In the Spirit of Discernment
In his book The Modern Apostle, Louis J Putz CSC shares some of the influences that Monsignor Cardijn had on his thinking:
"Monsignor Cardijn happened upon a normal and natural formula, almost accidentally. From his seminary days, he had decided to dedicate all his life to the cause of the young workingman. He came from a worker's family. His Father was the victim of being overworked to be able to educate his son for the priesthood. However, young Father Joseph Cardijn soon noticed that his grade school youngsters had quickly lost interest in religion after they had left his catechism class. He wanted to find out what happened to the youngsters who entered the ranks of the workers.
He got a group to promise to return weekly to report the daily experiences and happenings in their work environment. Then, he helped them to form a Christian conscience about their daily struggles and even challenged them to offset some of their handicaps through individual and group initiatives. The famous formula of "observe, judge, act" was born, and St. Thomas Aquinas had already figured it out as the standard method of human prudence. Every prudent action must be based on good observation or consultation, judgment as to ways and means, and a decision to engage in action."
In Theology at the Catholic Institute of Theology in Paris, Louis studied under professors Yves Congar, Henri De Lubac, Jean Danielou, Teilhard de Chardin, and Emmanuel Shuard, who later became a famous cardinal. Louis' dogma professor was Fr. Dion, who later became the Chaplain of the French underground and the last man executed by the Nazis after the invasion of Normandy. In the seminary, they would often gather in the evenings to discuss the Church with the papal nuncio to France, Angelo Roncalli. What we see back then was the working of the Spirit.
The JOC movement profoundly influenced Louis. This Catholic youth worker movement/organization aimed to bring the teachings of the Church to the working class. This movement played a significant role in shaping the ideas later reflected in Vatican II.
Fast-forward from Vatican II to today, and we see a pope raised in the Spirit of Vatican II. A pope with parents who were CFM members, a Pope asking us to discern the Spirit and understand what it means to be a human being following the teachings of Jesus.
On 25 May, in the gospel, we heard Jesus say,
"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."
This is all about discernment. Jesus asks us to remember everything he taught, how he lived his life, the Sermon on the Mount, why Jesus shared parables with his people, and why he healed individuals.
The Spirit will remind us of what to do as Jesus taught and exemplified.
The See-Judge-Act method reminds us to discern and base our actions on everything Jesus told and showed us by example.
In the Spirit of Discernment, Pope Leo asks us to focus on Jesus' teachings, especially when we look around the world and see injustice, cruelty, and disregard for human nature. His inaugural message emphasizes peace, unity, and the call to build bridges among people, to understand the role of technology in our lives, reflecting the teachings of Christ and the importance of discerning the right path.
It may be time to dust off those Vatican II documents and see how the See-Judge-Act method illuminates what Jesus taught and "reminds us of all Jesus told us."
Louis Putz's mission was inspired by two creative movements of the 20th century: a theology exemplified in the documents of Vatican II and the Catholic Action Movement rooted in the Spirit of Joseph Cardijn.