d i s cernment
part t w o of a t w o - part s erie s
practice makes perfect What elements are necessary to help one discern their path? How can we frame the process in a way that allows us to grow? In this second installment of the discernment series, Alumnus Casey Sterr speaks to the process he uses when contemplating change. *Part one can be found at: bit.ly/DiscernmentSeriesPart1 An Ever-Evolving Understanding and Practice ▶ From doing to being. Often we hear and read about discernment in the context of vocation or what we do. But I believe the deeper reality is that discernment
is inviting us to more fully understand our being, our nature, and in so doing, to let that Spirit within us come alive. ▶ Vulnerability, humility, and authenticity. Our culture values strength and winning. We have come to place vulnerability and humility in the weakness column. But discernment invites vulnerability. In the end, it is actually a sign of maturity in the spiritual life! Oscar Romero, a person I have come to respect and honor for his life and journey speaks to me of this ongoing conversion. In a biography, the
authors note: “Romero’s spirituality – his life, his prophetic clarity, even his confusion – reminds us that spirituality is less an effort than a gift, less an individual accomplishment than a discovery of grace in our personal and social lives, less a seeking of ‘saints’ than an unfolding of our own vulnerability and authenticity where the mystery of God pulls us forward.” ▶ Engaging a sense of awe, wonder, mystery, and the unknown. I know that I can also want to have things figured out, defined, and planned. There is a place for this for sure, CAP CONNECTION • FALL 2021
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