Up until now, I never thought about “how” Jesus shared his news with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
I never paid attention to the “how” he shared the good news in each of the appearances after his resurrection.


Up until now, I never thought about “how” Jesus shared his news with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
I never paid attention to the “how” he shared the good news in each of the appearances after his resurrection.

Do you think the church has ever before faced as severe crises as it faces today?
Let’s explore the problems faced today and those of the early Church.
What can we learn?

There is deep polarization in the church today. But many do not realize the deep polarization that existed in the Church 2000 years ago. In both eras, we see the eternal struggle for balance between two necessary poles – what is of value in the past and the need to adapt to new situations. How St. Peter then and Pope Francis now try to discover the core truth in apparently conflicting positions. What can we learn from how these two shepherds faced division then and now?
One of my favorite images of the synodal process is “a journey of dialogue in which we learn how to recognize the presence of Christ walking besides us.”
This third Mindwalk along the path of “synodality” looks at how two acknowledged leaders from vastly different backgrounds drastically changed their way of thinking and behaving. It is about their complimentary conversions through listening to the spirit and each other.
Yesterday’s image was an “up close and personal” experience of the Word of God via the amazing two seasons of The Chosen”. Today I would like to step back for a bigger picture of the Word of God.
Hearing is the simple physiological act of hearing sounds. Listening means to pay attention to sound; to hear something with thoughtful attention, and to give consideration. Which type of listener are you?
Mothers often say “try it, you’ll like it”! I wonder of some today have rejected synodality without trying it or even understanding it.
The Church has just begun a three-year process focused on not only truly listening to each other. We are called to listen to the Holy Spirit whose view spans all of time and eternity. Most visitors to Vincentian Mindwalk are aware that Pope Francis is playing the “long game”on reading the signs of the times today just as Vatican II did in the mid 20th century. I predict … at least 3 simultaneous “synods”!
Over the next three years of the “synodal process”, Jesus is asking us to gather in the upper rooms of our homes, dioceses, countries, and finally in Rome. To respectfully wait for and listen to the Spirit speaking not only to our hearts but in the hearts of our sisters and brothers. He is asking us to walk together.
Jesus could have handed out copies of his encyclicals – the Sermon on the Mount, Beatitudes, the Our Father. Rather, he gave us his preaching as guides to understand the next stage of the journey of the Body of Christ to discover the fulness of eternal life in God!