CELEBRATING
THE
A Ministry of the Congregation of the Resurrection Ontario-Kentucky Province
Dear Subscriber:
Over the next few weeks along with your regular edition of Celebrating the Word we will
be including background and reflections on the 2015 Synod by Fr. Fred Scinto, C.R. The
enclosed information and reflections are intended to inform you so that you can position
yourself to see them as grace-full events for the Church and for yourself as a member of the
Church and as one undertaking a life journey.
Yours in Christ
Your Celebrating the Word Team
BACKGROUND AND REFLECTIONS ON THE 2015 SYNOD
PART 1
Introduction
As Catholics, most of us have heard about the two recent synods (solemn
meetings in Rome) in October 2014 and the one coming up in October 2015. These
synods are changing and will really change the Church for the better. The following
information and reflections are intended to inform you so that you can position yourself
to see them as grace-full events for the Church and for yourself as a member of the
Church and as one undertaking a life journey.
Over the next few weeks, you will be given a series of short reflections and
information to help you do this. May the Holy Spirit help us all individually and as
member’s of Christ’s Church to become more renewed and committed to our gift of
Faith. Please study the materials carefully and reflect on what they mean for you in
terms of growth in Faith; and also please use the materials in prayer as a sign of your
gratitude to our God Who lavishly gives us the great gifts of Faith and Community.
The Situation In Today’s World
Today there are 1.229 billion Catholics in the world among whom are 2.486
million marriages between two Catholics. In regards to the second figure, there has
been a drop because in 1970 there were 3.725 million such marriages within a smaller
world population of Catholics. Note the drop because it is important and emphasizes a
trend which continues today. This same kind of thing is happening in Canada too (as
well as elsewhere). So, something must be done to help our families.
Moreover, our parishes no longer are part of the life and activity of most Catholic
families. The influence of today’s culture (technopoly) draws many away from parishes
and the Church. Today, families are struggling to reclaim their identity in a world that is
in conflict with Christianity/Catholicism. American present studies show that students
who leave Catholic schools and become “lapsed” Catholics number about the same
percentage as those who leave secular non-religious schools. The situation is similar
elsewhere in the world (including Canada). This is not to state that Catholic education
is of no use – Catholic education is good education – but it points to the power of a
strong cultural environment that pervades all aspects of our lives.
Pope Francis
The Pope sees all this and much more. Many times in his short papacy, he has
called for increased support for our families and their place in the life of today’s Church
and in our culture; he also clearly recognizes that we need to do more to help them. As
we do this, the Holy Father asks us to imitate the merciful Christ. God is merciful and
so the Church also needs to be merciful always because it is the Sacrament of Christ’s
and God’s mercy.
Thus, we Catholics (and all Christians) need to be loving, pastoral, and merciful
and not punitive, excluding, and judgmental. “Pastoral challenges require timely
answers. They cannot any longer come from authoritarianism and moralism.” (Cardinal
Oscar Rodriguez of Honduras whom Pope Francis has asked to help in the synods).
Today, then, is a crucial moment for the Church.
The October 2014 Synod
The theme of this synod was “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the
Context of Evangelization [the public ‘proclamation’ of the Gospel].” At least 8 married
couples were deeply involved in this synod along with the bishops and other lay people;
some of our brothers and sisters from other Churches (other than Catholic) were also
present. The basis of interpretation used by this synod was the following: all Church
teaching is based on the Gospel which is a living stream fed by the experience of God
from every century, including our own.
Preparation for this synod’s discussion included, among other things, the use of
worldwide questionnaires (through dioceses) for people to answer. Getting feedback
like this is unusual in the Church. By March 2014, around 80% who received the
questionnaire responded along with about 700 Catholic groups and individuals.
The Pope presided over the synod meeting and was helped in this task by some
chosen bishops. No Roman Curia members were included here because at times the
Pope finds them obstructive. This 2014 synod produced recommendations for the
October 2015 synod.
The Upcoming October 2015 Synod
For this, there are about 250 voting members (about the same number as the
previous synod) and it is dealing with the recommendations of the 2014 synod. Also in
preparation, the present synod solicited worldwide feedback on the material from the
earlier synod. The situation of the separated and divorced remarried Catholics will be
the big item of consideration. This is a prevalent situation: in Canada about 40% of
marriages end/fail; the number is about the same for Catholic Canadians.
The October 2015 Synod has raised up many expectations on the part of people
that it must come up with something powerful altogether. It also cannot suggest in any
way that marriage is not sacramentally permanent.
The Purpose of These Materials/Comments
We need to know something about what Pope Francis is thinking; so included
with these materials, there is given a good synopsis of this that gives a good
background to this whole topic. It is an article titled “Papal Travel; A primer on where
the Pope stands on gays, divorce, abortion,” written by Nicole Winfield of Associated
Press (she writes very well as a journalist whose speciality consists of religious
matters).
