Our first reading from Isaiah speaks of the great promise of salvation. “The people who walked
in darkness have seen a great light. You have brought them abundant joy, and great
rejoicing.” We are living the great promise of God’s light and joy in our lives. As we start a
new year, we look for new ways to make this promise real in our lives. Pope Francis, during a
homily in 2014, emphasized discernment in navigating our complex, daily lives. He said, “The
Christian who abides in the Lord knows what is happening in his heart. Know how to discern
the spirits, to discern whether it is truly to abide in the Lord or something else which distances
you from the Lord.” This process can be summed up in two words, “observe” and “serve.”
Observing involves watching and noting, withholding judgement until all the data is available.
Serving is putting our being into service. The scientific equivalent is “analysis and synthesis” or
breaking complex phenomena into constituent parts and then combining them to understand
the whole. Observing feeds our mind and serving directs our will. Observing fills our heads
with understanding while serving fills our hearts with joy, much like the joy of giving a gift.