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Brothers and sisters! On this day, our steps are directed to cemeteries. We stand over the graves of our closest loved ones, spouses, parents, children, friends, acquaintances… Over many graves, we can read the inscription: Here he rests in peace… All of us believers know that our homeland is not here but in heaven. At the grave, we often remember the moments we spent with him. However, Jesus gives us hope in today’s Gospel: Do not let your hearts be troubled! You believe in God; believe in me too. In my Father’s house are many mansions.” (Jn 14.1)

With these words, Jesus wants to encourage us to believe him firmly. That our faith may be like that of the centurion’s servant when he prayed for the healing of his servant. Faith was given to us as a gift in the sacrament of baptism. Only through Jesus will each person reach the goal of their journey. Jesus wants to show us the correct destination of the journey and how a person should get safely to heaven. Jesus goes to heaven earlier, after his resurrection. In the Gospel, we also heard about Thomas, who said to him: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus then answered him: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:5-6).

Jesus is the way that should lead us to God. Many people today do not want to know the right way that Jesus Christ offers. This path requires an inevitable sacrifice, suffering, tribulation, and self-denial. The second reading of the holy apostle Paul also wants to encourage us: “Therefore we do not slack off; and though our outer man withers away, our inner man is renewed day by day. Our present light tribulation will bring us an exceedingly great weight of eternal glory if we look not to the things seen but to the things not seen, for the visible is for time, but the invisible is forever. After all, we know that when this tabernacle – our earthly house falls apart, we have a dwelling from God, not made with hands. Still, an eternal house in heaven.” with our Lord at his second coming, what is now experienced as a burden of graces will appear as “exceedingly great glory.” Here, he talks about our second home, eternity – eternal life. The path that today’s world is on is false values: possessions, money, fame. This path can hardly lead to our heavenly Father, as man is addicted to earthly things. If a person wants to be on the path that is Christ, he must be able to renounce unnecessary things. God will never judge a person based on how many possessions, money, or titles they have. God will look for our deeds out of love for him. We will only bring those deeds before him.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also reminds us: “Even the smallest of our actions, if we do them out of love, resonates in this solidarity of all, the living and the dead, for the benefit of all, and it is based on the communion of saints.” This communion damages every sin.” Christ wants to be our true goal and way. His love for us was shown by his sacrifice on the cross. His open heart allows us to draw from him many graces and mercy. Only in him will we find our hope for eternity – our eternal home: heaven.

 And which path I am on. Is it a path that leads to Christ, filled with good deeds such as sacrifice service to our brothers and sisters? Or is it a path that leads to the false values ​​of today’s world, which are marked by property, fame, and money? God gives us the freedom to decide the path we want to walk. God does not force anyone to follow him. Jesus offers himself to us as hope for meeting the Father.

The 100th paramedic recalls: We were instructed to transport a seriously ill patient to the hospital. When they entered his apartment, we learned he was a former Olympic champion and a successful athlete. He looked evil. It was evident that he understood his numbered days and hours. We put him on a stretcher and walked around the living room. Medals, cups, wreaths, and gifts that testified to his fame were displayed in the showcases. He looked at it carefully and remarked: “I can’t take any of this with me. Worldly glory, grass of the field.!” I can only take with me the good deeds I have done for my fellow brothers and sisters during my life.” He added before leaving for the ambulance.

It is a hard fact. Neither beauty nor luxurious clothes nor cars will weigh anything in eternity. In the finale of our life, only acts of love that are precisely registered and marked with God, in his heart, will help us: “What you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” (Mt 25:10) Lord Jesus Christ, we beg, you let us long not for an earthly homeland but for a heavenly homeland. Let us always search every day for the right way by which we can come to you in eternity. Lord, give us the strength and perseverance to remember this daily when meeting with our neighbors.

A great community of love
Today, we remember all the saints and saints of God. At the same time, today begins the Soul Octave, when we pray for all the faithful departed. How are the feast of All Saints and the memory of the faithful departed related? You must have heard that sometimes we divide the Church into three parts: the wandering, suffering, and triumphant. The wandering church – we are the ones who are still living in this world and traveling to the heavenly homeland. The suffering church is the souls in purgatory, affectionately called “souls,” who still have to serve the temporal punishments for their sins to enter into heavenly glory. And finally, the Church is victorious – those who are already in heaven looking at God face to face; these are all the saints.

