“The need for a discerning Church is a key emphasis of Pope Francis’s reform,” says Fr Nicholas Austin SJ of Campion Hall, Oxford (The Way, 58/4 [October 2019], p. 11.)
Why? What does it mean in practice?
Let us take the tough situation the world is in right now because of the pandemic and the lockdowns.
Nobody has perfect or ready-made answers. We need to listen; we need to speak up; we need to work together. Only God knows the best way out. We seek His guidance, and do all we can to face the facts, seek solutions, and move in the best possible direction. We need discernment.
Is the Church a top-down institution where a few on top claim to know all the answers and tell others what to do? No! The Holy Spirit can speak through anyone—through the laity, through the bishops, through the youth.
Such a stand enthuses some, confuses others and enrages a few.
Some prefer a church of clear-cut answers. “Tell us what we are supposed to do!”
Others realize that the path Jesus showed is the path of mercy. Reaching out to heal, listening to the wounded and the confused, is more important than having theoretically perfect answers. To listen to each other, to listen to people whose voices are seldom heard, is more important than producing a neat, logical document.
Is it the main duty of the church to listen to all, and “form consciences” or be a substitute for people’s conscience?
These two views—and their stricter or looser versions—do exist. Hence the arguments, the mutual criticisms.
Pope Francis has been convinced that we need a new way of being church—close to the people, especially to the poor, and help create a more human and just world. But he does not claim to have a ready-made plan or blueprint. So, he insists on listening—to families, to youth, to one another.
“A synodal Church is a discerning Church, in which everyone listens to each other, in order to listen to the Holy Spirit. One condition of the discerning, synodal Church, for Francis, is not merely listening, but speaking….a cardinal had written to him saying that it was a shame that some bishops declined to say certain things, either out of respect for the Pope or fear he would disagree. Francis responds, ‘This is not good, this is not synodality; … it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation.’” (Nicholas Austin SJ, p. 12)
In our private and public lives, we need both bold speech and humble listening. No one has the grasp of the whole picture. No one’s voice should be ignored. Together, speaking and listening, and through it all, listening to the voice of the Spirit, we learn to discern God’s loving plans better. We build a better world together.
This is discernment. It is crucial for a good and happy life—and a distinguishing mark of genuine leadership.
Fr Joe Mannath SDB
To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe
