v. understanding, intelligence
Psa 14:4 Have not d…they who do iniquity
1Co 12:10 other, prophecy; to another, d of spirits
Heb 5:14 senses exercised in the d of good
Action of practical intelligence to differentiate what is convenient from what is not. It is a duty of being free and an act of prudence and reason.
In a particular way, discernment affects situations, values or procedures that require compromising and responsible choices. And that is why reference is made to reflection and prudence.
Discernment can be claimed for certain situations or issues of importance for life, for example for the choice of vocation (vocational discernment), for the solution of professional problems (ethical or deontological discernment), such as priestly problems (priestly discernment). or when questions of conscience make it difficult to be clear about what is most convenient to do (Discernment of spirits), situations that arise frequently.
Discernment has a strong evangelical connotation. About 22 times in the New Testament the concept “discern” (dokimasein) is used and it is seen as a duty to think before God about actions and decisions: 1 Cor. 11. 28-29; 2 Cor. 13. 5-6; Gal. 6. 4-5)
Christian discernment has to do with the responsibility of one’s own conscience, but also with the needs or conveniences of the community. Certain sacraments, baptism, forgiveness of sins, marriage, priestly ordinations are not just a matter of each person. The interests of the ecclesial community come into play.
The act or process of strict discernment should not be confused with other pastoral and educational operations in which prudence and reflection also fall. Thus, for example, one thing is vocational discernment (whether or not there is a vocation, for this or that) and another thing is animation, accompaniment, invitation.
Vocational orientation implies the prior action of discernment. and it is done not only in an initial way illuminating the mind, but in the serene accompaniment with the intention of reaching the final personalized objectives.
And it is also necessary to differentiate what is spiritual counseling, spiritual direction or animation, from what is strictly “discernment of spirits”
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy
SUMMARY: 1. Deed Data. -two. Contributions of conciliar theology. – 3. Love as an experience of discernment. – 4. Criteria for pastoral discernment.
The proper goal of Christian discernment consists in seeking God’s will for a person or community in a concrete situation. This supposes a procedure that finds in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the quintessential discerner, the ultimate reference. Vocational discernment is fundamental in the process of personal maturation of faith; discernment in special situations in which an important decision has to be made is unavoidable; and pastoral discernment affects the permanent way of being and acting of the Church. Jesus of Nazareth formed his disciples so that they knew how to discern the action of God in the moments of the birth of the Church; the first communities in their evangelizing and missionary dynamism are an example of how to discern. And St. Paul bequeathed us a basic theology of Christian discernment.
1. Deed Facts
All Sacred Scripture manifests the initiative of God who guides his people through different and varied situations. The life of the believer acquires a critical mood before reality and opens to the eschatological horizon of the Kingdom; the Christian knows that “God is searching our hearts” (1 Thess. 2,4) and in a deep dialogue, under the action of the Holy Spirit, he is invited to welcome the will of God and put it into practice. This is not possible without a path of conversion that makes us grow in faith, hope and charity by “interiorly knowing the person of Jesus Christ and his Gospel”.
To be a Christian is to do “what pleases God”, as Jesus of Nazareth did (Rom. 12,2; 14,8; 2 Cor. 5,9, Eph. 5,10; Flp. 4,18; Col. 3,20; Titus 2,9). In the NT the term dokimásein appears 22 times with the meaning of coming to know what should be done and what should be rejected through a check. This applies to personal discernment (1 Cor. 11:28-29; 2 Cor. 13:5-6; Gal. 6:4-5) and to community discernment (1 Thess. 5:19-22).
Christian discernment cannot be done from one’s own criteria and interest; a new mentality is needed, the one that God gives us when passing from the “old man” to the “new man” (1 Cor. 1,10). This new mentality entails not “conforming to the world” (Rom. 12,2); it is necessary to break with the current order characterized by having, power and competition in order to be able to discern.
Jesus Christ freed us from living the law as the expression of God’s will (Rom. 13,8-10) with an immature attitude (Gal. 3,23-26); positively, it opens us to the newness of the Trinitarian communion (1 Jn. 2,20. 27; 3,24; 4,6. 17; 5,6-9) and to docility to the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8,14) , to reach adulthood in faith (Gal. 4,19; Eph 1,3.14) which is expressed in love for those in need (Mt. 25,31-46).
