Discernment

Viator Web N. 83, April 2018

Human beings are called, both individually and as a

group, to use their discernment when faced with
making a choice. Discerning involves looking and
listening. And for a Christian, there is an absolute
reference: God’s will.
On the eve of the congregation’s 30th general chapter,
VIATOR WEB offers you a text that reminds us of the
elements in discernment, the attitudes to develop, and
the references you need. Discernment then becomes
a movement towards God, who marks us in light of
greater faithfulness.
Enjoy!
 SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
DECISION-MAKING IN THE RELIGIOUS LIFE

Being men and women of discernment

Discernment is the best way to seek the will of God; it is a way to question with humility
and sincerity what God wants from the congregation and the province, at this point in the
Church’s life.
We must ask the Lord for the gift of discernment because «[t]he will of God can lie hidden
very deep under many available possibilities. And, because it is not a predetermined system
of rules, but new and different in different life situations, the will of God must be tested
again and again.» (Bonhoeffer) Discernment cannot be reduced to a formal process. It
cannot be improvised either. It requires that we have an attitude towards life that grows or
weakens according to the power of our faith life.
To have an attitude of discernment, a connection with God is necessary. The elders should
cultivate this in their lives and in the lives of their brothers. This experience continues to
help make it possible to unite the members of the congregation and make it effective in
carrying out our mission...

What is Spiritual discernment?

Choosing to share Spiritual discernment

Making decisions as an individual,
community, and Christian institution
should always be clarified and guided by
the light of the spirit. Decisions should also
conform to evangelical values. Practicing
Spiritual discernment should be
indispensable. And, this requires some
specific demands.
Spiritual discernment involves analyzing
the truth of reality. But, it goes well beyond
that. Behind the facts and concrete events
of religious institutions, there is a much
more decisive motivation for our choices:
the will of God.
Here, we are talking about a person who
does not discern and choose just with the
light of reason and the human means at his
disposal. He also uses the light of the Spirit
that Jesus promised us (Jn 14:26).
Responding to a call from God - Living life
as a mission
Discernment is a way of life. It is a
fundamental attitude that determines your
place in both history and existence. This is
because, according to faith, God is present
in history and directs it: In him we live and
move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We
seek the will of God because we understand
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that our plans are not ours to begin with.
Neither are the plans for the community
and congregation. Rather, the Lord gives us
a mission to carry out. We find the aspects
of that mission always through much
meditation.
The search for the will of God - the task of
the Christian existence
The fundamental task of discernment is the
search of what God wants from me and
from us in the decisions we need to make,
what mindset we need to have for
congregational work, etc. The key to
discernment consists of learning to look so
we can discover the will of God. Being open
and listening to God is at the heart of the
attitude towards spiritual discernment that
leads us to a decision.
We look because God comes to meet us. As
a result, we are convinced that God wants
to speak to us, that he wishes to
communicate his will to us, and that we can
know it. God constantly sends us signals.
God is communication. Because of this, the
great demand for Israel is «listen!» And,
the worst prophetic punishment happens
when our hearts no longer hear God. It can
happen to us as it did to the disciples on
the road to Emmaus: we hear, but we do
not listen. We do not communicate... We
are informed, but we do not learn what the
information means. We have all the facts,
but we do not draw the true conclusions.
We interpret them from our state of mind.
The internal struggle - the necessary
vigilance
It is not easy to interpret the signs and
language of God. His wisdom is often
ambiguous and questionable. But from all
of this, the cost implied is impossible to
predict. This means the cost of welcoming
God and the disconcerting logic of the
Gospel and how it is carried out. Choosing
the option that God wants means
experiencing resistance, difficulty, and lies.
Sometimes, these are subtle.
These experiences of being tested and
tempted happen often in the Christian life,
in communities, and in institutions. People
and groups have indifference. There is also
openness, darkness, stubbornness in both
individuals and groups. There is a personal
search, a group search, consolation, and
sadness.
Freedom is difficult for individuals and
groups to properly use. People encounter
external or internal obstacles that are
always more and more subtle. The Spirit of
God is not the only one working in us. In all
tasks for the Kingdom, we do not just see
the mixture of anti-evangelical values and
forces that we find in our society and
culture. There is also a struggle in ourselves
between the impulse of love and
selfishness. This is a fight between
attachment to ourselves and a struggle to
be free from ourselves. The anti-evangelical
logic in our hearts also appears with a thirst
for status, prominence, power, domination,
and worship of its own image. We will
never recognize, even with our conscience,
that we’re looking for power, prominence,
or personal interests when we defend
alternatives when making a decision. We
hide it in a thousand ways.
(See Darío Mollá, Discernimiento y vida cristiana, pliego of
Vida Nueva, no 2204, Octubre 1999, p. 25).
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 Assumptions and attitudes to discern

