I arrived early.
My early arrival was intentional.
The parking lot was empty when I arrived. It was easy to
select a parking spot – all the way at the west end next to the grass. Next to
the grass also meant next to the outdoor area where the Stations of the Cross
are located.
I had not intended to pray the Stations of the Cross.
Doing so came more from the invitation that I felt as I sat
there looking at the First Station through my rear-view mirror. Praying The
Way of the Cross was, for me, a simple act of saying, “Here I am, Lord,
seeking your face, and trying to discern if what I am thinking about doing is
really you leading me or just some floating idea on my part.”
Discernment is a time-honored practice in the Christian faith.
It is much more than choosing between available options. Discernment involves
an interior search that recognizes, accepts, and elevates God’s will in our
lives. Discernment, in a sense, uses our senses to take us beyond our senses.
It helps us see God’s will through eyes of faith. Once we see God’s will, it
then becomes our choice to either do or reject it.
Mary is a prime example of someone that used her senses go
beyond her senses where she said “yes”
to the will of God in her life.[1]
It is easy to be led by floating ideas and make spontaneous
decisions. I have followed more than a few of them over the course of my life.
Some of them met with good results. Some of them met with not so good results.
At this point and age of life, I cannot afford to be led by
floating ideas, even if they seem to be good ideas. I do not have enough time
left on earth to stumble around trying out and experimenting with good ideas.
“If this is you, Lord, if this is your will, if this is what you are leading me
to do, then, with your help, I’m all in.”
Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church is a beautiful small
parish that is part of the Archdiocese of Mobile. We consider ourselves
extremely blessed to be part of this small family of the faithful. A
small group had already gathered before the Mass and was praying the Rosary
when I went inside. I half knelt, and half sat as they prayed the prayers.
I was listening.
The door to my heart was open.
I was listening.
The door to my heart was open to receive the will of God.
I was listening.
“Therefore, as the
Holy Spirit says, Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”[2]
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