One Christian song sings: “Let’s remember the little souls, help them from purgatory.” They will remember us when we die.” Seeing the interrelationship between the wandering, suffering, and victorious Church is beautiful. Let’s remember the souls – we, the wandering Church, think in our prayers about those who are in the suffering Church, all the “souls.” Let us help them from purgatory – thanks to our memories and prayers, the souls in purgatory leave purified to the Church victorious, among the saints in heaven. They will remember us when we are dying – the saints in heaven, in the Church triumphant, will intercede for us who are wandering on this earth when we are preparing for eternity. So we are interconnected and form one great community of love – one great community of Christ’s Church.

We especially want to consider the Church victorious at today’s celebration. Today is a holiday for all who are in heaven. That is, not only those saints who have a holiday during the year but also those whose names only God knows. And there are many, many more! And their wish is for us to be among them one day. They do everything for it. It is also up to us to do everything in our power and possibilities. When we do something, God will help us. There is a place in heaven for everyone. It is up to us not to leave our place empty.

Today, we should rejoice and thank our brothers and sisters who have already reached the goal. Their life is completed in God. They are experiencing what no eye has ever seen, what no ear has ever heard, what no human has ever thought of. They share what God has prepared for those who love him. At Holy Mass, we sing: “You alone are holy.” God alone is perfect; alone has all goodness in himself. The saints have everything they are and have from him. However, they show how God’s love can transform a person when he opens himself up to this love and lives in it. Therefore, God’s love shines in the saints and from the saints.

We know and believe that we are already somehow connected with them. After all, we confess that we believe in the communion of saints. If relationships of love, gratitude, and help can be formed between people here on earth, why can’t it be between us and the saints in heaven? The threshold of eternity that separates us cannot be an obstacle for God. Saints are our friends who intercede for us; they help us on the way to God and beg us that we, too, reach God, our goal, and that everyone will meet in Him.

Every age and every nation has these; they are of different statuses, inclinations, and natures. It is not only those whom we have during the year in the church calendar and who are worshiped in various places of the world, but also much larger groups of those who have their feast today as unknown saints – even those who were not perfect in this world, but they have achieved forgiveness After all, sooner or later there will also be among them those whom we will remember tomorrow, who are still purifying themselves. So we are not alone! Saints are very close to us, perhaps much more intimate than those around us. We already belong to their glory, and their brightness shines for us as hope so that we, too, will not be discouraged.

And today’s celebration reminds us of something else: Our life will be completed one day. We are not heading into the “empty nothingness” but into the marvelous light of God’s goodness and beauty. Even our life has its direction, goal, and meaning. And even if we don’t know what awaits us in earthly life, God knows our entire life path well. Therefore, under the protection of the saints, we can confide in God’s love with complete trust. All saints and saints of God pray for us from this time to age.

We live in the desire that when we are sick and perhaps elderly, dying, we will receive with faith the sacrament of the sick, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Eucharist. We believers await the kingdom of God after our life on earth. Lord Jesus spoke about his kingdom to the crowd in a parable: …about a mustard seed and leaven (13.18.21).

In addition to these parables, Jesus points out the value of God’s kingdom with the words about the “precious pearl” about the “householder” who brings out of his treasure things new and old. The parables of Jesus have a deep meaning and point to the fact that a person should do everything to obtain the kingdom of God.

The “treasure” hidden in the field teaches that each person is to see the treasure in God’s kingdom, which is to become his life’s effort to obtain it. The parable of the “pearl” teaches that anyone who wants to get the kingdom of God must mobilize his strength, reason, and other gifts to obtain the kingdom of God. Another parable of the “net” teaches that all who have chosen the kingdom of God as their goal and highest value have chosen the best. Parables reveal the greatness of God and the value of his kingdom. A person should realize that he undertakes everything to participate in the kingdom of God in gratitude. In the parable, a person’s life is compared to a field. Like a farmer working in the field from the beginning, when he prepares the ground, when he sows the seed, he is already enjoying the harvest; he already sees the meaning of his work, the calluses, and the sweat of his face in a rich harvest. And so a person in his life, in all his events, should not lose sight of the kingdom of God. A person, and especially a believer, should not forget that life on earth does not end with death. Every person owns a soul. For her, he should use everything to be rich in graces merits: “Lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys them, and where thieves do not break through and steal” (Mt 6:20). The kingdom of God is a value for which it is worthwhile to bear the shame, misery, fear, sickness, pain and lose a life on earth. Also, do not be afraid to win over yourself when the temptation of sin comes.

