In his Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte,” which was written at the close of the Jubilee Year 2000, Pope John Paul II noted quite remarkably: “To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us in the millennium which is now beginning, if we wish to be faithful to God’s plan and respond to the world’s deepest yearnings....We need to promote a spirituality of communion, making it the guiding principle of education wherever individuals and Christians are formed, wherever ministers of the altar, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers are trained, wherever families and communities are being built up.” (No. 43) The Holy Father’s words serve to illuminate one of the subthemes of the upcoming diocesan synod: “We know it can sometimes be a lot of work to grow in the faith and that we need to count on help and encouragement from each other.”

How do we support each other in the practice of our faith? What can parishes and parish leaders do to assist parishioners in responding to the call to holiness. Pope John Paul II proposes four ways that a spirituality of communion can assist us. First, each Christian must be able to recognize in the face of one’s fellow brother or sister in Christ the shining light of the Trinity. Since we are made in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26) and God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then we are a privileged to be a part of the life that is shared among the Divine Persons. Therefore, the more we allow ourselves to enter into the life of the Trinity, and the more we allow the Trinity to enter into our lives, the more others will see the “mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us.”

Second, the Holy Father notes: “A spirituality of communion also means an ability to think of our brothers and sisters in faith within the profound unity of the Mystical Body, and therefore as ‘those who are a part of me.’ This makes us able to share their joys and sufferings, to sense their desires and attend to their needs, to offer them deep and genuine friendship.” (No. 43) In order to see our brothers and sisters “within the profound unity of the Mystical Body” and to recognize in each other something that each of us shares, it is imperative that we draw from the rich sources of grace that the Divine Persons pour forth from their infinitely fruitful relationship. A child bears a resemblance to his parents. Likewise, one who is a child of God, bears the resemblance of God. The more we draw from the grace of the sacraments, the truth of the Scriptures, the richness of the Church’s teachings and the profound beauty of Catholic culture, the more we are made able to see our brothers and sisters in faith as “those who are part of me.”

Third, Pope John Paul II explains: “A spirituality of communion implies also the ability to see what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God: not only as a gift for the brother or sister who has received it directly, but also as a ‘gift for me.’ ” In other words, one sees that a particular God-given gift of one’s neighbor is good not only because the gift is good for that person — because through the gift he or she may give greater honor and glory to God — but also because one’s life is deeply enriched through one’s neighbor’s sharing of that gift. We see this mystery played out preeminently in trinitarian life, for example, when the Son prays to the Father: “I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn 17: 4)

Fourth, Pope John Paul II states: “A spirituality of communion means, finally, to know how to ‘make room’ for our brothers and sisters, bearing ‘each other’s burdens’ (Gal 6:2) and resisting the selfish temptations which constantly beset us and provoke competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy. Let us have no illusions: unless we follow this spiritual path, external structures of communion will serve very little purpose. They would become mechanisms without a soul, ‘masks’ of communion rather than its means of expression and growth.” (No. 43)

May the Synod be an occasion for all of us in the Diocese of Sacramento to discern how the Holy Spirit is guiding us toward a spirituality of communion.

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