Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, was hosted at The Lay Centre for a community evening March 22. 

In an informal conversation after Mass and dinner, Cardinal Roche shared his perspective on a range of topics with Lay Centre residents. He also invited community members to contemplation and self-reflection, urging them to boldly face the questions that arise within them.

The cardinal challenged the community to consider what deeper subliminal influences shape and form their beliefs, personality and actions. He shared his experience during Lent of giving up television and limiting his internet use. This, he said, had cleared his mind and given him the space and time to examine the influence of this technology on his life.

Linking this to synodality, Cardinal Roche suggested that responses to the current Synod on Synodality were uneven around the world partly due to these different influences. As well, some people think the Synod is a democratic process and others consider it to be a consultative exercise with no practical outcomes.

Instead, the Synod is a journey that fosters fraternity and makes it possible for people who travel along it to make their voice heard, he said. 

In his homily on John 5:17-30, the cardinal reflected on his experience as a hospital chaplain, a role he held for seven years. He described how dying patients would reach out to loved ones, seeking reconciliation and healing if divisions had existed between them. The cardinal pointed out that this is also true of Jesus in Scripture, as he approached his crucifixion.

We, too, must reconcile, he said, by embracing faith. A path to reconciliation is found by committing to an active relationship with God, he said. He also assured his listeners that God will never abandon them.

Contributed: Alex Campbell