When I thought about the vow of obedience in synodality, first, I remembered what Pope Francis says about synodality. The Pope asks all the Church members (clerics and laypeople) to have the ability to listen to each other. He stresses that the spirit of synodality needs mutual listening and understanding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Clinging under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should be able to “journey together” in our pilgrimage. The phrase "journey together" and the will to follow the Holy Spirit are also the keywords of the vow of obedience that is important in the spirit of synodality.
Just as Pope Francis emphasizes the verb 'listening' in synodality, so is the word obedience (from Latin ob-audiere, which means to listen attentively) defined as the willingness to listen to reality. And reality becomes the place of revelation of possibilities that one might bring to life. On the contrary, disobedience disconnects one from that flow. In his Religious Life in the 21st Century, Diarmuid o"Murchu explains that obedience is a fundamental aspect of a person's development to understand God's will in mutual collaboration. He explains obedience as a mutual collaboration where the formator (by the guidance of the Holy Spirit) helps the formandi to understand the will of God. It is not merely the personal will of the formator to educate the formandi. It is the will of the Holy Spirit through the formator that must be applied in obedience. Therefore, the mutual aspect of obedience is both sides, formandi and formator, must listen to the will of the Holy Spirit. If it is one-sided formation, there will be no mutual understanding. The after-effect that could happen when mutual understanding and the guidance of the Holy Spirit are neglected is abuse of power.
Therefore, there are two key notions that should not be overlooked to implement obedience: discernment and empowerment. On the one hand, discernment can be achieved through solitude, prayer, study, reflection, dialogue, and social analysis. It must be done thoroughly to help those involved to clearly see the problems, challenges, threats, and opportunities for the Church to make a graceful change. On the other hand, empowerment should be observed as a part of appreciation and support for all the members to reach an intimate relationship with God.
Moreover, Pope Francis reminds the clergies not to use their authority in an abusive way. He invites all of them to be attentively listening to the faithful in a mutual relationship. He also asks the bishops, priests, religious men and women, and lay faithful to speak and dialogue together for the better change of the Church. He wants to bring the face of Christ into the life of the Church. This might not be an easy task for each of us. This might need spending some of our time and putting in a lot of effort to actualize this dream, and yet, we believe that God will guide us in this way.
In the end, I have great hope for the Church to see the light of God through this event of synodality. I hope that all of us can hear and discern the voice of God from each person so that we will not lose track in our “journeying together” to Jesus Christ.
For further reading
Fiand, Barbara. Refocusing the Vision: Religious Life into the Future. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company (1990). 162-196.
O’ Murchu, Diarmuid. Religious Life in the 21st Century: The Prospect of Refounding. Maryknoll: Orbis Books (2016). 159-176.
O’Murchu, Diarmuid. Vows for Non-Violence. Quezon City: Claretian Publications (2001)