On 15 September 1965, as the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) was drawing to a close, Pope Paul VI set up the Synod of Bishops, convinced that the Pope needed "to make ever greater use of the bishops' assistance in providing for the good of the universal Church" and to enjoy "the consolation of their presence, the help of their wisdom and experience, the support of their counsel, and the voice of their authority". Two big events are taking place this September and October, 2015 that could have far reaching effects on the health of what remains of the traditional family. Gatherings of lay and cleric Catholics will help resuscitate the strength of the family unit at the World Meeting of Families. They need prayer. The Synod of Bishops exists in order to help the Pope navigate church doctrine through the rapids of modernist society. But a distinction must be made between the World Meeting of Families and the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

The Synod of the Bishops discusses topics proposed to it by the Pope and makes recommendations, but does not settle questions or issue decrees. The Synod of the Bishops has its own permanent general secretariat, composed of the General Secretary and a fifteen-member council, twelve of whom are elected by the general assembly and three appointed by the Pope. The secretariat assists in preparing the apostolic exhortation which the Pope publishes on the basis of the recommendations of the general assembly. It is for the Pope to convoke the Synod of the Bishops, ratify the election of participants in the assembly, determine the topic of discussion, distribute the material for discussion to those who should participate, set the agenda and preside over the assembly either personally or through delegates. In addition, the Pope may appoint further participants in any assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

In preparation for each ordinary general assembly, episcopal conferences are asked to suggest up to three themes for discussion. After the secretariat has studied the proposals put forward, the Pope, generally on the basis of the secretariat's recommendation, establishes the topic and agenda of the assembly. Criteria for the choice of the topic are: 1) that it be of universal, not merely regional, interest; 2) that it be pastoral in character with a firm doctrinal base; 3) that it be contemporary and urgent enough to stir up "new energies and movements in the church towards growth"; 4) that it can be addressed within the allotted time.

The secretariat prepares a preliminary outline document (Lineamenta), which is distributed to all concerned for comment. Based on this feedback, a working document (instrumentum laboris) is prepared and distributed to all churches. This document is the basis for discussions at the synod. The assembly examines proposals (propositiones) put forward by its members and passes to the Pope those that receive the assembly's approval. The Pope uses these as the basis for a papal post-synodal apostolic exhortation.

To date, there have been 13 Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and three Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The next Ordinary Synod will be held in Rome in October of 2015.  The Synod of the Bishops has held the following assemblies:

Ordinary General Assemblies

Year, Type, Number, Topic,Concluding document or apostolic exhortation

1967
Ordinary General
I
Preserving and Strengthening the Catholic Faith

1971
Ordinary General
II
The Ministerial Priesthood and Justice in the World
Justice in the World, Rome, IT: The Vatican

1974
Ordinary General
III
Evangelization in the Modern World
Montini, Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria (1975-12-08), Evangelii nuntiandi (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1977
Ordinary General

IV
Catechesis in Our Time
Wojtyła, Karol Józef (Charles Joseph), Catechesi tradendae (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1980
Ordinary General
V
The Christian Family
(1981-11-22), Familiaris consortio (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1983
Ordinary General
VI
Penance and Reconciliation in the Mission of the Church
  (1984-12-02), Reconciliatio et paenitentia (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1987
Ordinary General
VII
The Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World
(1988-12-30), Christifideles laici (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1990
Ordinary General
VIII
The Formation of Priests in Circumstances of the Present Day
(1992-03-25), Pastores dabo vobis (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

1994
Ordinary General
IX
The Consecrated Life and its Role in the Church and in the World
(1996-03-25), Vita consecrate (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

2001
Ordinary General
X
The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World
(2003-10-16), Pastores gregs (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

2005
Ordinary General
XI
The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church
Ratzinger, Joseph (2007-02-22), Sacramentum caritatis (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

2008
Ordinary General
XII
The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church
(2010-09-30), Verbum Domini (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

2012
Ordinary General
XIII
The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith
Pope Francis (24 Nov 2013), Evangelii gaudium (Apostolic exhortation), Rome, IT: The Vatican

2015
Ordinary General
XIV
The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world


Extraordinary General Assemblies

Year, Type, Number, Topic, Concluding document or apostolic exhortation

1969
Extraordinary General
I
Cooperation between the Holy See and the Episcopal Conferences

1985
Extraordinary General
II
The Twentieth Anniversary of the Conclusion of the Second Vatican Council

2014
Extraordinary General
III
The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization
Relatio Synodi of the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: "Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization"

The Extraordinary General Assembly can be understood as a preparatory step for the Ordinary General Assembly. At last year’s Extraordinary General Assembly, the bishops defined the current state of the family and the challenges that it faces; at the Ordinary General Assembly, the bishops will formulate pastoral guidelines to respond to those challenges.

The Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, was held in Vatican City on October 5–19, 2014. The synod was a gathering of 253 bishops and other participants in preparation for a larger synod with the same theme this October 2015. The participants discussed problems facing the family today, including the effects of war, immigration, domestic violence, polygamy, inter-religious marriages, cohabitation, the breakdown of marriage, and divorce and remarriage. The Pope issued a world survey of ecclesiastics and family members in preparation of Ordinary Synod.

The dates of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is October 4-25, 2015 and it will be held at Vatican City in Rome. This Synod will mark the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops. The theme of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world. The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will continue the work of the III Extraordinary General Assembly by "reflect[ing] further on the points discussed so as to formulate appropriate pastoral guidelines" for the pastoral care of the person and the family.

Having nothing to do with the Synod of Bishops, the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) was conceived by Saint/Pope John Paul II in 1992 to look at strengthening the sacred bonds of the family unit across the globe. The first WMOF took place in Rome in 1994, the International year of the family. Every three years since 1994, families from all over the world are invited by the Holy Father to attend this global gathering. At the conference, families share their thoughts, dialogue and prayers, working together to grow as individuals and family units. Families can participate in discussion groups on the Christian family’s role in the church and society, led by many distinguished speakers.

Coincidentally or intentionally, the WMOF and the Extraordinary Synod follow one another.  The WMOF will be held in Philadelphia in September of 2015 and the Pope will participate. Here is the schedule for Pope Francis' September 2015 journey to the United States as released by the Vatican on June 30, 2015. 

Tuesday, September 22 (Washington, DC)
    4:00 p.m.    Arrival from Cuba at Andrews

Wednesday, September 23 (Washington, DC)
    9:15 a.m.  Welcome ceremony and meeting with President Obama at the White House
    11:30 a.m. Midday Prayer with the bishops of the United States, St. Matthew's Cathedral
    4:15 p.m.  Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Thursday, September 24 (Washington, DC, New York City)
    9:20 a.m.  Address to Joint Session of the United States Congress
    11:15 a.m. Visit to St. Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
    4:00 p.m.   Depart from Andrews
    5:00 p.m.   Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport
    6:45 p.m.   Evening Prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick's Cathedral

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (NEW YORK CITY)
    8:30 a.m. Visit to the United Nations and Address to the United Nations General Assembly
    11:30 a.m. Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center
    4:00 p.m.  Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem
    6:00 p.m.  Mass at Madison Square Garden

Saturday, September 26 (New York City, Philadelphia)
    8:40 a.m.  Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport
    9:30 a.m.  Arrival at Atlantic Aviation, Philadelphia
    10:30 a.m. Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia
    4:45 p.m.  Visit to Independence Mall
    7:30 p.m.  Visit to the Festival of Families Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Sunday, September 27 (Philadelphia)
    9:15   a.m.  Meeting with bishops at St. Martin's Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
    11:00 a.m. Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility
    4:00 p.m.   Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
    7:00   p.m.  Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families
    8:00   p.m.  Departure for Rome

Once back in Rome, the Pope will take in much needed rest for the beginning of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on October 4, 2015. Cardinals and Bishops from around the world will participate. Here are three controversial topics of discussion:

    How accepting should the Church be to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people?

    How accommodating should the Church be about “irregular” relationships, such as living together without being married?

    Should divorced Catholics who remarry without first getting an annulment be allowed to receive Communion?

