Auditor shares experience of sitting in on the recent Synod of Bishops

By Rossana Goñi

Denver Catholic Register - November 2, 2005

The Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist closed last week in Rome on Oct. 23. El Pueblo Católico, the Spanish language newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese, spoke with Luis Fernando Figari, a lay consecrated Peruvian and founder of the Sodalit Family, who was invited to the synod as an auditor. The Sodalit Family, founded in Peru, includes the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Society of Apostolic Life), the Christian Life Movement, and the Marian Community of Reconciliation, which have all been serving apostolically for some years in the Denver Archdiocese.

Q: What is the importance of this Synod on the Eucharist for the Church and in particular for the lay faithful?

A: The Eucharist is an invaluable gift for the life of the Church. Participation in Sunday Mass builds up the Christian community. Sacramental communion is a blessing for those who journey as pilgrims through this world. The theme of the synod reveals its importance: “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and the Mission of the Church.” The laity, as all in the Church, must strive to participate in Sunday Mass as well as in eucharistic adoration, conscious of this immense gift from God, Emmanuel, who comes and remains with us.

Q: The need for priests to serve the United States is evident. What is your response to what some call a “vocations crisis”?

A: The problem of a lack of priests is a fact, and its cause is the lack of men answering the call to the priestly vocation. Therefore, it is more accurate to indicate that there is not a vocations crisis, but in fact a crisis of answers. God continues calling, but people are more reluctant to hear their call and to respond. The explanation to this crisis of answers is complicated. There are many who do not know what “vocation” means. There are several causes; one of the first that comes to mind is secularism. There is also functional agnosticism, which is the divorce between faith and life. To this, we can add other phenomenon such as subjectivism, and the fear that those who perceive the call may experience because of the pressure of their environment.

Q: What can we do to respond to what you call a vocations crisis of answers?

A: To try to respond to this situation a pastoral effort is required that reminds Christians of what vocation means — that it is a call from God and not a choice of preferences as if it were a university career. After this step, it is important to help Catholics to be truly aware and sensitive to the fact that God calls certain men to follow the path of the priesthood.

For the believer, prayer for vocations must have a place of great importance, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. Furthermore, it is essential that everyone deepen their awareness of what God’s call is for their life. One must recognize that it is a matter of personal and existential identity, and of faith. Fathers and mothers must recognize and grow to appreciate the grace that comes when God calls one of their sons to the priesthood. They must respect him in his discernment, accompany him on his path and support him with all their love if in the end God is calling him to the priesthood. Family support is very important.

Q: As a consecrated layman in the Church, what was your experience during the Synod of Bishops, and what was it like sharing that time with Pope Benedict XVI?

A: It was a very intense experience that has helped me to love the Church even more and to grow deeper in my Christian life. To see the Pope so closely, taking care of the points that were set out during the discussions with such great attention, to listen to his teachings, and to see him lead us in prayer, have all been aspects of great importance that have helped me to deepen in my love and adhesion to the Vicar of Christ. The mere fact of being so near the Pope for many days is an extraordinary blessing that brings me to give thanks to God from the depths of my heart.