Week Five: Called to Open Our Hearts to Others
Opening scripture
Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Matthew 25: 31-37
Introduction to the theme
Pope Francis, in his homily for the Opening of the Synod Path in 2021, said ,“Encounter and listening are not ends in themselves, leaving everything as it was before. On the contrary whenever we enter into dialogue, we allow ourselves to be challenged...At the end, we are no longer the same, we are changed.” This week we are exploring which voices we are listening to, and how that listening might be transformative.
Reflect on this passage from the Final Synod Document:
What sparks for you in reading this passage? Is there a particular word or phrase that stands out for you? Spend some time reflecting on it.
A question to ponder through your day…
We have all experienced the true connection that comes from deep listening to another. Today’s passages encourage us to be move out of our comfort zone courageously, and make time for and to open ourselves to those on the peripheries of our communities. Who is the Holy Spirit prompting you to reach out to today?
Closing Prayer
Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be
world without end,
Amen.
Pope Leo XIV June 25, 2025, Address for the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illegal Trafficking:
“Too often, in the name of security, war is waged against the poor, filling prisons with those who are merely the final link in a chain of death. Those who hold the chain in their hands instead manage to gain influence and impunity. Our cities must not be freed of the marginalized, but of marginalization; they must be cleared not of the desperate, but of desperation... Let us go forward together, then, multiplying the places of healing, encounter and education: pastoral paths and social policies that start from the street and never give anyone up for lost.”
Want to know more about the Final Synod Document?
As we move into the implementation stage of the synodal process, here are some key resources from the School for Synodality to help guide our understanding of the Final Synod Document, including our Book Club taking it chapter by chapter with synod experts: