05-21-2014, 10:13 AM
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNAL DISCERNMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 15:1-6; JN 15:1-8
http://www.universalis.com/20140521mass.htm
Today’s scripture reading is on mission in communion. The mystery of the Church is essentially communion. In the first reading, we have the classic example of how the early Church, when faced with possible division because of disagreement over doctrines and customs, particularly that of circumcision, came together to settle their differences. It was the sober and mature response of Paul and Barnabas that managed to clear the suspicion and heal the conflicts. The apostles, too, adopted the right spirit by calling for a meeting to look into the matter. This purposeful action showed that the early Church leaders recognized the sensitivity of the issue and the importance of coming together to discern as a community of believers. This lesson is instructive for those of us who are responsible for fostering unity in community life.
But before we can speak of communal discernment, we must take note that certain pre-requisites must first be in place for such a process to be possible.
Firstly, members must be in intimacy with Jesus, without which no discernment is possible. Every member of the discerning team must intensify his relationship with the Lord. This is what Jesus tells us in the gospel, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.” Unless, we are rooted in Jesus, we will not be able to read the signs of the times, nor hear Jesus speaking to us.
Secondly, this intimacy must be rooted in the Word of God. Because Jesus has left the Word to the Church, we must be familiar with the Word so that the Lord can live in us. Without this familiarity, we cannot hear the voice of God speaking to us. Members must therefore read and pray the scriptures daily and cultivate a love for scriptures. As Jesus said, “by means of the word that I have spoken to you … Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.” And again He reiterated, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it.” It is therefore necessary that at every stage of the discernment process, we need to be rooted in the Word. Only through the common love for the Lord in the Word can we search for His will.
Thirdly, we need humility and docility to hear His voice and be ready to be pruned. As Jesus said, “Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” We must remain open and not be restricted by our pre-judgment of issues. It is truly amazing how the apostles could remain so open to the new developments that were taking place. It could not have been easy for them, especially when they were all Jews and still worshipping in the Synagogues and recognized only the Jewish scriptures. Thus, for them to surrender their Jewish customs to accommodate the Gentiles who were converted to the Lord, speaks much about their docility to the Word. They were ready to accept changes in their lives for the greater good of the Church so that the Church could grow.
Fourthly, we must be ready to purify our motives in whatever we do. Purifying our motives for service is part of the pruning process so that we can love unconditionally in sincerity. Only in Christ can we be pruned to become more like Him, since He is the first born of all creation. Pruning is also necessary in ministry, lest we get distracted and lose focus. Pruning means the need to make choices. There is always the temptation for us to want to do many things, be involved in many activities, cultivate innumerable interests, knowing everything, be in touch with everyone in the world. As a result we become dissipated, lose focus and never become outstanding in anything. If we want to be fruitful in our ministry, we must focus on what we do and do it well.
Once these pre-requisites are met, we can then delineate the process of discernment.
The first step in discernment is ensuring that whatever decisions we make are in fidelity to Jesus and the gospel values. Jesus as the true vine must be the criterion and measure of all our discernment. Being rooted in Jesus as the true vine ensures that we do not lose our identity, focus and values in life. Otherwise, we could unconsciously subscribe to the false or transitory values of the world. This was what the apostles did. They came to realize that their faith and salvation was founded in Jesus and not on Jewish customs, which were superseded with the coming of Christ. By basing their decision on the gospel, they were able to distinguish false innovations from true progress and development.
Secondly, everything we do must be for the greater glory of God. Whatever decisions we make must serve the greater glory of God and not our interests. As Jesus said: “if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.” Jesus, throughout His ministry, sought to glorify His Father. The latter in turn glorified the Son because both are one with and in each other.
Thirdly, in the work of discernment, we must judge everything by the fruits we see. Paul and Barnabas were bold in admitting the Gentiles into the Faith without imposing the Jewish customs on them, because they saw what the Lord was doing in their lives. Conversely, the sign that something is not from God is when no fruits are produced. Fruits of our efforts are the sign of union with Jesus. Of course, such fruits must also be lasting and enduring.
Once the discernment process is completed, we must then surrender everything to the Lord. We must believe in the primacy of grace. Being connected to Jesus is to rely on Him alone and His grace; not on our efforts. The primacy of grace is expressed in prayer. Those who do not pray do not truly believe in the primacy of grace. Whilst we must work hard for the kingdom, the outcome must be left to the Lord.
Of course, effective prayer is dependent on whether we are praying and acting according to His will. This is the condition for the promise of Jesus, that all prayers will be answered, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it.” We must act always for God’s glory and our prayer must be that we do all things for His glory. Only such prayers would be heard by the Father. If we seek to glorify Him, He in turn will glorify us.
