Sophia Feingold on the Difference Between Choice and Discernment

"The penultimate week of January was 'School Choice Week,' when various groups throughout the U.S. encouraged citizens and politicians to take seriously the role of parents in choosing their children's education, and the role of government in supporting those choices. The previous weekend was the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where pro-lifers throughout the U.S. gathered to demonstrate for an end to abortion.

"These are only two of the many current issues that our society often frames in terms of 'choice.' In the political world, the language of choice appears to be a near-necessity: there are few other ways to frame decisions given our form of government. . . .

"Yet the very dominance of choice in the political sphere, necessary though it may be, can disguise the important fact that in more personal spheres, 'who decides' is not usually the most important question. When it comes to my daily life, what matters is not so much whether or not I have the choice to go to McDonald's, but how I decide whether to eat at McDonald's. When it comes to my spiritual life, what matters is less whether daily Mass is a practical choice for me than how I decide whether to attend daily Mass. When it comes to parenting, what matters is less whether I or my husband or the children choose this or that activity, than how we decide what activity to do.

"What matters, in other words, is not so much choice as discernment."

In a recent commentary, writer Sophia Feingold reflected on the importance of taking "responsibility for considering seriously what we are about in choosing."

To access Ms. Feingold's complete post, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Sophia Feingold: The Difference Between Choice and Discernment (8 FEB 24)