We all experience times of uncertainty in our lives, and Father Dave welcomes Matt Kresich to discuss his new book “The Path of Discernment: Hearing God’s Call.”
They discuss how discernment is important for daily life, not just in discerning one’s life vocation. “When we think of [discerning] priesthood or religious life — that’s usually a narrow age, right? That is someone maybe in high school looking towards college, or someone graduating college,” Matt says. “But discernment is something that is perpetual and constant. You could be happy in your career, but there are always those nagging questions of how is God pulling me deeper? Is God asking me to change something up or, most importantly, how can I invite God more into where I’m at now?”
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“When we treat discernment like that, it becomes [more than] just looking for an answer. The process of discernment — which I argue is lifelong — becomes a means of grace and living out our Christian life,” he continues.
They note how happiness plays a role in discernment. “God wants you to be happy, [but] that is very different fromthan doing what the world tells [us] is happiness,” Matt says. “God, the Creator of the universe, knows [me]. He knows what my deep skills and passions are, and what really drives me. God’s going to say, ‘I’m going to use that for my glory.’”
“God knows these skills that are hidden in us, and even if we have our dream job, we might not know what our deeper and more substantial longings are,” Matt says. “Truly discerning what happiness is — it’s electrifying. It gets you up in the morning, and ultimately, if it’s focused on God, it’ll build up the kingdom of God.”
Matt explains how discernment is for both big and small moments. “We [sometimes] treat discernment as something to accomplish; then I move on and maybe dust off that skill down the line when I have another big [decision],” he says. “Those big moments are few and far between. Discernment is fine tuning our ears and hearts to how God is constantly inviting us.”
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Matt reflects on his own unconventional career path from engineering to ministry, and notes how we can see his presence when looking back on our lives. “We are surprised at how often God works in our lives. In the present, we don’t see it. In the future, we can hope for it. When we reflect on where God was…[in] those times when I saw a frustration or a dead end on my path of discernment, when I was able to step back and see the whole story together, I realized that dead end actually was really crucial for someone else’s story.”
“My good friend and I were both discerning the priesthood together at once, and it was me who brought him to the vocation director,” Matt continues, and explains that his friend became a priest while Matt did not. “I saw it as ‘Oh, that was a dead end, that was a waste of my time.’ It wasn’t until looking back at the totality of it that you see those hidden ways that God has also worked in other people’s lives. It’s not just about you; It’s about your story weaving and intersecting with other stories to build this beautiful tapestry of God’s love and work in the world.”
