Sex in the Synod

On Sunday Pope Francis opened the Extraordinary Synod on the Family. There probably has not been such an anticipated event in the history of the Church since Vatican II. One thing that Pope Francis wants is open dialogue. It appears that he has gotten his wish. Factions from the liberal and conservative segments of the Church seem to have been posturing in advance of the opening. That aspect seems sort of sad in my opinion. Hopefully, the discussion does not deteriorate into the gridlock that has occurred in our government. Despite that fear, there is much hope that some delicate issues will be discussed and acted on. Such issues as birth control, gay civil unions, greater roles for women in the Church, and the most talked about issue recently, Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.

Pope Francis opened the Synod of Sunday by warning against "bad shepherds" who unduly burden the faithful and who "thwart" God by not being guided by the Holy Spirit. He also said "One basic, general condition (for the synod) is this: speak clearly. Let no one say: 'I can't say that. What will people think of me?,’" He clearly wants open dialogue.


In reference to Sunday’s Gospel about the Vineyard tenants, he stated,  “We in the Synod of Bishops, are called to work for the Lord’s vineyard. Synod Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent… They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord’s vineyard, to help realize his dream, his loving plan for his people. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for the family, which has been from the beginning an integral part of his loving plan for humanity. We can "thwart" God’s dream if we fail to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us that wisdom which surpasses knowledge, and enables us to work generously with authentic freedom and humble creativity. My brothers, to do a good job of nurturing and tending the vineyard, our hearts and our minds must be kept in Jesus Christ, as Saint Paul says, by "the peace of God which passes all understanding" (Phil 4:7). In this way our thoughts and plans will correspond to God’s dream: to form a holy people who are his own and produce the fruits of the kingdom of God (cf. Mt21:43).

One important aspect to remember is that this two-week long synod is just phase one. It involves a discussion of the issues. It won’t be until October 2015 that Bishops will reconvene to put forward formal proposals for Francis to consider in a future document. There are several couples who will be giving presentations to the Cardinals and Bishops. Today for example, the Associated Press  said that “the synod heard an unexpected lecture on the joys of sex from a Catholic couple who talked about what makes a marriage last.”

They also told the story of how devout Catholic friends reacted when their gay son wanted to bring his partner home to a Christmas gathering. "They fully believed in the church's teachings and they knew their grandchildren would see them welcome the son and his partner into the family," they said. "Their response could be summed up in three words: 'He's our son.'" A group of conservative Catholic groups blasted their example as "damaging" to the church.

It sounds like the Pope got his wish for open dialogue. Let us pray for the synod fathers and the other participants at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, that the Holy Spirit enlighten their minds so that the Church might respond to the challenges facing the family today.

Viva il Papa!
Deacon Greg Beckel