There are two kinds of discernment: the personal level and the community level (council,
community, chapter, etc.). Both have the same goals: to seek and find the will of God and
then to put it into practice. And, the two are complementary.
Seeking the will of God requires people who discern to have attitudes that make it possible
to encounter God. It also requires choosing what is appropriate so that all of this can be put
in practice. Some are more demanding in personal discernment. And for others, some find it
necessary to have communal discernment.

Leave space for the intervention of the Spirit

Making a decision is not the result of making an effort: It is not made but shows itself. It is
the Spirit who gradually shows it to us. The process of discernment takes our faculties, the
facts, and various analyses into account. But, it is the Spirit who sheds light for those who
desire to choose a concrete option. There are spiritual conditions that guarantee this decision
process and make it fruitful. The first is that which sums up our devotion to the Savior
through the consecrated life.

Identifying with Christ and following him

With discernment, we need the Spirit to reveal the personhood of Jesus to us. It is not
possible to make a choice that follows the will of God except through the contemplation of
Jesus. Our discernment will always be based on Jesus. It is about living with Him and like
Him. It is deeply attached to his values, attitudes, and his preferences. At the human level,
all choices are made according to a hierarchy of values. This is built on an emotional system
of reference and is the product of our concrete way of living and acting. But, our emotions
and sensibilities are either in line with the person and values of Jesus and his gospel or
against them. This identification with Jesus is not a secondary condition for discernment.

Indifference: the freedom of the spirit

It is a gift of the spirit that lets each person and group have discernment. When we feel
ourselves clothed with liberty that leads us to God’s conviction and his will are beyond all
things that are destined to lead to him, we become indifferent.
This is not a question of giving up the opinions I have for or against a proposed alternative.
The only attachment that must disappear is an unhealthy attachment that gets in the way of
the liberty to make the right choice.

A strong experience of faith

Discernment is an act of listening and of confidence in God. He is the one who guides
individuals and groups. And, He is the one who has a concrete plan for people, communities,
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and congregations. He shows through his Word, by means of the Church, the signs of the
times and specific circumstances. He also does this with joint discernment through brothers
who seek together. If we do not believe that, it is not possible to discern in the Spirit.

Submitting to the Spirit

Self-sufficiency and the refusal to embrace enlightened attitudes make it difficult to seek or
learn. As a result, people do not listen to God even if they think they are looking for him:
they do not listen to others because they believe they already know everything. Even before
starting discernment, they clearly see the solution. They know what they need do in certain
situations, and so on. It looks like the attitude of the one who wants to make his opinions
stand out in the group, even if he has the right heart. He believes himself better informed
and more capable than the others because he thinks he has the truth in his hands.

Being open to the surprises of the Spirit

Discernment requires being open to the surprises of the Spirit that can come from our
brothers. This is where the problem always lies. We need to be open to the word of God, to
a manifestation of God. In joint discernment, there are human faces, names, stories, flaws,
etc. Because of this, faith is essential.

Examination and purification of our disorganized flaws. We start to discern based on our
personal situations
Everyone takes part in discernment by bringing his personal situations and attitudes with
him. My circumstances accompany and influence me. My unhealthy attachments disrupt
my freedom. Before entering into discernment, it is necessary to make a sincere examination
before God. The reason for this is to purify the stumbling blocks that may be present in
interpersonal relationships. These stumbling blocks are the ones that lead to the lack of
communication between some members of the group. If I have critical opinions, I express
them on the inside, seeking only the good of the body and not for other interests.

The Spirit of Communion: One Heart and One Soul

The Spirit creates communion and makes us feel like living and active members of the same
body. With its unifying force, differences will be expressed and good for the body. But if we
insist on defending our opinions, and attack the opinions of others, unity will be impossible.
Communion will be broken.
There is an openness to the Spirit when we leave the love of one’s self, will, and interest. We
can be open to the Spirit when we open ourselves to the possibility of being supportive of
each other.