Concluding Thoughts
Please note that the Pope speaks spontaneously and frankly on matters and at
times trips up a bit (not often), e.g. the comment on female members of the Church’s
theological commission as “strawberries on the cake.” He can be forgiven for this!
Please keep the content of this article and these background comments of Part 1
(above) before you as you read the future materials given to you. Thank you.
And please pray for the success of the 2015 synod. “May the Risen One shower
His Holy Spirit upon the upcoming synod and may He open our hearts in grace to the
synod’s recommendations. Amen.” God always bless you!
TO BE CONTINUED
Father Fred Scinto, C.R.
Resurrection Ministries, Waterloo
Contributed by Fr. James M. Donohue, C.R.
Father Jim is the Vicar-Provincial of the Ontario-Kentucky Province and a professor and chair of
the Theology Department at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD., where he has
taught since 1996. His research and publications deal primarily with the rites of sickness, dying,
and death. He teaches courses in systematics, such as Christology and Sacraments, and in
pastoral education, such as theology of Lay Ministry, Skills for Ministry, and Youth Ministry.
TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
October 4th, 2015
GATHERING TIME (10-15 minutes)
Introduction to the Word:
At the parish where I assist, we regularly celebrate people’s anniversaries each month. People are called
upon to share their anniversary date and the number of years they have been married. There is great joy
for couples who announce that it is their second or fifth or tenth anniversary. There is some laughter when
a particular couple forgets or contradicts each other about the number of years they have been married!
And there is always deep admiration for the couples who announce that they have been married for 40 or
50 or even 60 years. There is not a person in the parish who does not know that these years have been
borne not without challenge, and there is a respectful admiration that these couples have managed to be
together through “thick and thin.” Given the times in which we live today, we also know that there are
people in the church who were a couple, but are no longer; it might be due to the death of a spouse, but it
might also be due to separation and divorce. Like all couples preparing for marriage, they had looked
forward to a future of life and love, but ultimately found that their dreams did not come true.
Given the varied experiences of people in a parish today, the readings for this weekend remind us of the
lofty plan that God has for married life, but also of our human frailty and our inability to live up to the
ideals set before us, not only of married life in particular, but of human life in general. Interestingly, the
passage about marriage and divorce that we read in the tenth chapter of Mark’s gospel today includes
other “hard” sayings. Not only does Jesus exclude divorce, but he also indicates that no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he or she accepts it like a little child. This means, of course, to be able to trust in
God and God’s ways—a difficult enterprise for most of us who want to be in control of our lives. Further,
he reminds the disciples three different times in this chapter about how hard it is for those who have
wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Indeed, Peter is so perplexed with Jesus’ insistence on this point that
he asks, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus’ reply is a heartening one for us in the face of all three of these
“hard” teachings: “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God”
(Mk 10:27).
Marriages that endure, we know, are not without trials and tribulations, providing many opportunities for
couples to place their trust in each other and in God. This can seem, at times, impossible. Marriages that
do not endure, we also know, generate their own particular pains and sufferings, which may make trust in
God even more difficult in the experience of broken trust with another. This also can seem to be
impossible. But, at these moments when the cross is present, we stand in hope of the resurrection and in
the hope that God can make all things new.
Warm-up Activity: (To get into the spirit of today’s readings, you are invited to address one
or more of the following questions.)
a. Share your stories about how you understood the creation story when you were a child,
especially the story of God making the first man and women.
b. The statistics tell us that a discouraging number of marriages in Canada and the U.S. end
up in the divorce courts. Some of you are all too familiar with the anger and the pain of it
all. Share in your group what you consider some of the major reasons for this scary
incidence of marriage breakup.
c. We all know marriages that have endured through time. Share in your group what you
consider to be the recipe of success for these marriages.
The Table of the Word
Two Creation Stories?
