Pray with the Pope: Learn to Discern

Intention: Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.

To “learn how to discern”. The rhyme itself may serve as a helpful metaphor. Discernment requires an ear attuned to the poetry of God in our lives and in our world.

We listen intently for the voice of God, for the “still, small voice of calm” in the harsh and discordant din with which our world often contrives to surround us. To discern requires an awareness which is the result of a consistent self-discipline in being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Freedom from the self

The first problem in the process is that of self. This was referred to by the eminent 18th-century French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau as amour-propre, or “love of self”. There is, of course, a healthy form of self-love, which we often call self-esteem — a sense of one’s own dignity, grounded as objectively as possible in our identity as creatures of God, with unique talents and potential.

However, there is also this lingering and lurking egocentric self-love which can blind me to many important things, including my own best interests and what God wants in my life. Hence the need to beg the Lord for what St Ignatius calls “detachment” (or the leaving aside), in real freedom, of my own egocentric desires and preoccupations in favour of God’s loving designs and projects for me.

Paradoxically, this freedom from self-seeking will actually lead to a true self-fulfilment.

Invoking the Holy Spirit

The other precondition for true discernment is regular prayer. In May, the world’s cardinals entered a period of prayer as part of the conclave process, invoking the Holy Spirit to guide their discernment in choosing a successor to Pope Francis.

I imagine that a historical analysis of conclaves would reveal that the best choices were made by conclaves comprising the most prayerful and detached groups of cardinals. The popes of my lifetime have all been impressive men. This says something about those who participated in the discernment leading to their election.

Discerning with others

Discernment has personal and communal dimensions. Personal prayer and reflection, combined with conversations with others, are how the process moves along. I like the Latin word murmurationes (singular, murmuratio, for the word-nerds) to describe the quiet, informal chats that the cardinals are expected to engage in as part of their deliberations as they prepare for a conclave.

What should we discern about? Obviously about important things, such as what I should do with my life and how I should serve God in that choice — or, if you find yourself in a conclave, which cardinal I should vote for as pope!

I really don’t have the time or energy to deeply discern whether to have tea or coffee at breakfast! However, some other areas of discernment which may seem trivial at first glance may prove otherwise.

A prime example: deciding how much sleep to get in order to give more time and energy to my prayer life may be one of the most important discernments I ever make.