Christmas is upon us once again, and a new year dawns on us with new projects and promises. God, who created us, chose to take on human form to be with his beloved creations. Moreover, this God announced himself through the prophets to be Emmanuel—God is with us. It is not just a name, but it is a promise of God to humankind: that he is with us! God’s promises are never broken. At Christmas, we celebrate the eternal presence of God amid his people.
This year, Christmas is calling on the Church to be renewed—in a sense, be reborn—with the spirit of synodality that characterised and sustained the early Church. The early Christians were known as the followers of “The Way” because they were a people journeying together. This togetherness was the will of Christ. In his last supper, as recorded by evangelist John, Jesus’ prayer to the Father was “that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:22).
This Christmas, we can reintroduce ourselves to the ancient way of synodality. Although the term is new, the Church has always celebrated the mystery of God becoming human. Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) recounts the story of a God who journeys together: The Father, the Son and the Spirit—the One God—overshadows the Virgin, and God becomes one among us.
Hence, synodality invites us to walk together, united in Jesus as his disciples did at the beginning of the Church. We are called to seek out people who are different from us, who even disagree with us, and listen to those who have turned away from the Church. Accepting and appreciating the plurality of people is a theme, perhaps very close to Bishop Stephen Chow’s heart. He has pushed for “Unity in Plurality” during his first press conference after he was appointed the bishop of Hong Kong in May 2021. “Unity does not mean uniformity,” he said at the time.
Individual differences within the Church need to be accepted and appreciated even as we are united in the One Lord. Despite being handpicked by Jesus, to be with him for the same mission, the gospel enumerates various occasions when the 12 disciples had their ego clashes and temperamental outbursts. The clash for supremacy in the group was evident even when the Lord was still walking with them.
The washing of his disciple’s feet was the Lord’s way of responding to the potential division in the community of the apostles, reminding them to get down on their knees to serve one another. The image of Jesus kneeling before Judas to wash his feet should remain etched in our hearts as the call for synodality demands reaching out to even those who disagree with us. In the new way of being the Church, it is not the clergy but the people of God who are the protagonists.
It is time to stop pointing fingers at what is wrong with the Church and participate in “washing the feet” of our brothers and sisters. A modern method of doing that would be to walk alongside others and accompany them in their need.
May this beautiful Christmas season serve as a reminder of God’s synodality—His journeying with us. Together, we may become imitators of Christ, walking with our neighbours in their struggles and joys. Jose, CMF