A Christian and every person, when he discovers the treasure mentioned by Jesus in his life, is willing to hide and protect the treasure. Every day, he realizes the value of his treasure. He does not forget its value. He is constantly drawing strength and courage not to lose the treasure. He lives in the thought: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). We need to know and confirm the hierarchy of values ​​in our lives. Not everything that seems valuable is worth gold because not everything that glitters is gold. And treasure, at a superficial glance, does not look like treasure. The farmer from Jesus’ parable plows his field so that the treasure is not stolen from him so that he does not destroy it.

We live in the desire that when we are sick and perhaps elderly, dying, we will receive with faith the sacrament of the sick, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Eucharist. We believers await the kingdom of God after our life on earth. Lord Jesus spoke about his kingdom to the crowd in a parable: …about a mustard seed and leaven (13.18.21).

In addition to these parables, Jesus points out the value of God’s kingdom with the words about the “precious pearl” about the “householder” who brings out of his treasure things new and old. The parables of Jesus have a deep meaning and point to the fact that a person should do everything to obtain the kingdom of God.

The “treasure” hidden in the field teaches that each person is to see the treasure in God’s kingdom, which is to become his life’s effort to obtain it. The parable of the “pearl” teaches that anyone who wants to get the kingdom of God must mobilize his strength, reason, and other gifts to obtain the kingdom of God. Another parable of the “net” teaches that all who have chosen the kingdom of God as their goal and highest value have chosen the best. Parables reveal the greatness of God and the value of his kingdom. A person should realize that he undertakes everything to participate in the kingdom of God in gratitude. In the parable, a person’s life is compared to a field. Like a farmer working in the field from the beginning, when he prepares the ground, when he sows the seed, he is already enjoying the harvest; he already sees the meaning of his work, the calluses, and the sweat of his face in a rich harvest. And so a person in his life, in all his events, should not lose sight of the kingdom of God. A person, and especially a believer, should not forget that life on earth does not end with death. Every person owns a soul. For her, he should use everything to be rich in graces merits: “Lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys them, and where thieves do not break through and steal” (Mt 6:20). The kingdom of God is a value for which it is worthwhile to bear shame, misery, fear, sickness, pain and lose life on earth. Also, do not be afraid to win over yourself when the temptation of sin comes.

A Christian and every person, when he discovers the treasure mentioned by Jesus in his life, is willing to hide and protect the treasure. Every day, he realizes the value of his treasure. He remembers its value. He is constantly drawing strength and courage to keep the treasure. He lives in the thought: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). We need to know and confirm the hierarchy of values ​​in our lives. Not everything that seems valuable is worth gold because not everything that glitters is gold. And treasure, at a superficial glance, does not look like treasure. The farmer from Jesus’ parable plows his field so that the treasure is not stolen from him so that he does not destroy it.

