By Mudita Menona Sodder
Mumbai, October 29, 2026:I. Introduction: Eco-Spirituality challenges us to Maha Prajna or ‘Great Awareness’ and Maha Karuna or ‘Great Compassion’, which are the greatest virtues in nearly all religious traditions. They make life meaningful.
These virtues challenge us to co-suffer, suffer with, and feel another’s suffering so deeply as to be moved to alleviate it. These virtues tie us to humanity, link us with the divine, and make us responsible to and for one another. It implies and expects action.
It is not enough to be compassionate. WE MUST ACT. In order to act, we need to Dream Big and Re-invent Self. We are all talking about the Synodal Church and of walking together. Let us now look at ourselves, walking together with each other and Holy Mother Church, in today’s day and context.
II. What is a Synodal Church? A Synodal Church is a Church that journeys together as People of God. It invites us to learn, love and live Synodality.
It is living a participative and inclusive ecclesial process, where all baptized Christians are eligible to express themselves freely and be heard in order to contribute in the building up of the Body of Christ i.e., the Church (Lumen Gentium. No. 32, Preparatory Document No.12).
It calls for inclusiveness and openness where all journey together as a family (Amoris Laetitia) as sisters and brothers (Fratelli Tutti) together with God’s creation (Laudato Si).
This implies living communion, achieving participation and being open to mission. It demands discernment of the promptings of the Spirit, evaluation and decision making, not just with regard to Christians, but with regard to our common Home i.e., Mother Earth and all God’s creatures (Laudato Si No. 13, Preparatory Document No. 5).
A Synodal Church must be a Proclaiming Church e.g., Fr Stan Swamy. Unfortunately, today truth has become bitter, dissent is intolerable and justice has become out of reach.
Women religious dissenters are blamed, shamed and even put behind bars, while the male culprits get scot-free with money and political clout power.
This is a dangerous sign for a healthy democratic synodal Church to sojourn together, as the public slowly get used to this as a matter of daily occurrence and thus find nothing amiss; while women religious continue to feel insecure, live in fear, are exploited, harassed and taken for granted.
A Synodal Church must proclaim truth and justice and speak up against injustice and repression. A silent Church is a dead Church and all worship is meaningless.
Similarly, a silent woman religious is an inauthentic religious, and her consecration is a farce /hoax. It is a counter witness and a disgrace.
We women religious are called to be leaders/animators, shepherdesses to lead from the front. We thus are called to be, the walkie-talkie Gospel, from whom people can read a page each day.
We, women religious, need to let ourselves be educated by the spirit to a truly synodal mentality (Preparatory Document No.19) which is why awakening women religious consciousness for a Synodal Church is so very vital and urgent.
We need to know the purpose and phases of the synod and dream big, for to dream small is a sin (Chhota Sapna dekna paap hai) according to A.P, J Abdul Kalam; prophesy, see visions and allow hope to flourish.
We need to inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships and learn from one another, so that from our treasure trove, we can enlighten minds, warm hearts, and give strength to our hands.
III. How can we Women Religious do this? The Three-S Formula seems to be a good beginning: Sound Spirituality e.g., Eco-Spirituality, Suffering Society e.g., Pandemic, Russo-Ukrainian and other wars. Serious Studies e.g., Personal Commitment/ Responsibility.
What is the Synodal Tool-kit and Pathways best suited for us? Ignorance today is no longer bliss. We need to learn from others e.g., Feminist Voices, Sisters in Solidarity (SIS), Catholic Religious of India (CRI) Forum, Lay people, etc.
Discernment, Discipline and Decision making are vital. We women religious are divided on grounds of position, power, money, influence etc.
Isn’t this a contradiction and a counter witness? This is the fundamental call and challenge for a synodal church e.g., NOT CONVENIENCE but the common good of all e.g., semi-automatic washing machine instead of a fully automatic one (because of the implications with regard to water, electricity, detergent powder etc.), personal and community choices i.e., lifestyle.
Corruption, maladministration of properties, abuse of power etc. is rampant today. Laity, and we women religious must participate and not be mere silent spectators; or worse still, victims e.g., the Franco Mulakkal case.
Experience shows that most decisions are taken on the basis of caste, language and other power politics. Administration too is done by a few ordained who keep their positions ensured and also for their clan.
Think Hatke i.e., out of the box. Be innovative, creative and dare to dream and do big. E.g., Instead of having just one way of praying, move beyond; like Seeing God in all things and all things in God (St. Ignatius). Look at other spiritualities, religions, ways of meditating etc. e.g., Eco-spirituality, the New Cosmology, Ubuntu, etc. Unity but not uniformity.
Experience inner peace and tranquility and let your radiance shine forth to create the ripple effect all around. We need to galvanize the laity to stand for faith that does justice, no matter what the consequences are e.g., Fr Bismarque Dias an environmental activist from Goa.
IV. New Way of Being Church i.e., the well-being/common good of all God’s creatures e.g., Deep and respectful listening, participation and co-responsibility of all-laity, consecrated and ordained and not just the ordained.
The form, lifestyle and the structure of the church must be Synodal (Preparatory Document No. 2). Fidelity to the Word of God: It enlightens and grounds us in our tradition, forming the synodal path rooted in the concrete life of the people of God (Preparatory Document Nos. 9, 25).
V. Conclusion: Momentum, intuition and faith are all important. Young women religious need to be protagonists. The synodal church needs to be more appreciative of women, and provide them spaces for participation in the mission of the church.
And finally, like Zacchaeus, we need to want to encounter God, have our finger on the heartbeat of the last, least and lost; be courageous, have parrhesia-integrating freedom, truth and charity, in order to keep the church youthful and alive.
Nothing is unachievable, if one has the right mindset and a cartload or even just a splash of courage, as our mind controls our body. It’s high time that we women religious break social myths and stereotypes and take up challenging ministries.
Like Mary let us ponder over the following: Am I aware that my use of power here disempowers another environment somewhere else? Do I recognise that eating is a moral act and that, “How I treat my food is how I treat my home”? How can I repair my relationship with creation? How have I changed and what changes can I make in my life?
(This article is on Awakening Religious Consciousness through Fostering Integrity of Creation for a Synodal Church and connecting with God 24×7 at the individual, personal level which is fundamental.
It has not touched on the Collective Social Responsibility of Holy Mother Church, Religious Congregations and communities, Dioceses, Parishes, nation states, religions and civil society who together need to address harmony, justice, equality, development etc. which are essential values for building Peace in the world today.
We all need to walk together and address Synodality to build the Body of Christ here on Earth).
Sister Mudita Menona Sodder, a member of the Indian Province of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, serves as JPIC (Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation) coordinator for her congregation. With decades of teaching, leadership, and eco‑spirituality work, she has been deeply engaged in faith‑based justice, interreligious dialogue, and environmental advocacy.