Pope Francis: Discernment is essential

Following the release of America Magazine’s interview with Pope Francis Sept. 19 social media exploded with questions, comments and opinions. Is the Pope setting new rules? Are we in for big changes? What does this mean for Catholics?

The consensus is that the Pope isn’t changing Catholic beliefs. But, yes, we may be in for some changes. We’re being challenged to rethink priorities and focus more on what Catholics stand for rather than what we’re against.

I like to think of discernment as decision making with a spiritual twist. In the interview with Antonio Spadaro, S.J., a fellow Jesuit, Francis acknowledges the importance of discernment. “Discernment is one of the things that worked inside St. Ignatius. For him it is an instrument of struggle in order to know the Lord and follow Him more closely.” He adds “discernment takes time. I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change.”

So discernment has no shortcuts.

Francis explains that discernment requires an open heart and a searching mind. This means being open to asking for help or confirmation, then being willing to accept an answer that may come in unexpected forms. It means being centred on Christ, not on ourselves, which is a particular challenge in a self-minded culture. If we want to be part of something greater than ourselves, we must dare to invite something greater than ourselves into our hearts.

For example, when you are in a loving relationship, over time your habits, mentalities and views often begin to mesh with the person you love. You may notice they are growing outside yourself. You learn new things, welcome new adventures and have experiences you may not have thought possible.

Our relationship with the Lord works in a similar way. If we pray, align ourselves with Him and learn about His way, we are sure to naturally become more like Him. It’s like a human relationship, but with a perfect, divine someone who possesses the greatest love for us. If we can see how we are unconditionally cared for, perhaps we can learn how it’s done and eventually bring that to the world, one relationship at a time.

On a Busted Halo show entitled “Pope Francis Said What Now?” Fr. Dave Dwyer, C.S.P., paraphrased Francis when he said we must “start with the person’s heart.” What he meant was that the Church is commonly misunderstood when it begins with moral teachings and neglects to come face to face with human beings. Placing moral teaching before an encounter with Jesus can also be misconstrued. Discussions on topics like pre-marital sex and contraception should occur after we meet people where they’re at in their own lives.

“God is always a surprise, so you never know where and how you will find Him,” Francis says. “You are not setting the time and place of the encounter with Him. You must, therefore, discern the encounter. Discernment is essential.”

He goes on to say that “the mystical dimension of discernment never defines its edges and does not complete the thought. The Jesuit must be a person whose thought is incomplete, in the sense of open-ended thinking.”

Words like encounter, surprise, open-ended thinking might sound counter-intuitive when we are searching for something, but uncertainty is part of the spirit of discernment.