Transcript Discernment
Discernment
Faith and Light International
Formation 2010
By Timothy Buckley
The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason.
(Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot)
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Along with deepening our personal
relationship with God through prayer,
discernment is a means by which we
may live more closely according to the
Spirit of Jesus
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What is discernment?
To choose and to make decisions that
are more in harmony with God’s loving
desires
God has desires and preferences that are
not always obvious to us
God, as revealed in Jesus, has strong, passionate
desires for all that is truly good
God is not indifferent, uncaring or apathetic
We need help to better know what God
wants of us
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A graceful ability to recognize which
impulses, movements, ideas or inspirations
come from God and which come from some
other source
Which choice will help me to become freer,
more fully alive, more loving, more truly
human – like Jesus
Which choice will give more life to others,
build up, unite, heal
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God does not want, will, desire, prefer
everything that happens
what is evil, destructive, rooted in selfishness
or lies or fear, what is oppressive, demeaning,
enslaving or whatever promotes division is not
of God
We have the freedom and the possibility to
choose against God’s desires and preferences
and everyone suffers the consequences of these
choices
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Between two real, possible goods
Evil is always to be rejected - even when
difficult
Not seeking the “best,” perfect or “ideal”
choice
Which of these is better
Not multiple choice
Coherent with one’s vocational
commitments
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Individual or group
Actual, concrete choices - here and now
This time, this place, these people and
these specific circumstances
Accepting our limitations
Not theoretical or hypothetical (what if…)
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Discernment and Prayer
Discernment flows out of a personal
relationship with God nurtured through
prayer
Over time we come to better know the other
Their desires, preferences, hopes, dreams
What delights them, saddens or disturbs them
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We develop an “inner feel” for God’s Will
and ways
Putting on the mind and heart of Jesus by
spending regular extended time with him
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Over time we come to better know our
selves
Favorite ways of operating for good OR for less
than good
Areas of comfort, ease, engagement, confidence
Areas of avoidance, difficulty, discomfort, fear
Ways of trying to make myself “look good”
How to allow love to take the lead
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Discernment and Decision
Making
The choices and decisions are ours
We are not asking or expecting God to
approve our choices
We are trying to choose more closely in
harmony with God’s Spirit
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Since Faith and Light is Christian
community, discernment is our way of making
better choices and taking better decisions
individually and together
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If our community receives a donation,
will we use this money to help with the
expenses of a formation session for all
the members or for a summer camp
where we will invite many new young
people to participate?
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Since Faith and Light is Christian
community, discernment is our way of making
better choices and taking better decisions
individually and together
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Our province has formation as one of
our priorities; will we begin with forming
present community coordinators or with
offering formation to people who have
potential to be leaders in the future?
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The International Coordinating Team
has one open space in the agenda for its
next meeting; will we use it to build
community by deepening relationships
among the members or will we invite
someone to teach us better skills for
working together as a team
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Matching Gifts to Roles
Another application of discernment
Everyone has a gift needed for the good of
all
There are different gifts for different roles of
service
If my gift is not a better fit for this role,
there is some other valuable service for me
to do for the Body
No one has all the gifts needed
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Discernment, in this case, involves a
combination of:
A concrete situation of service,
A specific gift that corresponds to this need
Availability (can “exchange” with or “let go”
of some other tasks)
Will not compromise other major responsibilities
A sense of call (feels right, inner peace, this
“fits”)
Detachment (inner freedom)
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Discernment is the way we in Faith and Light
have to help us to better choose our leaders
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This is an ongoing process that includes:
discovering what gifts our people have by offering
opportunities for them to do various tasks
recognizing/naming each one’s gift or gifts
developing those gifts which flow gracefully
through learning and practice
It is much more difficult to see with our ears than with our
eyes
engaging those gifts in service to the Body
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The well being of the Body (community, province, FLI)
depends upon each member’s gift being fully
functional
It is possible for a person to walk on his hands, but it is
not a better way to travel through life for most of us
Because a person can do something does not mean
that they have a gift for this
We work better and we feel better when people are
using their core gifts for the good of all
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Discernment as a Way of Life
Over time, through regular practice and
guidance, discernment becomes the way that
we approach all the important decisions in
our life because our desire to be closer to God
and to work more closely with God’s Spirit
grows and deepens
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