Gathered and sent by the Trinity

According to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, the Church is “a people brought together by virtue of the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (LG 4). The Father, through the mission of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, involves us in a dynamism of communion and mission that moves us from the “I” to the “we” and places us at the service of the world (Synod Synthesis Report)

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In the four gospels, we see repeatedly that the disciples of Jesus are gathered together to experience communion with the Lord and with each other. Then, once they have been conformed to Jesus, their Master, they are sent out to the world to preach, to heal, to cast out demons, and, ultimately, to transform the world. The Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium) teaches that this dynamic of gathering and being sent is the work of the Blessed Trinity. 

Synodality is an expression of this dynamism of gathering and being sent (communion and mission). As noted in the Synthesis Report for the October 2023 session, Synodality: A Synodal Church in Mission (see selection below): 

Synodality translates the Trinitarian dynamism with which God comes to meet humanity into spiritual attitudes and ecclesial processes. For this to happen, it is necessary for all the baptized to commit themselves to the reciprocal exercise of their vocation, charism, and ministry. Only in this way can the Church truly become a “conversation” (cf. Ecclesiam suam 67) within itself and with the world, walking side by side with every human being in the style of Jesus. 

In order to be of service to others, we must first encounter Jesus and become more deeply united with him and with each other. This experience of authentic communion moves us from the isolation of egoism (the “I”) to the fellowship of union with God and others (the “we”). 

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.