28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 22:1-14
October 15, 2023

A friend helped to plan her 50th high school class reunion. It was an event that she had been looking forward to for months. She was especially delighted by the RSVPs which indicated that the majority of her graduating class was also excited to get back together. The arrangements were made to ensure that there would be more than enough food for everyone. AND THERE MOST CERTAINLY WAS!

I spoke with her the day after the party. Although she, like everyone who did attend, had a very good time, about 1/3 of those who responded that they would be there…WERE NO-SHOWS!

At the end of the evening, rather than going home in the “after-glow” of a successful party, she ended up packing and delivering the abundant leftovers to various shelters and charities so that the food that had been prepared (and paid for by the good-hearted committee members) would not go to waste.

And it didn’t.

But still…can’t you just imagine her disappointment? I can!

Every Sunday morning that I look out and see so many empty seats…in whichever parish I happen to be presiding in… I feel a wave of sadness. Not for myself or for the music ministers and liturgists and cleaners and sacristans who have worked hard during the week to prepare “good prayer” for the faithful. I am sad for those who have…for whatever reason…missed out. I am sad for the “no-shows.”

Over the course of his 10-year papacy, and for various reasons, Pope Francis has used the expression “global indifference.” I fear that term has become relevant to Sunday worship. There certainly seems to be a marked “indifference” among the faithful about gathering for the Eucharist.

Elsewhere, Francis seems to attribute “indifference” to a “disorientation” caused by the whirlwind life we all lead, especially in the more privileged countries. A barrage of demands and distractions causes folks to become overwhelmed, over-stimulated, or distracted, and the result is a sense of “indifference” to some things that should hold priority, the spiritual life being a major victim…family life being another…the two often tied together.

And so, the Holy Father has called the Church to Synod. The purpose of what is a three-year effort is to use our past experience to re-orient our lives in such a way as to “live communion, to achieve participation, and to open (the Church”) to mission.”

The process began last year, with worldwide listening sessions. It has been estimated that about 500,000 American Catholics (about 1% of us) actually participated. You might say that there were a lot of empty chairs at the party. I am not certain as to why this was the case. Were we invited but did not attend? OR…did the invitations somehow get lost in the mail?

The solemn opening took place in Rome on October 9 and 10, and the local churches are asked to mark the occasion on October 17. But, prior to the beginning of the Synod, there was a spiritual retreat for Bishops invited to participate in the month-long meeting. The theme of those days of prayer and spiritual reflection was HOPE!

While we should definitely be mindful of “sacramental indifference,” which seems to define this era of salvation history, we should not lose HOPE! Although the Holy Father is realistic, he is not pessimistic. Actually, one of his stated objectives in this Synod on Synodality is that we “enlarge the tent.”

The HOPE is that, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, the Synod will inspire the faithful to return to church and re-orient themselves to the Sacramental Life that has always defined us. And we hope, as well, to find ways to extend a welcoming invitation to those who have not felt comfortable to participate in the past.

WE WILL NEED MORE ROOM TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE WHO SEEK THE LORD WHERE HE MAY BE FOUND…WITHIN OUR PARISHES.

So, let us pray, especially on October 17, that what we HOPE for becomes reality.