On March 9, 2022, during the General Plenary of Regnum Christi, Luis Marín de San Marín, O.S.A., gave a conference on synodality, in view of the 2023 Synod of Bishops. Bishop Luis Marin was born in Madrid, Spain and is titular bishop of Suliana and is currently the Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops. He, along with the General Secretary of the Synod, Card. Mario Grech, and the French nun Nathalie Becquart, are the visible nucleus coordinating the whole Church in the synodal journey requested by Pope Francis.
Bishop Luis Marín reflected with all the members of the Plenary on the meaning of the synodal process, which he himself sees as a «moment of grace, of opportunity», a special moment where God knocks at the door and «it is we who must open it».
In presenting synodality, he mentioned that it is part of the «being and acting of the Church, that is to say, to its constitutive dimension...». «It is the whole Church that is synodal, which concretizes this journey together in various ways. There is no room, therefore, for this idea of assembly, identifying the Synod as a kind of parliament where we all give our opinion and decide, and we vote and everything is put to a vote. It is not that, it is a spiritual event where each one brings his own vocation», he adds.
The synodal process, more than a set of hasty administrative choices, requires a serene gaze in the light of Christ in order to live our faith with coherence because, «what is the Synod, what is the synodality, the synodal journey and the synodal process? It is a way to deepen our Christian faith and to live it with coherence. We are mistaken if we think that the Synod, the journey, the synodal process is a set of administrative decisions or a restructuring, to see how we can restructure ourselves, how to be more effective in our apostolate; all this will be a consequence, but the fundamental idea that will move all this and that is at the base is to live our faith with coherence», asserts Bishop Luis.
Throughout the conference, he addressed the issue of the sinodality as a spiritual event. «Simply say that we are before an event of the Spirit that continues to act in history and to show its life-giving power. That is why the synodal process is a spiritual process. Pope Francis insists on this: listening to one another and to the Holy Spirit. A spiritual event. Those who think that the synodal journey, the synodal process is a way of seeking greater participation or questioning everything, or let's see what we can come up with, are mistaken. It is not what I come up with but listening to the Spirit, what the Spirit is telling us. Knowing… that the Spirit acts and illuminates in the people of God…».
And what are the challenges facing the synodal process? «... assume of a This time by all the ecclesiology from communion and its consequences practices. See treats from leave indeed not only the model wrong of the pyramid, is say, a structure vertical, monarchic; y also that of the sphere, the misleading uniformity; to move on to the polyhedron that reflects the confluence from all the bias preserving each one your own originality. It is not treats from go to water to wine, of dilute. The Spirit raises the charismas for the good of the Church so it is necessary to live at depth the charisma itself». And he insisted: «There are that preserve, deepen our essence, the faith at Christ, but from the experience of Christ, not of the theory i from the action, but from the experience of the living Christ, resurrected, that I ama immensely and with whom I link all the days. Y from there it is necessary to carry . that Christ to the world, but at a language understandable, be where is the people, from where to live, where to suffers, where to go to».
Lastly, he spoke of three pastoral incidences for this synodal process:
- The first is to deepen the community dimension.It is a matter of consulting and discerning and listening fundamentally with the people of God and in the people of God: We are all the people of God. Not just the laity. We all walk together.
- Second, plurality.The meeting must be open to diversity, which is not only good, but necessary. In the synodal process, vocations, charisms and ministries are not annulled because they are true gifts of the Spirit for the good of the Church.
- Third, dynamism.We are invited to experience the newness of the Spirit in a process that we do not control. We are facing an extraordinary opportunity. Before a time of renewal and hope. We are called and summoned to communicate enthusiasm. Enthusiasm for Christ whom we know.