In conclusion, we see that mission in communion is demonstrated on two levels, namely, communion with Christ and communion with each other. The gospel today invites us to graft and root ourselves as vine branches into the true vine, Jesus Christ, and be in communion with our brothers and sisters, the Body of Christ. In this way, we will always be fruitful in ministry, discerning when faced with new challenges and living loving lives. Most of all, we can be at peace with God and ourselves. It is only when there is communion on these two levels that we can rejoice that the Church is truly the House of God as expressed in the refrain of responsorial psalm. And only when we rejoice in the House of God can we truly be involved in the mission of Christ and His Church.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh
Archbishop of Singapore
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 15:1-6; JN 15:1-8
http://www.universalis.com/20140521mass.htm
Today’s scripture reading is on mission in communion. The mystery of the Church is essentially communion. In the first reading, we have the classic example of how the early Church, when faced with possible division because of disagreement over doctrines and customs, particularly that of circumcision, came together to settle their differences. It was the sober and mature response of Paul and Barnabas that managed to clear the suspicion and heal the conflicts. The apostles, too, adopted the right spirit by calling for a meeting to look into the matter. This purposeful action showed that the early Church leaders recognized the sensitivity of the issue and the importance of coming together to discern as a community of believers. This lesson is instructive for those of us who are responsible for fostering unity in community life.
But before we can speak of communal discernment, we must take note that certain pre-requisites must first be in place for such a process to be possible.
Firstly, members must be in intimacy with Jesus, without which no discernment is possible. Every member of the discerning team must intensify his relationship with the Lord. This is what Jesus tells us in the gospel, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.” Unless, we are rooted in Jesus, we will not be able to read the signs of the times, nor hear Jesus speaking to us.
Secondly, this intimacy must be rooted in the Word of God. Because Jesus has left the Word to the Church, we must be familiar with the Word so that the Lord can live in us. Without this familiarity, we cannot hear the voice of God speaking to us. Members must therefore read and pray the scriptures daily and cultivate a love for scriptures. As Jesus said, “by means of the word that I have spoken to you … Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.” And again He reiterated, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it.” It is therefore necessary that at every stage of the discernment process, we need to be rooted in the Word. Only through the common love for the Lord in the Word can we search for His will.
Thirdly, we need humility and docility to hear His voice and be ready to be pruned. As Jesus said, “Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more.” We must remain open and not be restricted by our pre-judgment of issues. It is truly amazing how the apostles could remain so open to the new developments that were taking place. It could not have been easy for them, especially when they were all Jews and still worshipping in the Synagogues and recognized only the Jewish scriptures. Thus, for them to surrender their Jewish customs to accommodate the Gentiles who were converted to the Lord, speaks much about their docility to the Word. They were ready to accept changes in their lives for the greater good of the Church so that the Church could grow.
Fourthly, we must be ready to purify our motives in whatever we do. Purifying our motives for service is part of the pruning process so that we can love unconditionally in sincerity. Only in Christ can we be pruned to become more like Him, since He is the first born of all creation. Pruning is also necessary in ministry, lest we get distracted and lose focus. Pruning means the need to make choices. There is always the temptation for us to want to do many things, be involved in many activities, cultivate innumerable interests, knowing everything, be in touch with everyone in the world. As a result we become dissipated, lose focus and never become outstanding in anything. If we want to be fruitful in our ministry, we must focus on what we do and do it well.
Once these pre-requisites are met, we can then delineate the process of discernment.
The first step in discernment is ensuring that whatever decisions we make are in fidelity to Jesus and the gospel values. Jesus as the true vine must be the criterion and measure of all our discernment. Being rooted in Jesus as the true vine ensures that we do not lose our identity, focus and values in life. Otherwise, we could unconsciously subscribe to the false or transitory values of the world. This was what the apostles did. They came to realize that their faith and salvation was founded in Jesus and not on Jewish customs, which were superseded with the coming of Christ. By basing their decision on the gospel, they were able to distinguish false innovations from true progress and development.
Secondly, everything we do must be for the greater glory of God. Whatever decisions we make must serve the greater glory of God and not our interests. As Jesus said: “if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.” Jesus, throughout His ministry, sought to glorify His Father. The latter in turn glorified the Son because both are one with and in each other.
Thirdly, in the work of discernment, we must judge everything by the fruits we see. Paul and Barnabas were bold in admitting the Gentiles into the Faith without imposing the Jewish customs on them, because they saw what the Lord was doing in their lives. Conversely, the sign that something is not from God is when no fruits are produced. Fruits of our efforts are the sign of union with Jesus. Of course, such fruits must also be lasting and enduring.
Once the discernment process is completed, we must then surrender everything to the Lord. We must believe in the primacy of grace. Being connected to Jesus is to rely on Him alone and His grace; not on our efforts. The primacy of grace is expressed in prayer. Those who do not pray do not truly believe in the primacy of grace. Whilst we must work hard for the kingdom, the outcome must be left to the Lord.
Of course, effective prayer is dependent on whether we are praying and acting according to His will. This is the condition for the promise of Jesus, that all prayers will be answered, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it.” We must act always for God’s glory and our prayer must be that we do all things for His glory. Only such prayers would be heard by the Father. If we seek to glorify Him, He in turn will glorify us.
In conclusion, we see that mission in communion is demonstrated on two levels, namely, communion with Christ and communion with each other. The gospel today invites us to graft and root ourselves as vine branches into the true vine, Jesus Christ, and be in communion with our brothers and sisters, the Body of Christ. In this way, we will always be fruitful in ministry, discerning when faced with new challenges and living loving lives. Most of all, we can be at peace with God and ourselves. It is only when there is communion on these two levels that we can rejoice that the Church is truly the House of God as expressed in the refrain of responsorial psalm. And only when we rejoice in the House of God can we truly be involved in the mission of Christ and His Church.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh
Archbishop of Singapore