VATICAN SYNOD: Attitude of Friendship: Reflection to Synod Delegates
Fr. Andrew Kaufa smm
In the third reflection, the preacher recalled the prayers of Jesus on the night before he died (Jn 17:11) in order to take the retreatants back the theme of unity but also to underscore the importance of welcoming those who are different or evil doers.
“On the night before he died, Jesus addressed the disciples who were about to betray, deny, and desert him, saying: ‘I call you friends.’ (John 15.15). We are embraced by the healing friendship of God which unlocks the doors of the prisons we create for ourselves,” said Fr Timothy P.J. Radcliffe OP, adding, “The invisible God speaks to men and women as friends. He opened the way into the eternal friendship of the Trinity. This friendship was offered to his disciples, to tax collectors and prostitutes, to lawyers and foreigners. It was the first taste of the Kingdom
“So, the foundation of all that we shall do in this Synod should be the friendships we create,” he insisted as he connected the point to the Parable of the Good Samaritan to underscore that friendship is a creative art for “In English, we say that we fall in love but we make friends.”
“The foundation of all that we shall do in this Synod should be the friendships we create,” he went on and further appealed to the participants, “The bravest thing we can do in this Synod is to be truthful about our doubts and questions with each other, the questions to which we have no clear answers.”
