Faith Venture

I was at coffee with a few others and announced, “Discretion is the word of the day.”

But I was in error.

It may be my word of the month. Or even the word to ponder for 2024.

An early leader of the Christian church, John Cassian, wrote this about discretion and the Desert Father Anthony the Great (St. Anthony in the Roman and Eastern traditions).

We believe that discretion is the true light of the body. It is our sole guidance for life. We call it our divine council. Like a city that has its walls destroyed and is not fenced in, so is a man who does anything without council. Our inward house cannot be built without discretion. Herein lies wisdom, intelligence, and understanding. A house is built with wisdom, and again it is set up with intelligence. With understanding, the storehouses are filled with all the precious riches and good things. The blessed Anthony maintained that discretion leads us in stages to God. It is the mother of all virtues.

Wisdom.

Intelligence.

Understanding.

Some would add discernment—the ability to see subtle differences and choose wisely.

Reflecting on life’s experiences and on what we’ve be taught or have read yields wisdom. Thinking about what we perceive develops our intelligence. Eventually we come to understanding. And our inner house is built.

This entry was posted on April 9, 2024 at 6:24 am and is filed under discernment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.