Hi all, here’s my little reflection on discernment, one of the themes we your OEF Council discerned for this year’s Chapter. In our Chapter, we will discern who will be our next Council, among other things. We owe it to ourselves to do our discernment well, not only as our community at Chapter, but in other communal settings, and individually in our everyday lives too. And aren’t we discerning, big & little things, constantly?
I get some inspiration on this topic from Sunday’s gospel, Luke, Ch. 13. The following section seems to me be (at least partly) about discernment:
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” [NRSV]
This story tells me that discernment is a process. The man thinks he has discerned that the fig tree will never bear fruit, having waited three years to see (discern) what it would do. But the gardener sees (discerns) that the process is yet incomplete: the truth about the tree cannot be found (discerned) until the tree is given the appropriate support, which includes digging, spreading manure, and more time.
In reading this passage the other day, I imagined Francis to be the gardener, pleading for the life of the tree. I can hear him say, “Why should we disrespect this part of God’s creation, just because we humans are impatient and want our answers quickly and with no effort?” Because that is what spiritually grounded discernment requires: effort, time, and patience. We listen and discern God’s truth and will by doing the necessary groundwork, and then letting the process take over, patiently waiting for the result.
Yes, part of discernment is listening for the “still, small voice”. But it is not a passive listening. This morning during silent Quaker worship I got the image of bringing things to the table, to see what God has to say about them—bringing proposals, as it were, and then listening for God’s response, for what God wants us to do and be. Such proposals are, like digging and spreading manure, part of the required groundwork. And then we must listen and wait. Discernment is a very active process, requiring engagement, and again, effort, time, and patience.
May we all take our discernments seriously, using whatever effort, time, and patience is required to learn what is our loving God’s truth and will for us.
Peace,
brer bruce james, OEF