There will be a document issued after the Ordinary Synod of Bishops.  It is common for the Holy Father to issue a substantive document, called a post-synodal apostolic exhortation.  The Pope, with the aid of the Holy Spirit and the worldwide gathering of bishops, will make a proclamation on these issues which the Church will follow into the future.  The Church needs the prayers and cooperation from the Protestants as well as the Catholics. If attendance at the WMOF is not possible, organize revivals and prayer groups during the end of September and the whole month of October.   Pray for the Synod and the family.

A client came in for a divorce the other day. He wanted to get the divorce based on adultery.  So I asked him “who is your wife having an affair with.”  He said she was having an affair with another woman.  Well that was a shock.  I was not stunned about the lesbian relationship. Homosexuality has become commonplace today.  It dawned on me that the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage may have made the sexual relationship between the two women sufficient grounds for a divorce based on adultery in a heterosexual marriage.  It is legally plausible that a sexual relationship between "persons" may now become the definition of adultery.  But then it appeared to me that intercourse is required for adultery. Merriam-Webster defines intercourse as “sexual contact between individuals involving penetration, especially the insertion of a man's erect penis into a woman's vagina, typically culminating in orgasm and the ejaculation of semen.” According to this definition, two women cannot have intercourse. Can two men have intercourse? Can anal sex, once condemned as illegal activity, be redefined to mean intercourse?  I guess the Supreme Court can change the definition! But the Supreme Court will never be able to redefine natural law.  Two men or two women will never be able to produce children. The marriage and divorce laws will have to become gender natural.  If a spouse of a homosexual marriage between two men has a fling with a woman or another man, a divorce will become available based on adultery. Oh, the tangled webs we weave in our profane depravity.

In the early church the Greek word “mystery” was translated into Latin by use of the word “sacramentum,” and meant a sacred obligation.   The word sacramentum reflected all of the mysterious elements of this new, catholic religion which Christ founded. Christ instituted all of the sacraments, but He did not give all of them to the Church fully constituted. The sacraments or mysteries defined, demarcated and outlined the early church. These sacramental obligations formed the basis of the church’s existence. Thus the sacraments are the church. A church cannot exist without sacraments.  The goal of the early church, as it still is today, was the conversion and salvation of souls. And a church cannot accomplish these goals without the sacraments. The word sacrament may be defined as an external sign of something sacred. In every sacrament three things are necessary: an outward sign, an inward grace, and Divine institution. The outward sign stands for and represents a circumstance or condition brought about through a ritual or celebration.  But this external sign represents something else like smoke represents fire or a dark sky represents rain.  The outward signs are ceremonial.  These outward rituals of the sacraments do not confer grace, though.  These outward signs of the sacraments become sacred only when God through the Holy Spirit produces the mysterious effects of internal grace. Grace, the unmerited favor of God, is conferred by God through the Holy Spirit by these sacred rituals. God mysteriously confers grace by the power of the Holy Spirit through the faith of Christ. Preaching the word of Christ to a randomly gathered group of individuals will never confer grace and the gathering will never become a church of Christ. The mysteries of the sacraments are required for conversion, salvation and church formation. Grace can never be obtained through faith alone but must come from the sacraments. And this reception of grace must be continual from birth to death.

 Early Christians did not speak of “two” or “seven” Sacraments as we do today.   The seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. So where did the sacraments come from and how did they develop?  The early church fathers who spoke Greek and Latin initially applied the word sacramentum to Baptism and the Eucharist. John the Baptist instituted the sacrament of baptism and Christ made it sacred when He received the Holy Spirit (confirmation). The Eucharist was instituted by Christ at the last supper. Communion is the actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  The other five sacraments developed over time but it was Christ who instituted these mysteries of faith as well.  Confirmation is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit is conferred to those already baptized.  The rite in the West is performed around the age 14 or 15 but is becoming more common to perform the rite at the same time as baptism. The sacrament can only be administered by a bishop and is accomplished by the imposition of hands and anointing with holy oil. After the Samaritan converts had been baptized by Philip the deacon, the Apostles "sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for he was not yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost". Acts 8:14-17. St. Paul "came to Ephesus. He met some disciples there and asked them, Was the Holy Spirit given to you, when you learned to believe? Why, they said, nobody even mentioned to us the existence of a Holy Spirit. What baptism, then, did you receive? Paul asked; and they said, John’s baptism. So Paul told them, John baptized to bring men to repentance; but he bade the people have faith in one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus. On hearing this, they received baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus; and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6. Penance (reconciliation) began in the late 300s A.D. when those who renounced their faith because of the Roman persecution were allowed back into the church.  The repentant apostate was admitted again to communion after a period of public confession and penance. This discipline corresponded closely with the discipline imposed on the catechumens who were being prepared for baptism. But it was Christ and John the Baptist who announced the need to repent, for the Kingdom of God was near. Public penance became rare at the end of the eleventh century as it caused more scandal then true contrition. Penance presupposes sin and supports and completes the effects of baptism and confirmation. Penance is probably the greatest of the sacraments but the one least used.  Was not forgiveness of sin the main reason God appeared on this earth in the form of Jesus Christ?

