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“By his gracious will, God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through the covenant that he offers to his people. The communion we share finds its deepest roots in the love and unity of the Trinity. It is Christ who reconciles us to the Father and unites us with each other in the Holy Spirit. Together, we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, through the living Tradition of the Church, and grounded in the sensus fidei (sense of the faith) that we share. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out God’s call to his people.” 

o How and with whom do you experience communion? Are there persons or groups in your community with whom you experience only a marginal degree of communion?
o The Trinity is itself a communion of divine persons. The relationship is one of self-gift, and is a model for our relationships. How does the model of the Trinity help you understand your relationships? How can your relationships better reflect the Trinity?

“A call for the involvement of all who belong to the People of God – laity, consecrated and ordained – to engage in the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another. This listening creates space for us to hear the Holy Spirit together, and guides our aspirations for the Church of the Third Millennium. Participation is based on the fact that all the faithful are qualified and are called to serve one another through the gifts they have each received from the Holy Spirit. In a synodal Church the whole community, in the free and rich diversity of its members, is called together to pray, listen, analyze, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God’s will. Genuine efforts must be made to ensure the inclusion of those at the margins or who feel excluded.”

o No one is to be left out of the synodal process – no one. Who are those who might typically be involved in Church activities, and who are those who might typically feel excluded? How can you be intentional about inviting them into the synodal process?
o The Holy Spirit is active in all of our lives—we have each received gifts from the Holy Spirit. Humbly listening to one another helps us to recognize the Holy Spirit in our midst, present and active in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you experience the Holy Spirit in your life? How do you see the Holy Spirit active in the lives of others, especially Catholics?

“The Church exists to evangelize. We can never be centered on ourselves. Our mission is to witness to the love of God in the midst of the whole human family. This synodal process has a deeply missionary dimension to it. It is intended to enable the Church to better witness to the Gospel, especially to those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world. In this way, synodality is a path by which the Church can more fruitfully fulfil her mission of evangelization in the world, as a leaven at the service of the coming of God’s kingdom.”

o The mission of the Church is proclamation, and so our personal mission is evangelization. What does proclamation mean to you? What positive images or models of evangelization do you have, and what negative images or models of proclamation do you have? How can you adapt these positive images or models to your own faith life?
o There are many who are on the “spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world.” Reflect on each of these dimensions. Through the Synod, how can we reach out and grow in relationship with people on these various peripheries?