Let’s try to analyze what the present moment is in its essence, discover its actual value, draw on the richness of the present moment, and live it to the full. The moment cannot be analyzed by reason, for it no longer exists. It is not a passing time but a glimpse into eternity. In religious terms, we can briefly define it as follows: the present moment is the point of the soul’s encounter with God. The present moment is, first and foremost, a connection point with God. Whatever its form and content, by its very nature, it is, for us, an expression of God’s will. It is in this minute that God wants us to see how we do this act, which very often will not be exceptional nor spectacular but trivial and insignificant, and its only value will be that it is God’s will. But more is needed?
The present moment is not only an expression of God’s will but also brings us into the presence of God. If, at this moment, we are expected, the Lord asks us to be in this place and to do this, it is because he expects us to be here. It is at this point that we will meet him, and if we seek him elsewhere, we will miss him. He is waiting, therefore, for us to give Himself, to communicate Himself in his entirety. Let us specify what the present moment represents to us. God’s will and presence in the sense that the place ceases to be necessary; only the presence with God and in God has meaning, for in all times and places, we can give thanks to him.
Every time, there is a place where we are to give thanks to God’s presence in its eternal moment, which delivers us from the duration of
time. Various similes can illustrate this definition. Encompass each row in its entire length. Before or then, we see only an uncluttered jumble. Imagine two spheres, one of which is infinitely large and contains infinite energy potential, and the other is an image of the first but is infinitely tiny and immobile. They touch at only one point, but at that single point of contact, the power of one sphere flows into the other. It’s not the same as when we come into contact with God? However, this simile is correct because we do not forget that we belong to God; the small sphere is also contained in the big one: nothing exists outside God.
Every single minute of our life is indispensable. We approach God only in a single moment: in this and the next. Our whole existence is but a continuous succession of moments. And this gives it a semblance of continuity. This contact with God in every single moment thus gives birth to a moment that lasts forever, a permanent union with God through all things. Even when the soul is absorbed in active life, it remains with Jesus in constant renewal, in profound solitude with him alone. He can continually yield himself to the presence of God – in every event and every circumstance. Now, we can easily understand that the saints can accomplish much work, solve many difficulties, and take on heavy responsibilities without losing control of themselves, without ceasing to be all things to all men in all things. Therefore, when St. John of the Cross recommends the purification of memory, he means nothing else than that we should live in the present and free ourselves from the past.
The present moment, then, is the very basis of our connection with God. The divine presence certainly shines through more in prayer or suffering. And especially in the sacraments, God gives himself to us entirely uniquely. But every moment gives us God. We could also say that the present moment is, in a certain sense, a permanent sacrament, a sign of God’s hidden presence. Then, any waste of this moment is a heresy—the imitation of the present moment. To complete our analysis of the present moment, let us now look not directly at it but at how it is imaged in life and the chosen people, the living image of Christianity.
Let us open the Bible, the book of Exodus (15:22). Through Moses, God has just delivered his people from Egyptian bondage. A place to lead them to the promised land by an easy coastal route; he led them into the desert to strengthen their souls. Israel’s entire journey is full of uncertainties: every obstacle becomes an opportunity to fall, to grumble, or, on the contrary, to show confidence and faith. God is constantly intervening, always answering Moses’ prayer. The Jewish people hoped that once they had crossed the Red Sea, they would find themselves in the promised kingdom. It didn’t happen. It was forced to live in the desert in constant uncertainty. Egypt was undoubtedly a place of slavery, but there was safety. And in the hearts of the people of Israel, pity sprouted: bread and meat to the full for more valuable to them than freedom. What is the use of being free if …when one has nothing to eat? Would that we had died in Egypt! At the first test is the Jewish distrust. Scripture and tradition see this life in the wilderness as a foreshadowing of Christianity. The Christian, redeemed from sin as Israel was. Delivered from Egyptian bondage, it is not immediately called to eternal happiness, just as the Jewish people did not reach the promised land. The Christian, too, must wander through an earthly life where all sorts of difficulties and dangers await him. Every day, he must rely on the Word of God instead of trusting his impressions and personal decisions. He must agree to live by his beliefs, not what he sees. Faith replaces his sight and, in some cases, even reason. The Christian must rely on God every day, even in the most concrete problems, such as what to eat and what to drink. And just as Israelites, Christians grumble. Everything is perfect when God makes life humanly easy. Once the trial comes, the sickness and loneliness, there is no escaping the experience of the people of Israel. Like manna in the wilderness, we receive grace every day. It is, and we can’t stockpile it, even though we often see in it a cure for our pains, a solution to our issues, the removal of difficulties. It is nothing of the sort.
After we have received the favor of heaven, they reappear as issues and obstacles. Nothing is absolute; grace is not certain. Today, we are vainly being captivated by grace, experiencing spiritual joy, gaining assurance of eternity, and feeling that nothing will be complicated anymore; the new dawn will not find us stronger; perhaps, on the contrary, we will be a little weaker, helpless, and burdened by our burdens. Where are yesterday’s graces, the certainty, the certainty of peace, the victory over every fear… Where is the heavenly bread we thought we had enough of for a lifetime?… Where is the joy that our hearts overflowed with?
We have received so much, and now we have nothing. We’re living so
like those who have no hope. We grumble… One bad news, one failure, has dispelled our sense of security. We have only one certainty: we are alone, abandoned, at the bottom of an anxious abyss. Everything is exactly as it was before. Israel has seemingly yet to advance one step further. It wasn’t worth it to cross the Red Sea or leave Egyptian slavery when grace God’s grace was no longer with them. It must be so. We must learn that grace is always entirely new; it is only for this day. It is always complete and whole. If God gave us something yesterday, it doesn’t mean we won’t need it today. Although we are filled with grace, we must remain poor, exempt from everything. Every day and every minute of every day, we must surrender our being to God. The prayer of the completer should constantly flow from our hearts. I commend my spirit, O Lord (Psalm 31:6), into your hands, which Could you hold me at this moment? If God tests His people, it is to teach them to rely on God alone, to know that they are in His hands. What the chosen people have done for forty years, we must do continually. Without the slightest insurance for the future, with daily risk, trust that God will hold us tomorrow as he does today, to accept poverty and beg for God’s mercy. And when this act of faith is performed, the Christian must repeat it at every moment, for it is usually after the act of faith that God comes to our aid. To the end of our lives, we are to seek without ceasing the presence of Him who has promised to be with us always (cf. Matthew 28:20). He who is the same yesterday and today, the deliverer, the comforter, whom we need today and will need tomorrow. Without Him, we are as helpless today as we will be tomorrow.
The Christian, like wandering Israel, is also a pilgrim, accompanied by the uncertainty of grace. At every moment, he requires God as his guide. He is a creature in waiting, a pilgrim on the way to the Father’s house. He knows no rest. He does not dwell in this life; he does not say, “Let us stop here.” He is essentially a man of desire, inquietude, cor (= restless heart) until he finds eternal rest in God. And yet he is full of joy, security, peace, tranquility, and brightness, for he knows where he is going and in whom he has believed. More accurately, he does not know where he is going, but he knows that there he is going. Another – and what a perfect – representation of the present moment, we can ponder and marvel at the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. Her whole life was one series of moments, sometimes inconspicuous, but she lived with the utmost love. Her entire being, wonderfully pure through her immaculate conception, certainly gave at the disposal of these successive moments in perfect and total absorption; in each moment, she was exposing her entire being to the light that illuminated it, transformed it, spiritualizing. In Mary, the sun did not cast shadows. She was the pure dwelling place of God, body and soul belonging only to heaven, and we know how she pondered the meaning of things: But Mary kept it all. In her heart and considered it (Luke 2:19). And so to Mary belongs glory, in terms of her merit, for living fully in the present moment.

