“Ever since discernment became fashionable, no one has made a decision.”
This popular quote, often attributed to Rev. Bob Bedard, casts an interesting light on how Catholics—particularly those of us on this campus – view discernment. Phrases like, “let me discern it first,” or “I’ll pray a novena and then get back to you,” are common at Franciscan University. And they come from a good place – a desire to seek the voice of God. But when does discernment, particularly over small things, become a paralyzing state of inaction?
Discernment is, and will always be, a necessary practice in the lives of the Faithful. The Catechism even includes discernment within the expressions of the virtue of prudence! It is good, and even highly recommended by the Church, to seek the voice of God and His will for our lives through discernment and prayer.
And let’s face it – God is all-knowing and therefore knows better than we do in every situation.
However, it is important to be honest with ourselves. Are we discerning because we genuinely want to take the time to listen to the voice of God? Or are we “discerning” as an excuse to put off making the hard decision?
The reality is, there is a trend on this campus to have to “discern” everything – endlessly. Last year, I had an encounter with a young man who was in the middle of a not-so-major life decision. When I asked about necessary practical steps he should have been taking to get to the point of making said decision, he revealed that he hadn’t taken any of those steps. However, he was praying a rosary every night and making a daily holy hour in the hopes that the right decision would fall into his lap, fully developed without any effort on his part. That was not discernment – that was inaction.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t ask God for what we need; that is far from the truth. But if we are genuinely trying to make a decision and pick a path that God wills for us, we likely will not reach that point just from sitting in the chapel for hours on end. God calls us to something more.
Our spiritual life is necessarily active. We have the liturgy, where we participate physically in the Mystery of God. We have works of mercy, where we are called to serve with our hands and reach out to those in need. We have study aimed toward growth in knowledge, and virtue built by intentional habit. We are an active people.
Discernment is the process whereby we align our will with God’s and act on it. Oftentimes, yes, that will take silence and devoted prayer time. Most of the time, that is the case. However, discernment without action is just wallowing. And the Lord does not call us to wallow – He calls us to “Be not afraid.”
What I would posit to you is that discernment necessarily requires action, action that is steeped in prayer. Ask His will. Meditate on His Word. Spend that time with Him in silence. But when He calls you to move, pick a path and trust that He will redirect you if it happens to be the wrong one.
Yes, God wants us to follow His will – but He also gave us brains, and wills, and hearts that, when we align them with His, can move us to action, imbued with fortitude and heavenly peace.
So, friends: do not sit in inaction. Do not hide behind discernment as a means of putting off decisions that God has called you to make.
Be not afraid.