Let Us Dream Part Two: A Time to Choose

Pope Francis wrote Let Us Dream to encourage all of us to take a path to a better future after the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Last week I wrote about Part One of his book which focused on the importance of seeing, feeling and reflecting on our experiences in a way that we can learn from them going forward.  He begins Part Two of the book by writing that before we can “act concretely to heal and repair, there is an essential intermediate stage: to discern and to choose.” (p.51)

A time of trial is always a time of distinguishing the paths of the good that lead to the future from other paths that lead nowhere or backward.  With clarity we can better choose the first.

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This time of discernment requires a willingness to respond to the call of God in our lives.  It demands that we look at our reality mindful of values found in the Beatitudes and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The Pope reminds us that at times like this what we used to use to “navigate our world” is no longer effective.  We must be open and leave room to “encounter the truth.”  (p.55)

We are challenged to translate the Good News “into different contexts.”  By discerning the signs of the times, we can “detect movements that reflect the values of God’s kingdom or their opposite.” (p.57)

Common Good

Pope Francis writes about the importance of always seeking the common good (not just good for us, but good for all) and being open to everyone and everything that reveal that, including the voices and experiences of women and of the poor who often are the ones who bear the greatest burden of the crises we face.  Failing to listen to all—creates an “isolated conscience,” which hinders our discernment. He writes “Rigidity is the sign of the bad spirit concealing something.” (p69)

To the self beleaguered by the isolated conscience there is never shortage of reasons for staying of the balcony while real life passes below.

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Humility and Patience

The path forward may not be readily clear to us.  We have to hold our insights and our experiences in prayer as God continues to purify us and prepare us for the next steps.  We are on the right path, if we grow in humility, but not if we are “anxious, controlling, quick to take offense, self-justifying.” (p.76). We have to be “peacemakers” to move forward.

We have to be patient listeners, believing that the Holy Spirit is at work in all of us. When others hold conflicting views we must listen even more carefully while holding all views in a respectful tension while we all seek the common good.  We cannot give up—or seek to dominate the other, but we must keep seeking the will of God together however long it takes.

Waiting for the Skies to Clear

Pope Francis ends Part Two with these words:

Discerning in the midst of conflict requires us sometimes to pitch camp together, waiting for the skies to clear.

Time belongs to the Lord.  Trusting in Him we move forward with courage, building unity through discernment, to discover and implement God’s dream for us, and the paths of action ahead.

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These are the highlights from my reading Part Two of Let Us Dream.  There are many details not mentioned here, but important in understanding the kind of discernment that is necessary for us to move forward from this pandemic to what we all want—a better future.  Again, I encourage you to read and pray this book yourself. Then come back and tell us what stood out for you.

Your comments are most welcome!