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 Listening: an essential condition for the discernment of the Spirit
Attitudes for listening
In joint discernment, we make it possible to
grasp what God wants by listening to each
one of our brothers. This means being open
to others, to their point of view, and to their
conviction. Truly listening implies the
willingness to change your opinion after
listening to those of others. It means
accepting that others will question us and
accepting that the Savior will speak to us
through one person or another. This
availability will unmask our doubts and
prejudices. It will show if some of our
securities are genuine or false. It will also
show if we are truly looking for what God
wants or if we are looking out for ourselves
in a way that is not obvious or want our
opinions to succeed over other’s opinions.
This does not mean that I do not have
personal criteria. Rather, it means that I am
conscious of the fact that we are in a
discernment process. I am willing to listen to
the Savior and seek his will. I do not have this
alone, but we share it between us.
My refusal to be willing to change my opinion
means, in fact, that I will not listen. And, deep
in my heart, I show that I am not looking for
what God wants because I feel like I know
what choice should be made.
Possible, non-authentic ways of listening
There are ways of listening which are not
honest attitudes for a joint search for
discernment. There is armored listening: I
know you well enough ... and I will protect
myself, I put up my walls. I hear an
intervention and I think: I knew what he was
going to say... I know what’s hiding behind
these words ... There is also an argumentative
way of listening: I will listen to your
arguments to better refute them, the person
has not finished talking, but I already have
all my responses ready. A student listening
to a teacher is not discernment because we
are all students listening to the Spirit. There
is also a way of listening in which we listen to
ourselves and use the other person’s
opinions. And, we use the arguments that
confirm our position. We overlook what’s
different from ourselves.
Listening gives you the attitude you need to
receive, the patience needed for admitting
the other’s argument’s, the ability to accept
the unexpected, and the ability to value an
opinion or content which was awkwardly
phrased.
Therefore, the kind of listening you need is a
vulnerable kind: I am willing to change my
previous understanding and prejudices
according to what is shared. This is an attitude
that recognizes the ability of all to know the
truth and to be mediators who share the will
of God with us.
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 Conclusion

The creation of the most well-suited attitudes for joint discernment is inspired by Saint
Ignatius’ spiritual exercises.

Two positions
Our plans can be discussed at Babylon or at Jerusalem. In Babylon, we always talk about the
outside because it is a place that does not belong to us. It is the place of exile, of captivity
where communion does not exist. We are not equal: young or old, conservative or progressive,
there are always two images of who we are. In Babylon the differences exclude. The discussion
is divergent.
In Jerusalem, we are at home. The Lord who summoned us brings us together. Conversation
is convergent. Diversity promotes dialogue and it is welcomed and respected. There is only
one group, us!

Two styles
Speaking ex cathedra: defending your own truth with all of your power and without the
slightest doubt. A group in which everyone speaks ex-cathedra will hardly reach peace and
will be fruitless.
Or the Jesus style: in the line of sinners, this is a weak and humble attitude that proposes,
listens, and shares.

Two attitudes
The humble and confident prayer. So we are not deceived, we need a light that comes from
above. We need to ask for grace so that we can protect ourselves from deceptive and false
lights. And, we need to know how to unmask them in ourselves and in the group.
The attitude of one who believes in his own insight. This means being convinced that my
opinion and my suggestions are true and effective. And, it means that we are not deceived
and we will not allow ourselves to be deceived.

Two indispensable references

The Lord Jesus. In all discernment, references to the Lord should not be missing from the
process of passionate identification with Christ. All of this is essential for our mission and
involves the loss of my opinion a priori. Otherwise, it is impossible to have discernment.
The world. The second reference is a look that takes us outside of ourselves. It will take us to
the fringes and give us a vision that’s able to pierce through appearances. This vision will
also see through those that run from the superficiality of first impressions and rushed
judgment. If the world does not affect us and if we do not let the poor come into our lives
and change us, it is impossible to discern what God wants for us in regards to our mission.
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 Resume of:
Discernimiento espiritual
en la toma de decisiones en la Vida religiosa,
Elias Royón Lara, sj
Cf. Cuaderno Confer, n° 40

Thanks to Fr. Edouardo Millán, c.s.v.

for his willingness to summarize

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