It is not surprising to read commentaries on the present synod on synodality that express perplexity about what synodality means for the church. Admittedly, “synodality” is not a familiar term. My participation in the synod in Rome over the past weeks has helped me understand more fully that the Holy Father is calling for the church to act in a new way, a synodal way, as we take up the mission of Christ. That starts by each of us undergoing what the pope calls a “relationship conversion.” In other words, he is calling us to view the entire project of our lives in terms of growing in our ability to relate to others and to the world. It is a conversion that turns away from the natural tendency to organize our lives around our own desires, plans and needs. It is the way of Jesus, evident in the Gospels as he called and formed his disciples. Specifically, there are three insights that we must come to in this process, which should change the way we behave. The first is fully embracing the conviction that we belong to others and others belong to us. We are not isolated self-sufficient individuals, nor should we view the project of our lives as becoming self-sufficient and living in our own isolation. At the same time, no one is excluded. As the pope repeatedly insists, “todos, todos, todos” — “everyone, everyone, everyone.” So, we see Jesus inviting and bringing everyone into his circle. Second, relationship conversion brings us to accept that we are co-responsible for one another, for synodality is about walking together, helping each other along the road of life. This conversion also redefines the church as a community in which we are accountable to each other, upending any sense of favoritism or privilege. That would give rise to clericalism. We become the community of those who genuinely love each other as Jesus has loved us. Finally, relationship conversion involves coming to the conviction that our gifts and talents are to be shared, rather than as seen as personal assets solely for our own personal advancement and benefit but also that the gifts of everyone should be welcome. We become salt, light and leaven. It occurs to me that if we place relationship conversion at the center of our formation as Christians, then we might begin rethinking how we do our religious education programs for young people. Would it not be worthwhile to place emphasis on helping young people familiarize themselves with this way of Jesus and undergo a relationship conversion, alongside or even before giving them the catechism or textbooks that expound the teachings of the church and focus on information? Similarly, we might want to reexamine our approach to Christian initiation of adults, by making relationship conversion, helping candidates grow in their capacity for relationships by which they grow in their conviction of belonging to others, are co-responsible for others and the church and are called to share their gifts and talents. Many of our catechists and pastors have repeatedly shared with me over the years their frustration that after confirmation they see so few of the newly confirmed. They wonder if the sacrament of confirmation has become a “Rite of Christian Exodus,” rather than initiation. Part of the problem may be that we have put too much focus on conveying knowledge about the church, thus, reducing our catechesis to an academic program. Have we given students the impression that just as they go off on their own after high school, they are free to go off once they are confirmed, that they have “graduated” and need not return? Would we more likely have greater success if we placed at the center of their catechesis the idea of relationship conversion, helping them to grow in a sense of belonging to Jesus in the church, giving them the capacity to be co-responsible and envision their lives as sharing? So, understanding synodality is not so difficult. Simply put, the Holy Father is calling for a new way of living church life, for each of us to undergo a relationship conversion.