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DON'T BE AFRAID TO FACE REALITY
In a 2013 address to theologians, Pope Francis describes discernment as "neither blind nor improvised; it is carried out on the basis of ethical and spiritual criteria; it involves asking oneself about what is good" and about one's own values as they relate to the world and the people in it.
This observation distinguishes discernment from eeny-meeny-miny-moe decision-making. Our rich religious tradition supplies values to weigh "what is good." Those WWJD bracelets aren't necessarily frivolous. Christian discernment really is about doing as Jesus does; the gospels are clear where such a road can lead. "When the unknown traveler, the Risen Jesus, approaches the two sad and disconsolate disciples of Emmaus," says Francis, "he does not try to hide the reality of the Crucifixion, of the apparent defeat that threw them into crisis. On the contrary, he invites them to interpret reality so as to guide them to the light of His Resurrection."
The bottom line, as Francis sees it, is to "interpret reality by looking it in the face." During challenging times, Francis urges us to seek and find paths of hope that open us to new horizons.
How to look reality in the face when it's relentlessly presented through distorted lenses? Nothing beats experience. It's one thing to read about poor people, it's another to serve them directly. Naturally we may not be able to travel the globe for a close-up view of every aspect of the reality of the present day. Yet we can participate in larger conversations than those inside our heads or within our comfort zone. Podcasts and webinars are within everyone's grasp. Local libraries host authors and experts. Books and documentaries contain a breadth of information. Fear not. Reality awaits!
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
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