Christ instituted holy orders when he ordained the apostles. The apostles, the spokesmen for Christ, instituted the order of deacons and the order of presbyters (priests), both of whom became delegates of the apostles. The episkopos, a name derived from the Greek word meaning overseer, was originally the title of the presbyter, but eventually became the title for a  bishop, the highest order of priests. The first Pope, Peter, was an apostle, presbyter and the chief episkopos. God himself instituted the sacrament of marriage at creation. The teaching of our Lord and His apostles raised marriage to a level entirely different from that which the rite occupied among the Jews and the pagans of the Roman Empire. Some Jews married more than one wife, and many divorced their wives for the most trivial of matters. The Church proclaimed that marriage between male and female Christians is indissoluble, and is of a sacred character which mimics the union between Christ and His Church. Anointing of the sick (extreme unction) by the presbyters of the Church is prescribed in James 5:14-16.  “Is one of you sick? Let him send for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.  Prayer offered in faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will give him relief; if he is guilty of sins, they will be pardoned. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, for the healing of your souls.”  The author of this prescription was the Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, also known as James the Less, the first Bishop of Jerusalem. There can be no doubt that this ritual ceremony had origins from Christ. Who can cure a sick man or forgive his sins but Christ through the Holy Spirit? This sacrament is often administered near the hour of death. The anointing with holy oil in the Lord’s name will cure the soul of the sick. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul for heaven.

God alone can change an external, material rite into the power to confer grace on men. The sacraments do not naturally confer grace. They do so because they were chosen by God to achieve mysterious effects.  But the faith of Christ and the belief in the power and capacity of the Holy Spirit are required.  The Council of Trent declared: "If anyone say that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify, or that they do not confer grace on those who place no obstacle to the same, let him be anathema" (Sess. viii, can.vi). "If anyone say that grace is not conferred by the sacraments ex opere operato but that faith in God's promises is alone sufficient for obtaining grace, let him be anathema." {Ex opere operato is a Latin phrase meaning "from the work worked" referring to the efficacy of the Sacraments deriving from the action of the Sacrament as opposed to the merits or holiness of the priest or participant.} Catholics believe that the sacramental rites are only the instrumental, not the principal, causes of grace. The recipient of the sacraments must be in a correct disposition to receive the mysteries of Christ. The recipient must not have any obstacle to grace or be in grievous sin. The grace unleashed by the Holy Spirit can never reside in the unworthy, thus the reason for penance before the Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The Eucharist cannot be received by those in mortal sin. Extreme unction prepares the sinful soul for its trip to heaven. Only two sacraments can be received more than once, penance and communion and possibly Extreme Unction.

The order of the sacraments are not coincidental. Baptism and confirmation at birth are always first in necessity. They bring the soul into the body of Christ.  The Eucharist keeps the Holy Spirit present within the soul and provides the basis for the unification (communion) of the Church. Penance and extreme unction ratifies the existence of defects and depravity (sin). Penance allows the repair of the soul throughout the journey through the Church. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul at bodily death for heaven. The two optional sacraments are Matrimony and Holy Orders. They are optional in the fact that participation is a respond to a call. God’s will determines man’s fate.  He is either called to be a groom to the church or a groom to a wife.  Some fortunate few can participate in both sacraments.  A married man can become a deacon and thus complete his life by receiving all of the seven sacraments of the church Christ established.