Yes, indeed, there are two creation stories. The first one is Genesis 1:1-2:3. It is dated about 500550 B.C. and it seems to draw some of its elements from a Babylonian creation story. The inspired story
in Genesis 1 gives a poetic account of how all things come from the creative power of God, that human
beings are made in God’s image and likeness, and that God sees all creation as good. The people of Israel
would have come into contact with the Babylonian version when they were taken in exile to Babylon after
the destruction of Jerusalem (and the first temple) in 586 B.C. There they encountered the Babylonian
people re-enacting their creation story, called the Enuma Elish. While the Jewish exiles adopted a basic
structure of the Babylonian story, they re-crafted it to express some startling truths about God, human
beings, and the world that stood in contradistinction to the Babylonian story. While Marduk and the other
Babylonian gods are portrayed as violent and arbitrary in their dispensation of power, Israel’s God is one
of care, who lovingly constructs a world with human beings at its pinnacle. While human beings in the
Enuma Elish are created as “savage man” out of the blood and guts of the vanquished god Kingu, human
beings in Genesis 1 are made out of the image and likeness of God. And, while the world in the Enuma
Elish is an afterthought, made out of the carcass of another vanquished god, Tiamat, the world in Genesis
1 is made step by step out of the loving plan of God, punctuated each time with the phrase, “God saw that
it was good.” So, in contradiction to the Babylonian creation story, the story in Genesis 1, inspired by the
Holy Spirit, relates a story about the goodness of God’s creation, the goodness of human beings, and the
goodness of God.
The second creation story—actually written about 500 years before Genesis 1—is, in contrast to
the more poetic story of Genesis 1, in narrative form. It is a long story of God’s creation of man, how God
placed the man in the Garden of Eden, how God created all the living creatures, and then, how God
created the woman from the rib of the man. The story tells of how the man and the woman encountered
the snake and disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. At its heart, it tells the story of how difficult it is for a
human being to trust in God’s plan. After all, God had given them everything, with only one command.
This command stands with no explanation by God or by the author of the story. It simply stands there: do
not eat from this tree. But, the man and the woman begin to doubt that God has their best interests in
mind. They begin to think that eating of the fruit of this tree will make them gods. Then they will be in
control. Then they will not have to trust. Then they will be gods. This is, of course, the temptation of each
human being: to want to be the lord of our lives, to not have to trust in God, to be in control of our lives.
God’s plan was for human beings to be united with God in love, but our first parent’s grasped on their
own what God was freely offering, not trusting that God could accomplish this in God’s way and in
God’s time. It will take Jesus, who was in the form of God, but did not “grasp” equality with God, to
show us how to trust fully in God—a way that will include suffering and death, but will end in the
resurrection, the triumph of God’s plan for all humanity (see Philippians 2:6-11).
Introductory prayer
Leader: As we enter the riches and wisdom of God’s Word, let us recall now the many times we
have been forgiven and the great blessings we continue to receive.
From of old, you have loved us,
From of old you have made us your own,
From of old you grant us pardon and peace,
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Let us pray
(together)
You created the light
to shine in the darkness, and drew the dry land from the water.
Lord, you are the Creator of all things and their opposites, and you reconcile
all of this creation to yourself. Give us wisdom to use the tension between opposites creatively,
and especially to affirm and respect the differences between one another as sacred territory,
realizing that this is but a prelude for the wondrous experience that awaits
Jesus’ faithful followers. For this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME (45 minutes)
FIRST READING (Genesis 2:7ab, 15, 18–24)
The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his
partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air,
and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living
creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every
animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and
closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a
woman and brought her to the man.
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called
Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.”
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING (Hebrews 2:9–11)
We do indeed see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory
and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children
to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies
and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers and sisters.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL (Mark 10:2–16)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.
Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Jesus
answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate
of dismissal and to divorce her.”
But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from
the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but
one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. Jesus said to them, “Whoever divorces
his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries
another, she commits adultery.”
People were bringing little children to him in order that Jesus might touch them; and the disciples spoke
sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them.
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them: for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God
belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter
it.”
And Jesus took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Lectio Divina means “sacred prayer.” It was a popular form of prayer in the early Church. This Word
proclaimed today is God’s own Word, God’s way of speaking to you today through his own Spirit. So
take a few moments to be quiet, allowing this Word you have just heard to touch you as you reflect
quietly on the three readings. Is there a word or thought that somehow attracts you or has your interest? If
so, simply identify it and describe it in a few words.
<<<<<<<<<<<
COMMENTARY:
(Allow about 5 – 10 minutes for the participants to respond to the commentary)
Our first reading is a beautiful account of how human beings yearn for relationship. Mary Kate
Birge writes that the Lord God takes the woman to the man (v.22), who immediately sees that
she is the “helper fit for him.” She notes that “the empty solitude in which he has lived has been
banished…this verse recalls a genuine human experience of encountering another human being
with whom to share intimacy and a sense of human community” (“Genesis,” in Genesis,
Evolution, and the Search for a Reasoned Faith [2011], 19). We know, of course, that as the
Genesis story continues, we will hear about the division and alienation that human beings can
cause with each other, with God, and with all the created earth.
The second reading reminds us of the “scandal” of the Incarnation—that God would really and
truly become one of us. This was “too much” for some in the early Church, who could not
fathom that God would really and truly become human. For instance, Docetists believed that
God only appeared to be human, and Monophysites believed that the divine nature overwhelmed
the human nature. But, our reading today reminds us that God became human and endured real
suffering and death in order to show us the way to the Father through obedience to his will of
compassion for all and inclusion of all.
