Q. Could you explain discernment and the Lord's will?
A. The last two columns dealt with the subject of friar's assignments, first from a practical, and then from a spiritual, point of view. Today I will focus on the topic of discernment of a vocation.
Discernment is the process of weighing and assessing what the Lord wishes you to do. A person does not attempt to discern between moral rights and wrongs: the Lord always wishes us to do the moral thing. Further, one does not discern whether to continue a course of action to which one is validly vowed. Thus, married persons do not attempt to discern whether the Lord is calling them to religious life.
Discernment tries to find the Lord's will for a person among the various good things he or she might legitimately do. Thus, someone might try to discern whether the Lord wishes him or her to remain single, to marry, to join a religious order, or to become a priest. This is a subtle exercise. Moses saw a burning bush, but no one else has. The Lord usually works through quite ordinary means to make his will clear to those who listen closely. What are those means?
The first is capability. The Lord calls us to the possible. If we have no talent or capacity for something, then the Lord is not calling us to it. Second, we can look to the mind of the Church. The Lord speaks in and through his Church, and we are not called to something that is inconsistent with the message of the Church. These two factors are relatively objective.
The subjective factors are more subtle. Usually, there is an attraction to the state of life we are called to. If we find a particular state of life repulsive, we are unlikely to be called to it. When we pray about the call, we find a greater sense of inner peace or increased sense of call. We feel a tug or pull toward religious life or priesthood or marriage or a committed single life. Sometimes that tug or pull may seem to go against logic, or our own plan for our life. The idea persists. Everyone has thought briefly about all sorts of things, but a call continues, sometimes in the background, persistently. We ask questions and investigate, and feel an inner sense of wanting to go forward.
Our discernment is often moved forward by the support of godly men and women who have our interests at heart. They may help to ratify our sense of call. If all those around us scoff at the idea of our becoming a priest or sister, we may be hanging out with the wrong crowd. Or, perhaps, they see in us something that we don't see. On the other hand, if sincere and wise friends say: "yes, I can see you doing that," this helps us to understand ourselves. St. Francis, at a moment of discernment, asked three friends to pray separately about it. Each reported back to him the same answer.
Finally, take the plunge. It is a terrible mistake to sit on the fence forever. Some people refuse to commit themselves to anything, thinking that this is freedom. It's not freedom; it's paralysis. If it's marriage, date seriously only those who are suitable life-partners. If it's a committed single life, organize your affairs toward that end. If it's religious life or priesthood, begin the process of affiliating with an order or a diocese. Take action. There is ample time to continue to test the waters. But be not afraid! Pray and plunge ahead!
