By Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, OFM
I do not mean that I am attending a concert or listening to music in the middle of a meeting, but there is an opportunity to listen to music during a meeting. I am talking about the regular weekly meetings of the Diocesan Curia and the monthly meeting of the Board of Diocesan Consultors, both of which usually take two hours, needless to say, matters for discussion require a great deal of thought and consideration, and after the formal discussions comes the time to listen to music.
Bishop Chow will play some light meditative music and invite us to reflect on what we had discussed, think about the moments we were grateful for or touched by, and then share them. Everyone gets a chance to share. If time permits, we will also do a second round of sharing, trying to discover the guidance of the Holy Spirit from the first round of sharing, for example, if any similar images, related content or closer directions, that come to our mind.
When was this practice introduced? It begins with the coming World Synod of Bishops. Since the diocesan consultation last October, the diocesan task force has been vigorously promoting spiritual conversation in the spirit of “synodality,” as encouraged by the Holy See.
At the beginning of the year, Bishop Chow led the brothers of the Diocesan Curia at a one-day training session at Xavier House Cheung Chau to learn about spiritual conversation. After that, we began the practice of “listening to music and reflecting together.”
Bishop Chow clearly stated his wish that the Diocesan Curia and the Board of Diocesan Consultors should not only be an efficient administrative unit, but also a community of faith that is sensitive to discernment and a group of brotherly partners working sincerely together in the Lord.
It’s been about six months now. Can we see any changes at our meetings? Yes, we can! We have more in-depth discussions, more mature teamwork, and more understanding of the people and issues involved when considering things. I believe these changes result from our ongoing practice of group discernment.
On the one hand, we have to rack our brains to find solutions to problems, but on the other hand, we have to realise that ultimately it is God himself who is leading the way, just as the early Church prayed, after much deliberation, when they were trying to choose a replacement for Judas, that “Lord, you know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen” [Acts 1:24].
Of course, it is not necessary to listen to music in order to reflect and discern. However, I hope that in the Church, when we have meetings of all kinds, we can set aside some time to become aware of the Holy Spirit, who is always present among us, accompanying us and guiding us, so that we can be sensitive to his guidance, and thus we can think out of the box of purely dealing with administrative affairs and focus on the mission of pastoral care and evangelisation. May we not just discuss matters about God but neglect God himself!