The Gospel reading is a “hard” saying of Jesus. Like the disciples, we may cry out that this is
impossible. The path of discipleship has many joys, but we know it also involves the cross of
sacrifice and service that can seem to cost too much. In response, Jesus reminds us that we are to
have trust like a little child, for all things are possible for God.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
1. (Genesis: 2:23). “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." This is an unmistakable
statement of two things: the equality as well as the complementary nature of man and woman—
while equal in every measure, together they become one, and this oneness is even greater than the
whole, so to speak. In a couple’s oneness in love, they share, potentially, in the oneness of God’s
own consuming love.
a. Name a few lessons you have learned in love, whether with a spouse, child, parent or friend.
How do these reflect the beautiful plan of love we read about in Genesis?
b. In regard to “equality” of women and men, your group members are invited to share your
feelings and thoughts. In what ways do you think women in today’s world are not perceived
or respected as “equal partners” with men?
c. Relying on your own knowledge and experience, try to name some of the “skills” or “gifts”
that appear to be more commonly present in women than in men? Or the reverse: more
commonly present in men than in women?
2. (Hebrews 2:11) “For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have the same
Father.” If we all have the same Father, then we are all brothers and sisters of Christ.
a. What experiences have you had that you think embody this statement?
b. What do you think is at the root of experiences where people do not hold this view
paramount?
3. (Mark) “From the beginning of creation...” For many, the notion of God’s creation brings to mind
the opening line of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem “God’s Grandeur”: “The world is charged
with the grandeur of God.” Unfortunately few of us seem to have time to take in the grandeur of
this planet we inhabit, the grandeur of any given day.
a. Try to identify and then talk briefly of some of the current world-wide problems that have
their origin, at least in part, in a failure to appreciate and value the grandeur of God’s
creation.
CARING-PRAYING TIME: (15-20 minutes)
1. Word for the Week:
We are called to trust like a little child!
2. Suggestions for the week:
We know that many marriages embody intimacy and community, but even in “successful”
marriages, couples need to have a committed attentiveness to each other and need the support
and encouragement of others. We also know that many people live with the pain of a “failed”
marriage, leading to a sense of alienation from self, others, God, and the Church. Let us pray for
married couples that they will exercise a continued commitment to each other. Let us pray for
separated and divorced people that they will experience the healing and recovery of self that they
need. Let us pray for widows and widowers, that they will be sustained and comforted.
3. Intercessions: (Response: Lord, hear our prayer)
For believers everywhere: May the Lord God deliver us from all hardness of heart and make us
one in the covenant of fidelity and love, we pray…
For all peoples of earth: May we celebrate the richness of our diversity and our deeper unity as
children of the one God and members of the one human family, we pray…
For a responsible stewardship of God’s good earth and its fragile resources:
May we dwell in harmony with the birds of the air and beasts of the field, we pray…
For all who are burdened by loneliness or scarred by rejection:
May they know the joy of loving others and of being loved in return, we pray…
For those who have experienced the pain of divorce:
May they be supported and sustained by the love of family and friends, we pray
For the married people of our community:
May God help them to persevere as one flesh in one covenant of love, we pray…
For the Dead, those departed ones who put their faith in Jesus: May they be crowned with glory
and honour, we pray…
For Pope Francis’ universal intention: that human trafficking, the modern form of slavery,
may be eradicated, we pray…
For Pope Francis’ evangelization intention: that with a missionary spirit the Christian
communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to those who are still awaiting it, we pray…
How can we help you in prayer this week?
Let us Pray
(together)
In your image you have made us, O God,
male and female you have made us,
knowing that it is not good for us to be alone.
Penetrate our hard hearts that we may bind ourselves
to one another, fulfilling the splendour of your vision for us.
We ask this through Jesus, who is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters,
the high priest who sympathizes with our weakness and intercedes on our behalf, Christ
Jesus, who is one with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever. Amen.
With hands and hearts united in gratitude for God’s favours on us today, we pray that all
those in our influence be moved to be open to your Word and your Spirit, while we pray
united as one, OUR FATHER…
Celebrating the Word, Resurrection Ministries of the Congregation of the Resurrection Ontario-Kentucky Province
(including the former Resurrection Centre), 265 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
N2L 3G7. (Celebrating the Word was founded by Father Frank Ruetz, C.R., deceased 2012). For information:
Toll Free: 1-877-242-7935. website: www.resurrectionists.ca E-mail: theword@resurrectionists.ca
The Scripture version used in this commentary is the New Revised Standard Version (copyrighted by the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA