Discerning
The Comboni Missionaries, in the spirit of renewal, have begun forming a “Ratio Missionis” the plan is to: Discern the new paths of mission in the light of the Word of God, the signs of the times, the Rule of Life, the new lines traced by theological and missiological reflection,together with the local Churches, the laity and other members of the Comboni Family and all people of good will.
One of the phases in this process is Discernment ~ a topic very much a part of those who are looking at their future and the possibility of a religious life! Here is an excerpt on the reflection we are taking, it may be a help in putting your own discernment into clearer focus:
We are invited to discover at a personal level and in our communities the signs of the presence of the Spirit in our journey, to adequately respond to the needs and challenges we have to face.
We live in times of individualism, when many wish to organize themselves without having to refer to anything that is above or beside themselves. At the same time, we are constantly influenced by thousands of different messages, which claim to impose on us certain ways of thinking and behaving that are not always in conformity with what God requires from us. Discernment, in this context, is a means to get away from an ego that is centered exclusively on self and from a way of life that is far from the Gospel.
The required conditions for making a good discernment consist in encouraging a fraternal climate that allows sharing and a serious and constant prayer life.
For this, discernment is not a discussion, a debate on an argument, a study, a reflection, the deepening of a biblical text or a task which is separated from faith and love. It consists in our making together an experience of faith. It requires an attitude of listening and of paying attention that helps us to discover in our personal, community and provincial journey what God expects from us today. All this requires on our part great availability and willingness to be converted.
Discernment is a disposition of the spirit that allows us to listen to God’s Voice in the midst of so many voices that distract us, to discover the signs of God’s presence and of his project in our concrete situation. We are talking about a personal and community journey which requires to learn how to read our personal history and that of the Institute in an evangelical light, without leaving out its moments of fragility and defeats, but also its moments of fidelity in the midst of persecutions and the many testimonies till martyrdom. Both histories then, appear as the places where God reveals himself to us.
"True discernment is not found in the certainty of our own vision, but in the humble courage to see with God's eyes—to listen when the world demands we speak, to wait when urgency presses us forward, and to trust that the Spirit who called us into mission will illumine the path ahead. In this sacred pause of communal listening, may you discover that the questions themselves are often God's answer, preparing hearts and communities not merely for decisions, but for transformation."
