On Synodality and Awakening

Today’s reflection is by Bondings 2.0 contributor Yunuen Trujillo.

Today’s liturgical readings for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time can be found here.

“Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. Waking up is unpleasant.” —Tony de Mello

After battling stage-four cancer for several years, my father-in-law was given less than a month to live. Unlike many of us who might pass away without warning, he had a timeline. Is it better to know when we will die? Are we ready to face such an uncertain time? While I cannot answer that question for him, I can say he is now fully awake, having joined the ranks of those who no longer perceive a veiled reality. He is now liberated from meaningless, limiting human concepts. In the end, all that remains is love.

Today’s liturgical readings share a common theme: being wise means being awake and prepared for the end of times. In today’s Gospel reading, Matthew 25:1-13, ten young bridesmaids wait for the bridegroom with oil lamps to light the way. Five are wise, having kept their flames lit and prepared with ample oil to dispel the darkness. The other five are foolish, for having squandered their God-given gifts, they are unprepared and have fallen asleep: they have let the Holy Spirit’s flame extinguish.

Contrary to common eschatological interpretations, the end of time should be understood as the end of each of our lives. Death reminds us of what truly matters. On a personal level, being awake involves, among other things, being free from fear and unhealthy attachments, and instead being centered in love. This compassionate love should naturally propel us toward acts of justice and mercy. Freeing love, life-giving love, serves as the litmus test.

Are we awake?

Is the Church awake?

Is the Church a foolish bridesmaid or a wise one?

Awakening is unpleasant because it requires humility. Waking up involves confronting doubts, prejudices, and fears, engaging in difficult conversations while standing in the unknown, and facing the unknown with humility, rather than foolish human certainty.

The Church as a whole is presently in a process of discernment on how to better serve the LGBTQ+ community. Regardless of whether synodality yields immediate results, the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church in that direction. However, the fact that the Holy Spirit will lead us there, no matter what, does not absolve decision-makers of their responsibility to act.

The foolish bridesmaids failed to do what was necessary to keep the flame alive; they committed a sin of omission, defined as a failure to take action within one’s power, which could significantly improve the situation at hand.

Likewise, institutional decision-makers in the church, whether lay or ordained, and at all ecclesial levels, have a responsibility towards the LGBTQ+ community: the responsibility to not fall into a slumber of foolish certainty, the responsibility to listen to the Holy Spirit and to take welcoming and inclusive action accordingly.

So, what can we do when some decision-makers fail to act? We can bridge the gap and keep our own flame alive, bringing hope to others in the process. Today’s Gospel should not be divorced from the rest of Matthew 25, which lists the works of mercy. The groom’s decision not to admit the unwise guests to the party is mirrored in a later passage from that chapter, reminding us that those who did not feed the hungry or offer a drink to the thirsty will not enter eternal life.

The LGBTQ+ community hungers for the Gospel of Love and unconditional welcome. The community should not be condemned to starvation.

—Yunuen Trujillo (she/her), November 12, 2023