“I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17; cf. Joel 3:1). This is what we experienced during the Synod, as we walked together and listened to the voice of the Spirit. He amazed us with the wealth of his gifts and filled us with his courage and strength, to bring hope to the world. We journeyed together, with the Successor of Peter, who strengthened us in faith and gave us fresh vigour and enthusiasm for the mission. Even though we came from widely differing cultural and ecclesial backgrounds, we were aware from the outset of a spiritual bond uniting us, a desire for dialogue, a real empathy. We worked together, sharing our deepest concerns, communicating our worries, not concealing our troubles. Many of the interventions touched us deeply and awakened in us evangelical compassion: we felt as one body, suffering and rejoicing together. We want to share with everyone the grace that we experienced and we want to pass on the joy of the Gospel to our Churches and to the whole world. The presence of young people was something new: through them the voice of a whole generation was heard in the Synod. Journeying with them as pilgrims to the tomb of Peter, we experienced how drawing together in this way creates the conditions for the Church to become a place of dialogue and a witness to a life-giving fraternity. The power of this experience overcomes all weariness and weakness. The Lord says to us again and again: Do not be afraid, I am with you.
TheoFonsAt the sources of the faith