Review:
Henri Nouwen’s book Discernment chronicles his own life
journey of trying to keep Jesus at his heart’s center. The book reveals his own struggles and
self-doubt about the presence of God and his need for community and
affirmation. Yet Nouwen is a deeply
reflective, honest man and his teachings along his life course have broad
application. He writes to help his readers “find a way out of the darkness [of
our own lostness], a way to the light” (p. xxix). As a Catholic priest he is thoroughly
immersed in the liturgy and Catholic mysticism of his tradition, but the book
has a relevance for all Christians seeking to draw closer to the heart of God
and learn how to listen to God’s voice individually and in communal, especially
through the voice of the poor. The
wealth of Nouwen’s global experience provides breadth and depth to his insights
as well.
Mary Lou Codman-Wilson,
Ph.D. 9/20/13
Excerpts:
Embracing the Practice in Solitude and Community:
“The great movement of the spiritual life is
from a deaf, nonhearing life to a life of listening. From a life where we
experience ourselves as separated, isolated, and lonely to a life in which we
hear the guiding and healing voice of God… within us and among us… Discernment
allows us to “see through” the appearance of things to their deeper meaning and
come to know the inner workings of God’s love and our unique place in the world...It
is a heart knowledge” (pp.4,6,8).
“Discernment reveals new
priorities, directions, and goals… as we come closer to God’s heart...Christian
community offers unique opportunities for spiritual formation and discernment.
Together we are called to let God become the center of lives, speak to us,
guide us, hold us, renew us deep within… Thus God has a real chance to form us
into lights in the darkness, a source of hope for many in the world. That,
after all, is the true goal of spiritual discernment” (pp.17,18).
Discernment comes through
reading and listening. “Thomas Merton always asked: ‘What of God is being
revealed in this book or in this experience?’… This is a way to pay attention
to the signs in daily life…for deeper and more systematic discernment and
spiritual reflection” (p. 43). “People we
meet are often conduits of God’s wisdom. The gift of discernment is the ability
to hear and see from God’s perspective and to offer that wisdom from above to
others” (pp.66, 67).
Discern the times of the signs: “Remembering [God’s work in] the past… allows us to
live in the present and gain hope for the future, until chronos is converted to
kairos. God speaks through the events of our lives and world and you have
divine messages to discern in your own story” (pp.85, 92).
Discerning vocation: “Sometimes a call from God is planted in our
imagination. And if it persists, we need to bring others into our discernment
process to test if it is something to pursue or just a diversion” (p. 100).
In testing his possible call
to live and work among the poor in Latin America, Merton went to Peru. “My
ministry experience in Latin America showed me that I am physically, mentally,
and spiritually unable to survive without the opportunity to break away from it
all once in a while…My emotions swung back and forth within hours between great
enthusiasm and deep self-doubt. I dealt with this hardship by talking to as
many people as I could about my plans and non-plans to stay or go. I allowed
myself more time to develop within me before making a decision. It was a
gradual process of discernment… Through a series of circumstances,
conversations, and contemplative impressions over a six month period, I became
acutely aware that my desire to live and work among the poor in Latin America
was not matched with a concrete call… that deep inner imperative that forms the
center of a true call” (pp.103-106). [Yet] “I
knew I was called to bear witness to God’s concern for the poor and
oppressed…and announce God’s love for all people” (pp. 108,110).
Discerning Identity: “Jesus wants our whole being to
be where he is, our deepest identity to be grounded in his, and our spiritual
life to be in sync with his, so that we can live our lives as he lived his –
fully in God… we live knowing we are the beloved (pp.133-135).
“Jesus came into the world to
give us spiritual life, a new identity, a new self – one no longer dependent on
the fragile structures of the world, but rather on the eternal love between the
father and the son… As we come to know more and more that we belong to God and
are part of the love of God, we also come to know the heart of God… in God we
gain new eyes to see, new ears to hear, and new hearts to discern what is
really happening” (pp. 136-137). “The ego ideal is often made up of self, created
expectations and aspirations regarding intelligence, career, physical beauty,
moral stature, etc. The mystery of life, however, is not only that we have a
dark side which we want to deny, but also that… our true identity is found in
God… we are bearers of God’s image and Spirit…. We carry God inside… We are
called to live… from the place of our rebirth where we can claim our new
identity as the chosen children of God,…human beings capable of glory and
goodness, as well as harm and alienation” (pp.138,141).
Know the Time to Wait, to Act, or be Led:
“Waiting for the fulfillment
of God’s promises to us allows us to pay full attention to the road on which we
are walking…Walking with Jesus keeps us in the present. This kind of waiting is
the opposite of worrying about the future;…there are the first rays of God’s
hope” (pp.150,151). “Patient
waiting is staying fully in the present moment. Expectant waiting is trusting
that this long process will bear fruit” (p.153).
“Liberating spirituality must
be rooted in an active and reflective faith, not a passive, private or
privileged contemplative experience;…it is part of the struggle of the people
of God” (p. 172).
A Summary: Four
steps in discernment: 1.Stop and listen
to the beat – “Hear” how God may be working.
2.March to the music you hear, i.e., God’s songs of justice for the
poor, etc. from Isaiah 61. 3.Order your
steps in the Word and in accordance with [the model and teaching of] the
saints. 4.Read the signs [found in dreams and imagination, friends and people
you meet, good books and great ideas, nature’s beauty, and critical and current
events]. Discernment in a spiritual act of meeting and recognizing God in the
many events, meetings, and situations we experience in daily life (pp.180-182).