Our morality teaches us that love triumphs even over duty to the law. But we know that God is Love.

They did not want to admit this and stubbornly upheld the laws of the synagogue leaders when the Lord Jesus healed a sick woman on Saturday who had been hunched over for 18 years and could not straighten up. He said: “The woman is freed from her illness” (Lk 13:12). Because of this, a sharp exchange of views occurred between Jesus and the superiors of the synagogues about celebrating the Sabbath rest. The people, although they saw and heard what the Lord Jesus was doing, did not accept his offer to enter the kingdom of God; he rejected his calls to repentance and stubbornly maintained his external understanding of religion. The head of the synagogue is angry that the Lord Jesus heals on the Sabbath. According to him, it is a great job. But he no longer considers it heresy to take care of his cattle. He goes to water because he is thirsty. He can understand this, but he cannot understand helping another – the help shown by the Lord Jesus to this sick woman. What can be delivered to an animal cannot be delivered to a person. Such is the opinion of the head of the synagogue. Such teaching is Pharisaical. In this beautiful example, we can see the far-reaching consequences of the love of the Lord Jesus and the ossification of the paragraphs of the Law of the nation’s leaders. Saturday was a memorable day for the Jewish people to free the nation from Egyptian captivity. That is why even the head of the synagogue should have been happy that one of the nation’s sisters found relief from her illness. The superior may not have been the wrong person, but he stuck to the rules and knew little about love. For him, the prescription was more than an act of love.

After this explanation, we will think. Aren’t we like the head of the synagogue? Aren’t we just prescriptions? It can become an opportunity for us to say goodbye to chronic faith. Adults, try to develop your faith, leave childish ways, and start living the faith of your time. Living your faith means living it ever new and new, ever young and enriching. We have to get rid of such thoughts that still bother someone, that faith belongs to the Middle Ages, that it does not appeal to the youth, that it is far from the mentality of a man. On the contrary, we are witnessing the fact that faith, for those who try to know and understand it better, becomes a beautiful impulse in life and helps them to solve problems. The Lord Jesus healed a sick woman on Saturday. So he brought a new atmosphere to the celebration of Saturday. The Church does not distance itself from the teachings of Christ when it understands the temporal and regional needs of believers.

For us, Sunday is a day of rest, but that does not mean we are idle. It is a day to experience the family community. A day to deepen your knowledge in the field of faith. It is a day when we can visit each other and use the meeting to comfort, encourage, strengthen, or bring joy to the sick and old.

An interesting legend is about St. Jude, the well-known patron saint of those in need, whose feast day we celebrate today. In ancient Turkey, there lived a king suffering from a severe illness. He heard about Jesus and wrote him a letter asking him for healing. Along with the letter, he also sent an artist who was to draw the face of Jesus. Since Jesus could not go to the king, he sent Judas with the artist’s painting. Thanks to the portrait and Judah’s prayers, the king was healed. That is why St. Jude is still depicted with the image of Christ’s face in his hands.

