With the commencement of the second phase of the Plenary Council process this month – Listening and Discernment, it is important to understand what discernment means.
In his Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad), Pope Francis dedicates a section to the topic of discernment.
He writes: “How can we know if something comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or the spirit of the devil? The only way is through discernment, which calls for something more than intelligence or common sense.
“It is a gift which we must implore. If we ask with confidence that the Holy Spirit grant us this gift, and then seek to develop it through prayer, reflection, reading and good counsel, then surely we will grow in this spiritual endowment.
“The gift of discernment has become all the more necessary today, since contemporary life offers immense possibilities for action and distraction, and the world presents all of them as valid and good.
For Plenary Council President and Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, discernment is a term that we hear quite often these days.
“Practising discernment in our communities and in our preparation towards the Plenary Council will help to ensure we are listening to God, listening to each other and considering our path forward as the People of God in Australia,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
The initial phase of the Plenary Council process – Listening and Dialogue attracted some 220,000 responses.
Reflecting on the almost 10 months since the Listening and Dialogue process opened at Pentecost in 2018, Archbishop Costelloe said it had been impossible to predict how things would unfold.
“With no precedent for a national invitation to prayer, dialogue and sharing of stories, there was a sense of stepping into the unknown and being unsure of what the experience might become,” he explained.
“What we found, though, was an Australian community that was enthusiastic to consider the question, ‘What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?’”
“We have heard from our colleagues at the National Centre for Pastoral Research that there was an influx of submissions during February and a deluge in the final days leading up to Ash Wednesday,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“This is a landmark moment for the Church – not only in terms of the stories that have been shared, but also in the new relationships that have formed after encountering one another in dialogue. The change that this brings is already evident among people from all parts of the Church,” he said.
In the last weeks of May, more than 75 people met to listen to and understand the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the submissions received during the 10-month Listening and Dialogue phase.
Headed by Director Dr Trudy Dantis, the National Centre for Pastoral Research team, used best-practice social research analysis skills and software to analyse the almost 17,500 group and individual submissions. Over three days, the team provided their insights for those attending the meeting.
“Our job was to review and report on how people responded to the question ‘What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?’,” explained Dr Dantis.
Among those in attendance during the presentation of the data were members of the Bishops Commission for the Plenary Council, the Plenary Council Executive Committee and the Plenary Council Facilitation Team.
Archbishop Costelloe said it was a significant responsibility to listen to the stories from the hearts and minds of ordinary Catholics across a huge variety of contexts – sometimes in harmony with one another, at other times divergent.“This was done by listening to the information Dr Dantis and her colleagues presented, then taking time for reflection on those subject areas in prayer,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“There were many moments of communal and individual prayer, as part of communal discernment over the three days we met. Indeed, the next phase of this preparation stage of the Plenary Council is Listening and Discernment, so we practised discernment ourselves to help us consider how we can move into this next phase of preparation.”
Members of the Plenary Council Local Coordinators Network, representing dioceses and archdioceses, also met during this time to discuss how the National Themes for Discernment could be communicated and considered by people in their local faith communities.
“As with other meetings of this group of about 50 people from around the country, there was an incredible energy in the room,” said Plenary Council Facilitator Lana Turvey-Collins.
“The enthusiasm of people for the Plenary Council process, and the desire to be involved, was evident during the Listening and Dialogue phase. The reality is that the local coordinators are the heartbeat of local activity for the Plenary Council process and seeking their wisdom and advice was essential as we prepare to move forward together.”
From pages 8 to 9 of Issue 19: ‘Why Believe In God’ of The Record Magazine