Synod Synicism

While a lot of attention was given to Pope Benedict's impromptu words at the opening of the Bishop's Synod last Monday - regarding the economic turmoil that has gripped the world (American Papist has the quotes, along with a great four word sentence wrap-up!) - less noticed was the on-the-scene report of the Opening Mass on Sunday, October 5, as given by Sr Chris Schenck of FutileChurch. So here goes:

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! W-w-w-w-w-w-aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!! Not fair not fair not fair!!!"

OK, those aren't her actual words. They might as well be, as you read the text of her report. Hers are red, mine are blue.

On a Sunday morning filled with sunshine I hopped the 23 bus to St. Paul’s outside the Walls for the Papal Mass celebrating the opening of the Synod on the Word. Normally the ceremony would have been held at St. Peter’s. But since it is the year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict chose to honor this plainspoken missionary who, with the help of women such as Prisca, Junia, Lydia, and Phoebe [along with Mark, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, many of the apostles] brought the Gentile world to Christ. [I thought it was bringing Christ to the Gentile world, but heck, what do I know?] I waited, along with 2,000 other expectant souls, while hundreds of Bishops, assorted priest functionaries and finally a gently smiling Pope,[concealing an evil, sexist maleficient intent, she forgot to add] processed in to the solemn chant of the litany of saints. Yep, nary a female among them. [well, there's always the Diocese of Rochester!]Adding insult to injury, the litany’s 59 saints included only five women. [but who's counting?] So much for Prisca and her sisters. Yet I was expecting this. After all, it is why I came to Rome.

To console myself, I reflected how quickly the simple man from Nazareth would have shunned all the pomp and circumstance. [and you know this how?] I really couldn’t see him marching in all that regalia, [wait until He returns in triumph!] though I do respect these bishop leaders of our church [since when?]. For that matter, I couldn’t see Peter and Paul processing in the regalia either [they were in the fourth row, just off to the left!]. After all, chasuble and miter are modeled on the garb worn by magistrates of the Roman empire, not earlier Christian leaders. I wondered what it is about the psyche of Church leaders that needs all the processing. [ummm, could it be something about showing reverence to the King of Kings?]

Particularly annoying was the litany’s refrain: Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! Umm, yes, Jesus was all about conquering, ruling and reigning. Not. [Ummm, yes - he conquered sin and death. He reigns in heaven. This is, after all, a kingdom, Chris. Perhaps you think the Church is all about community activism?] Somewhere along the line, the successors of Peter and Paul seem to have missed the point about Jesus’ servant-leadership-even-unto-death. [You mean like all the popes in the first several centuries of the Church who were martyred? Or perhaps you forgot that one of the Pope's titles is Servant of Servants.] When did the processing, ruling, conquering model become tradition? [We are the Church Militant, remember? Or do you prefer the Church of the Waving White Flag of Surrender?]

As the assembly joined the choir in chanting the Asperges Me (Wash me O Lord) I was taken back to fifth grade when Sr. Rosemary taught me Gregorian chant. I loved it, and still do. So many faithful women of the church taught tens of thousands of Catholic children not only Gregorian chant, but the deeper lesson of how to glorify God with the goodness of our lives. [All the while being faithful to the Church, too. Imagine that!] None of them ever seemed to need to process anywhere. They were just happy if we learned our lessons, learned how to pray and learned how to behave. That was plenty recognition enough. [So what's your excuse then?]

To my relief, a woman proclaimed the first rather ominous reading from Isaiah 5: 1-7: “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? [Ironic] And now I will tell you what I will do…I will make it a waste, …for the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel...he expected justice but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry.”

The gospel from Matthew 21:33-43 for this Sunday, the 27th week in ordinary time, is even more sobering. Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders, telling of the landowner who planted a vineyard tended by unfaithful stewards who ultimately kill his son rather than yield good fruit to the owner. “What will the owner do to those tenants when he comes?” asks Jesus. “Have you never read in the scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” [Funny how the irony shoots past her head here]

Oh right. This is a “Synod on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” How could I have forgotten? I ponder whether Church leaders could possibly have known what they were doing when they called such a dangerous synod into being. [dangerous for you perhaps.]

It is painful and humiliating to face our unfaithfulness to the values of the kingdom [like obedience, maybe?]. Our infidelity automatically means the kingdom will be given to others. This is because fidelity to the kingdom’s values, in itself leads to fruitfulness whereas infidelity makes fruitfulness impossible. [I hate to repeat myself again, but oh! the irony!] What stones rejected by our church, could be the priceless cornerstones for a new reign of God still to come? Some of my picks include the value of the feminine, [ever read Mulieris Dignitatem?] the value of gay people, the value of acknowledging that, like Paul, we are imperfect and need Jesus’ example of forgiveness and loving beyond the rules. [in your case, I think you mean ignoring the rules??] How about the value of married priestly calls [it's called the permanent diaconate], or in Henri Nouwen’s felicitous phrase, the value of downward mobility and even the value of the Eucharist?[you've gotta be kidding! The Church has rejected the value of the Eucharist?? Maybe it's just the jet lag talkin' here...]

If it is true that “the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword,” then we, the People of God, and our leaders should prepare to hear some things we would rather not hear. [The Church has ALWAYS been saying things people like you don't want to hear - thing is, you haven't been listening]

Which of course, is I why I’ve come to Rome.