Christ lights our paths
A few years ago, at the Australian Catholic Theological Association annual conference, Fr Max Vodola, a leading Catholic historian in Australia, gave a presentation on Pope John XXIII and his heavenly “mentor” St Charles Borromeo.
Pope John XXIII began his episcopal ministry as a papal nuncio—a role he exercised for twenty-eight years until he was appointed Patriarch of Venice at the age of seventy-one. On his appointment, following the example of St Charles, he did several things: he began a series of parish visitations, and he called a diocesan Synod.
Five and half years later, then Cardinal Angelo Roncalli was elected Pope John XXIII. What did the seventy-six-year-old do? He called the second Vatican Council for the universal Church, he began a series of visitations to the parishes, and he called a Diocesan Synod for the Diocese of Rome.
Pope John XXIII died on 7 June 1963 and the work he began had to be taken up by someone else.
For us in Tasmania, the 21st of June is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the summer solstice, the longest day. Sixty-three years ago, something profoundly significant occurred in Rome:
On 21 June 1963, Pope Paul VI was elected. He inherited the immense task begun by Pope John XXIII: guiding the Second Vatican Council to its completion and then leading the Church as it put the Council’s teachings into practice.
Few Popes have had such a demanding mission. One of the Council’s most important documents was the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, ‘The Light of the Nations’. It became the foundation of the Church’s self-understanding as she entered the new millennium.
Lumen Gentium reminded us that the Church is first and foremost a mystery born from the love of the Father, gathered around Christ, and animated by the Holy Spirit. The Church is not simply an institution or an organisation. It is the People of God journeying together through history.
By Baptism, every member of the Church shares in Christ’s mission. Holiness is not reserved to a few. The universal call to holiness belongs to every Christian. The gifts of the Spirit are given not only for personal sanctification but for building up the whole Body of Christ.
Whereas the First Vatican Council’s teachings placed the emphasis on Papal primacy, the Second Vatican Council brought import to the notion of collegiality. It taught that bishops exercise their ministry together with and under the successor of Peter. From this vision emerged the Synod of Bishops established by Pope Paul VI.
Pope Francis, building upon those foundations, invited the whole Church to recover something ancient and deeply Christian: synodality. A synodal Church is one that listens, prays, discerns, and walks together. It is not about parliamentary debates or competing factions. It is about seeking together what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church (Acts 15:28).
This vision lies behind our Archdiocesan Synod with its theme, ‘May they be one as we are one’ (John 17:22). We are being invited to listen deeply to one another and together discern how the Lord is calling the Church in Tasmania to proclaim the Gospel in our own time. Every voice matters. Every parish, school, agency, and family has something to contribute.
Over coming months, we will be seeking parishioners willing to be trained as Synod facilitators. Their task will be to help others listen respectfully, pray attentively, and discern together. I warmly encourage those with gifts of leadership, hospitality, and faith to consider offering themselves for this ministry.
I also ask every parish and community to pray our Synod Prayer regularly. The Church has always moved forward in prayer. The Holy Spirit who prompted Pope John XXIII, guided the Council Fathers, inspired Pope Paul VI and renewed the Church through Pope Francis is with us. The Spirit is at work in Tasmania today.
As we mark the shortest day of the year, we remember that even in darkest winter the light is growing. Christ, the Light of the Nations, continues to guide his Church. May we walk together with confidence and hope, trusting that the Lord who has begun this good work among us will bring it to completion.
Wishing you God’s choicest blessings,
Archbishop Tony Ireland.