“Let us pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.”

Pope Francis launched that invitation on Friday as he released his prayer intention for October 2023: “For the Synod”.

In The Pope Video for October, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, he reflected on how the synodal dynamic carries forward the Church’s missionary vocation.

“Through prayer and discernment, the Holy Spirit helps us carry out the “apostolate of the ear,” that is, listening with God’s ears in order to speak with the word of God,” he said, noting that, “Thus, we draw near to the heart of Christ. Our mission and the voice that draws us to him spring from him.”

Pope Francis concludes saying that “This voice reveals to us that the heart of mission is to reach out to everyone, to seek everyone, to welcome everyone, to involve everyone, without excluding anyone” and inviting all believers to pray for the Church during the Synod “that she may adopt listening and dialogue as a style of life at every level, allowing herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the world’s peripheries.”

Schoenstatt at the Synod

The 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops begins on October 4th. Three Schoenstatters will participate directly: two bishops and a layperson – see here.

Let us pray with the Pope for the whole Church, especially for our brothers in the Covenant of Love. May the Holy Spirit guide the debates and be the great protagonist of this moment of dialog and reflection.