2. Contributions of conciliar theology
Vatican II insisted on the need for the faithful and pastors (PO 9) to delve deeply into reading the signs of the times (ES4). These need to be analyzed in depth and with an evangelical spirit (GS 11, 18, 27, 37; PO 28, 36; PDV40).
The Church is and wants to be a “sacrament of salvation” (GS1) for the world; for the same reason, the Church-world relationship must be seen in terms of collaboration and help (GS 36. 38; 41-43). Today we can also repeat the words of Paul VI at the closing of the Council: “the ancient story of the Samaritan has been the paradigm of the spirituality of the Council”.
God’s plan of salvation is that all men know the Gospel and convert to Jesus Christ to live as children of God and brothers. How to bring this to life in every time and place is the goal of personal and community discernment.
The evangelization of the contemporary world presents the Church with some important challenges; that they must be carefully discerned; We underline the following: the inculturation of the faith, the new ecclesial presences, interreligious dialogue and ecumenism, the preferential option for the poorest, the channels of co-responsibility in the Church, the evangelization of the distant, the processes of faith that lead in mature communities, and the socio-political commitment of the Christian.
3. Love as an experience of discernment
The Pauline expressions to indicate the goal of discernment are varied and very significant. To discern is to know “what pleases the Lord” (Eph. 5, 10), to know “the will of God” (Rom. 12,2), “what is good” (FIp. 1,9-10; 1 Thess. 5 ,21-22), etc This is not achieved by deductively applying principles, ethical values or a norm; it is something more interior, experience) and founding. Discernment comes from the evangelical love that configures the believer in a new sensitivity and criteria that allow him to see more clearly what is in accordance with the will of God revealed in Jesus Christ (FI. 1,9-10). The way in which one lives, the values for which one works and the causes in which one’s life is involved facilitate or hinder Christian discernment. To “have the same sentiments as Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2,5) is the practical way that allows us to know the will of the Father. The ability to discern is not improvised; On the contrary, it is properly prepared when reading, reflection, introspection, analysis of reality, examination of conscience, and events are passed through the heart. One’s own interiority is the privileged area of the encounter with God; therefore, it is in personal prayer that God communicates in the depths of the heart as Father. Without the familiarity with God that prayer provides, discernment is not possible, because we would lack fellowship with Him and His plan of salvation; in prayer we discover our reactions and our feelings to what the Word of God is proposing to us. The analysis of what is happening inside allows us to look to the future and make one or another commitment; This decision is a gift of God and a requirement in order to transform reality so that the Kingdom of God may be. The validation of the option taken is in the fruits of humanization that it produces in favor of those most in need, and the inner joy of those who carry it out, despite all the difficulties.
To be able to do discernment well, it is necessary to focus well on the subject that one wants to discern, to want to seek first and foremost the will of God, and to place oneself in the presence of God in an attitude of complete availability. Those who are indifferent to their own interests and willing to accept and do what God asks of them are available; If when doing this exercise you feel peace, joy and trust, it means that there is maturity in faith and a sincere willingness to seek God’s will, whatever it may be, and even if it contravenes our plans.
At the time of discernment, it is necessary to clearly distinguish the end and the means; the end is the search for God’s will that frames and guides discernment; what is discerned are the means that allow doing the will of God. Here the “disordered affections” usually appear, that is, the interests and selfishness that end up putting our will before God’s. It matters a lot that we know the limitations, the conditions and the ambiguities that prevent us from being truly available for what God wants.
The tree is known by its fruits, says Jesus in the Gospel (Mt. 12,33; Lk. 6,43-44); what confirms us that the discernment has been done adequately are the works (Eph. 5,8-10; Phil. 1,9-11; Gal. 15,22), which refer directly to the love of the brother; otherwise, even if we did wonders, if we lack love, nothing is worth (1 Cor. 13,1-3). And this has an interpersonal translation, but also a social and structural one until achieving a fairer and more supportive international order (GS 40).
4. Pastoral discernment criteria
Taking into account the current ecclesial situation, and from the perspective of pastoral action, we are going to recall some criteria that guide the new evangelization and the education of the faith.
a) Strengthen basic discernment
Discernment is not a theoretical knowledge but a practical one; that is, it can only be adequately discerned from a certain way of living in which good is clearly distinguished from evil; what is good, ethically speaking, puts us in relationship with the Kingdom of God, and what is bad distances us from God and his justice. The knowledge of the will of God is not something aseptic that can be reached in a…