 SYNOD

CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

CAPE TOWN

17 OCTOBER 2021

In today’s Gospel¹, Jesus responds to James and John’s request for him to do them a favour by asking, what is it you want me to do for you? As we know, they gave a “bad” answer by asking for one to sit on his left, and one to sit on his right, when Jesus enters his glory. It was a response that was motivated by very human emotions – the desire for status and the desire for power. We are grateful to them for their question because it gave Jesus the opportunity to describe true discipleship. It is not about “lording it over others” or exerting one’s authority. It is about drinking the chalice Jesus is to drink. The other disciples, on hearing what the two brothers were asking for, displayed another very human emotion – indignation. Jesus goes on with his teaching on discipleship – it is about being the servant of others, placing oneself last and to drink the chalice of suffering. 

As we embark on this process preceding the 2023 Universal synod on synodality in the Church, it is essential that we have in both mind and heart this teaching of Jesus on true discipleship. The synod is a process of listening, of being open to hearing from the faith and experience of others. It is not about any one person or group attempting to lobby or promote their own ideologies or even ideas. It is the opportunity, at this moment of history, at this time of the kairos, that is, the appropriate time, to together pray, reflect and seek how we can become better and more sincere disciples of Jesus Christ. It is a time when, together as believers, we wish to be transformed into the Church which Christ wishes us to be, that we can indeed be the “moon” reflecting the sun², the lamp reflecting the one true light³ who is God and Creator of all. Thus, we should all strive to be part of this process, to take it seriously for we are all a “living stone” of the Church⁴, the Body of Christ. The Holy Father mentions three possible dangers, or temptations⁵. Firstly, there is a danger of formalism which is really going through the process only to create an image of doing something while it is merely a facade. The second is intellectualism, very often ideologically driven and is an abstraction rather than a humble reflection of “the signs of the times” in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Thirdly, there is complacency – why should we change? Things have always been done like this? This last danger is one that negates the fact that times and circumstances change and it is the responsibility of our mission, as Church, to preach the one true message of salvation in ways that respond the questions and experiences of those to whom we witness.

The purpose of this time, as Pope Francis has stated, is not to collect different opinions. It is a time of searching and seeking God’s will through the Holy Spirit who was sent to God’s people after the Ascension of Jesus. We need to be still, to listen carefully for the guidance and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, for God’s Word comes to us not in a mighty wind or an earthquake, but like a gentle breeze⁶. We listen for the voice of the Lord through prayer, through contemplation, renewing our lives in the Sacraments, giving time to be silent before the Lord in the Holy Eucharist. It is an opportune time to renew and deepen our prayer life, to make an extra effort to be present at Holy Hours and benediction, to spend time in family prayer. Without prayer and an openness to the Holy Spirit, this time of synod cannot be successful. The focus is not on our human desires, as it was with James and John in today’s Gospel; rather the focus of our lives and the synod process is on the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, faithfully and sincerely seeking his will.

We will also listen for the voice and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit by listening quietly to others, for God’s Spirit comes to us through the experiences, the joys and struggles, the questions and insights that others have. While we will have the opportunity to speak it is more important to listen humbly to others, putting aside judgement and condemnation.

There are three main legs (potjies) to this synod cooking pot. The first is communion – communion with God in prayer, which I have already spoken about, and communion with each other. Human emotions and passions can divide and cause dissension among people – as we heard in the Gospel – and it is incumbent on every member of God’s family to preserve, enhance and establish the unity of all parts of the Body of Christ. It is a sacred duty that we have and especially urgent at this time of worldwide social media that can serve the needs of people and yet, very often, is used to divide, to poison relationships, to condemn and to instil fear. We must remember our Christianity and our call to discipleship as we endeavour to unite God’s family, and to avoid polarization through harshness of language and entrenchment of position.

The third “leg” of the synod is mission. Through baptism, each and every one of us shares in the mission of the Church to proclaim Christ to the world – Christ crucified and Christ risen. We have the mission to spread the Kingdom of God, working in this finite and imperfect world to promote that Kingdom of belonging, unity, love, peace, justice and joy. Knowing that this world can never be our “true home” and that we are only pilgrims in the journey of this life, it is nonetheless incumbent on us to be Christ’s instruments in transforming the world and calling creation back to its true purpose and its original innocence.

The second “leg”, participation, is what unites the other two. True Communion with God and with our neighbour, finds fulfilment in mission as we seek the good of others. Similarly, true mission includes preserving and creating communion among believers. Where there is division God’s Kingdom is compromised. To achieve both requires our participation, our insertion into everyday events of life with the aim of living our lives for Christ, so that it is no longer we that live but Christ who lives within us⁷. The communion of the Church is weakened and the Church’s mission to the world is weakened when even one of God’s faithful does not participate in communion and in mission. Each and every one is needed. It is true, too, for this process of the synod, that we all make use of opportunities to participate, and to do so not as those who would “lord it over others”, but as humble and obedient servants seeking the good of the Church and willing to listen and understand.

+Stephen Brislin

Archbishop of Cape Town

1 Mark 10:35-45

2 cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #748

3 cf. John 1:18

4 1 Peter 2:4-5

5 For this and what follows: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/october/documents/20211009-apertura-camminosinodale.html

6 1 Kings 19:10-13

7 cf. Galatians 2:20

Please see this video, courtesy of Vatican Media, recording the “Moment of Reflection” on Saturday 9 October 2021 in the Synod Hall, in preparation for the opening of the Synod on Sunday 10 October 2021.

To watch only the Testimony by Dominique Yon, Youth Co-ordinator in the Archdiocese of Cape Town, fast-forward the video to 1hr 05min 30sec (by dragging the large red dot on the extreme left of the “timeline”).

To watch the Mass for the opening of the Synod by Pope Francis at St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday 10 October 2021, please go to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmuPKvr3-E

Attached below, please find two documents from the opening of the Synod in Rome – the address of Pope Francis for the opening of the Synod in the Synod Hall on Saturday 9 October 2021, and his homily at the opening Mass at St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday 10 October 2021.

Pope Francis will officially open the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican with the celebration of the Eucharist at Saint Peter’s Basilica on Sunday 10 October, preceded by a moment of reflection in the New Synod Hall on Saturday 9 October.

Please see the attached letter from Bishop Sylvester David OMI regarding the opening of the Synod in Rome, and in our Archdiocese.

Below please find the Preparatory Document and Vademecum for the upcoming “listening phase” of the Bishops’ Synod, begining in October 2021. More detailed resources, including various formats of the Preparatory Document and other languages, are available for download at http://www.synod.va/en.html

ADSUMUS PRAYER

Adsumus, Sancte Spiritus

Prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit for an ecclesial assembly of governance or discernment (thus synodal)

Every session of the Second Vatican Council began with the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the first word of the Latin original meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit,” which has been historically used at Councils, Synods and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years, being attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560 – 4 April 636). As we are called to embrace this synodal path of the Synod 2021-2023, this prayer invites the Holy Spirit to operate within us so that we may be a community and a people of grace. For the Synod 2021-2023, we propose to use this simplified version, so that any group or liturgical assembly can pray more easily.

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.

All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.