Discernment
"with Nazarene eyes".
Discernment is a concrete
exercise of Christian life, which aims at discovering God’s will in any given
situation. Its contents are varied: charisms, signs of the times, the
organization of communal or of group life, pastoral options etc. can all be the
object of discernment.
Discernment demands certain
requirements on the part of the person(s) or community. Living discernment
supposes a certain maturity of Christian life, and at the same time, the
inclusion in one’s own life of elements of growth and of formation. Practice
enables us to enumerate a number of criteria that helps those wanting to enter
a process of discernment.
Nazarene Spirituality confers
certain characteristics on the individuals, groups and communities who practise
it, and it offers some specific criteria to those wanting to incorporate the
“Spirit of family” into the practice of discernment in order to capture the
signs of times and of places “with Nazarene eyes”. The expression “Nazarene
eyes” translates the point of view of he or she who lives the mystery of
Nazareth, and who tries to see and to interpret a given situation in order to
discover God’s will and to implement it in his or her life. When the heart has
the Nazarene seal, it is possible to read the Gospel, the reality of life and
one’s own history with “Nazarene eyes”.
Here are some of the criteria
for practising discernment starting from the mystery of Nazareth:
· ask
oneself if the situation considered includes the dynamics of the Incarnation:
the divine becomes human to enable us to grow from within and to surmount it;
· there
are situations where the Gospel is lived before being announced (as in
Nazareth);
· the
“transcendence” values are united to the “condescendence” ones, which makes us
become more humane;
· the
act of faith in the mystery of the Incarnation also applies to human activities
and in view of the Reign of God;
· the
maturing and the growing processes are slow and gradual;
· anything
which build the individual, the family, or social relationships, is positive;
· any
good news brings hope;
· check
on the links that might be established with the beatitudes;
· ask
oneself always when facing any situation, what “the Nazarene thing to do” would
be.