Discernment in Catherine of Siena

Theological Studies, March, 1997 by Diana L. Villegas

THE VIRTUE OF DISCERNMENT

Catherine's most explicit and complete description of discernment in the "virtue of discernment" tradition occurs in her letter to Sr. Daniella of Orvieto.(37) Catherine there states that discernment involves recognizing what one owes to whom and then being faithful to this recognition with ordered measure. When the virtue of discernment is operative, one has the desire and capacity to give to God, to self, to others, and to created reality in right ordered measure. To be able to recognize what one owes and to whom, one must learn through knowledge of God and self that one is made for love and that one needs God to actualize this potential.

What does a person owe to God?(38) She owes the effort of directing all of her affectivity toward God's glory and honor. She owes directing her desire toward that which God would desire rather than toward her self-centered desires. She owes to both God and herself the "humble, faithful, continuous prayer" necessary for knowledge of God and self. In other words, one owes God attentiveness to God that is ongoing in one's life and occurs often throughout the day.

What do we owe ourselves? In order to answer that question, we must learn that we are created for love. Knowing this, we owe ourselves nurturing virtue. We are to seek experiences and situations that nurture virtue and avoid what could foster vice. We owe ourselves care for the body as this is the instrument through which virtue is practiced and charity is made operative. Catherine insists that all members of the body--the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the hands, the feet--all need to be honored with care that fosters growth in virtue since all members of the body are necessary to carry out charity.

One should avoid penance for the sake of penance (this is self-centered behavior focused on one's own glory), yet in a measured way the body needs to be disciplined. At the same time that one cares for oneself, one owes oneself the willingness to suffer when necessary to actualize one's nature as made for love.

What do we owe others? We owe it to others to act with concern for their good rather than out of self-centeredness. Catherine explains that the rightly measured love will be expressed differently depending on one's vocation or state in life. For example, if one is married, one will nurture one's children with love ordered in God. If one is a nobleman, he will act in justice toward those under his authority. In advising an abbot, Catherine urges him to practice the virtue of discernment by making sure he is full of "the warmth of love" and desire for the greatest good of each monk so that he may recognize the right measured way of exercising his authority.(39) In her own words,

The most important thing [the virtue of discernment (discrezione)] does is this: having seen with discerning light to whom [the soul] is indebted and what she should offer, she immediately offers this with perfect judgment (discrezione), so that she renders glory to God and praise to his name.... After she has given honor to God she gives herself her own due, that is, hatred of vice and her sensuality.... With the same light with which she gives herself her due, she gives to her neighbor.... And she loves her neighbor as creature created by the supreme, eternal Father. And she gives her neighbor loving charity--more or less perfectly, to the extent that she herself possess it. So the principal effect of the virtue of discernment (discrezione) on the soul is that with its light she has seen what she owes to whom.(40)