In All Things

Discernment, in its most liberal analytical-sense, is a search for expression of the life of the spirit of man creating an alliance with the intellect. Without the alliance and encouragement of the spiritual, the intellect creates only thought; and superficial thought, whatever be the subject with which it deals, is neither satisfying nor nurturing, in its flickering existence. For example, verses from the Psalms, Proverbs, the Pentateuch, and the Acts of the Apostles, do assist in properly guiding my discernment. (By "an alliance with the spirit" I would be understood to mean the entire conversation of the emotional, the intellectual, and the thoughts not governed by the conscious mind which flash in mind and which are sometimes described as instinct, intuition; these do allow our hearts to be susceptible or impressible, to be sympathetic, to be gentle; in short, that mysterious quest of a lucky man by and through which he yearns for a special guidance and learns that his education is incomplete. All his relationships begin and end with the essential desire to find the Holy Spirit in all things, including himself. The spirit is phenomenal, inspires a refined cognizance beyond our usual senses.)

The grandeur of this personal journey is the result of a careful and complex joining of several personal traditions, or desires. Hope and love of God are essential: the journey is a movement toward the Trinity following the strands that run through both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible which contain both the commandments and lessons. (I am conveniently illuminated with flashes of insight into individual Bible verses.) Each verse brings to my discernment its own characteristics, its own theological opinion--a rich variety of interpretation that my sympathetic mind will labor to comprehend and apply to my life. The verses sometimes inspire prayers, knowledge. Discernment is concrete, creative. It creates a narrative, a theological approach, a deepening faith, and an appreciation of virtue, service and God. And I want to discard the superficial distractions and restlessness. And I want to live a life of goodness, justice, service, sacrifice and love for both God and for all mankind.

However, even this brief description of my thoughts on discernment is an over-simplification, for it is a synthesis of ideas from various sources. The fact is that this journey although from one perspective is individual but it incorporates the love, hope, and prayers of the Church community. My discernment allows me to be a collector of wisdom and an reciter of verses and prayers. My narrative is made up of many disparate anecdotes, poems, slogans that have been re-interrpretted, and given new definitions, old meanings within the context of searching for my life's purpose, my vocation.