This legend says something about Judas but also other saints. They didn’t heal anyone themselves. In the legend, the key to the king’s recovery was the image of Jesus. All the healing power that the saints had was from the Lord. “He bore our sicknesses and was burdened with our pains… with his stripes we are healed” (Is 53, 4-5). Jesus is our healer, our comforter, our Savior.

This legend illustrates yet another important fact: Jesus needs saints. Judas was an ordinary man, a sinner whom Jesus redeemed. But God commissioned him to bring healing and hope to thousands – and he continues to do so today, many centuries after his death. Jude shows us that we carry in our hearts the treasure of the Holy Spirit, which gives us the power to change the world in the image of God. He shows us that we can become saints just like him.

Have you ever looked in the mirror so that you did not see yourself in it but in the image of God? Like Judas, you, too, bear the face of Christ. His divine life flows in you. Even if you don’t perform miracles, He lives in you. Therefore, give him thanks for this grace. Praise him for creating us “capable of sharing in the light of the saints” (Col 1:12). Look for the opportunities it gives you to share this light with the people around you.

One of the topics discussed before the synodal assembly was the ordination of women as deaconesses. However, according to the Crux Now portal, the synod participants say it is too early. They told the media that while various topics are being discussed, no decisions will be made on specific issues, such as the issue of deaconesses.

Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi from Tokyo, during a briefing, when asked if the time has come to decide on the diaconate of women, replied that there are different opinions on it within the synod.

According to him, there is also a difference in the understanding of terminology, which is highly dependent on cultural background. According to him, there are very different opinions on this issue, so it’s almost time to decide.

According to Irish religious Mary Teresa Barron, president of the International Union of Superiors General, the issue of women’s diaconate is on the table.

“The beauty of the Catholic Church is that we have both ends of the spectrum in terms of what we believe,” she said, indicating the different perspectives on the issue.

Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, Lithuania, and president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), also thinks a decision is unlikely. “Focusing on different services in the church, or discovering new services in the church, is part of the discussion,” he declared to the media.

“Very often, we try to put things in black or white, yes or no, go or stand, but I think the discussion that is going on is one of how we live the church in a completely different way or the same way in a better dialogue,” he said.

A prayer for migrants and refugees led by Pope Francis in front of a bronze statue in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, October 19, 2023, was part of the synod delegates’ program. 

The Syrian nun Houda Fadoul, representing the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Middle East, pointed to her experience leading a women’s congregation in Syria. He considers it essential that “each of us, male or female, takes his role and uses the gifts in the church, regardless of who he is.”

This week, the synod also considered the church’s authority, the need to avoid clericalism, and various elements of authoritarianism in leadership.

Evangelism in the digital world was also a key point of discussion, with many participants noting that young people are increasingly online, making the internet a new form of “mission territory” for the church.

According to Archbishop Grušas, regarding specific decisions or conclusions for the topics themselves, they will not come this year or next.

The archbishop sees many issues, such as the position of women in the church or the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in the church. According to him, these questions will be around for a while. He pointed out that the synod does not seek to decide on doctrinal or dogmatic issues.

Grušas perceives that the goal was to allow the participants to express their opinions and let the problems “bubble” along the way. He says, “There is no preconceived notion of how it will end at the synod, which takes a bit of faith when walking into the unknown.”

“As much as people would like to see some decisions made, I think the process is more important here than the conclusions,” he said.

What does the day of a synod participant look like?

Finally, let’s look at the human side of the event – how do the synod delegates live these days?

I get up around six. 30-year-old priest Ivan Montelongo from El Paso, Texas, one of the eleven delegates from the USA, told the Catholic News Agency about his usual synodal day.

If the everyday morning mass is not celebrated in the Basilica of St. Petra, it is at 7:00 a.m. along with other priests residing in the Pontifical North American College. This is followed by a quick breakfast and transfer by minibus to Paul VI Hall, where synodal meetings are held.

The work program starts at 8.45 and ends at 12.30, interrupted only by “sacred moments” for coffee. The American delegates will have lunch and a siesta in their college on the nearby Gianicolo hill.

The afternoon program lasts from 4:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., followed by dinner in the college and a free program used to prepare work documents or relax. The day, of course, ends with evening prayer.

The youngest synod participant, 19-year-old Wyatt Olivas from the American diocese of Cheyenne, who is in the Eternal City for the first time, is trying to use the little free time to get to know Rome.

“I am very grateful to be here and to participate in this historic moment in the church’s life. I am ready to return home and bring all the wealth I saw here,” said the young college student.