Renew the Mind, Rekindle the Mission

Eight conversions of the mind and heart

for a more humble, free, and missionary Church

« Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. » (Romains 12:2)

Reading Adam M. Grant’s book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, profoundly challenged me. The author invites us to reexamine our own convictions, to recognize the limits of what we know, to listen to different perspectives, and to view error as an opportunity for growth.

These insights can also help missionary disciples, provided they are illuminated by the Gospel.

For a Christian, indeed, rethinking does not mean relativizing revealed truth or adapting the Gospel to the fashions of the moment. It means allowing the Truth, who is Jesus Christ, to challenge us: our judgments, our interpretations, our relational styles, and our pastoral methods.

The Gospel must not convert to the world: it is we who must let ourselves be converted by the Gospel.

Christ remains the same, but the languages, methods, and structures through which we announce Him must be continually discerned.

« Missionary pastoral care demands abandoning the complacent pastoral attitude that says: “We have always done it this way”. » (Evangelii Gaudium, 33)

In light of the eight points proposed by Grant, we can recognize eight conversions of the mind and heart necessary for today’s missionary Church.

1. From the Presumption of Knowing to the Readiness to Discern

Cultivating the Disciple's Mind

The disciple is not the one who has already understood everything, but the one who remains for life at the Master's school.

« Test everything; hold fast what is good. » (1Thessalonians 5:21)

We must distinguish the certainty of faith from the absolutization of our own ideas. The Word of God is true, but our understanding can be partial. The Gospel does not err, but we can misinterpret a situation or a person.

This also applies to the charismatic experience. A prophetic word, an image received during prayer, or an inner motion must be welcomed with gratitude, but also subjected to discernment. Our emotions, wounds, fears, desires, and need for recognition can interfere.

Anyone exercising a charism should not say: « God told me, so you cannot discuss it », but rather: « It seems to me that the Lord might be suggesting this; let us pray and discern together ».

Saying “I don’t know”, “I might have been wrong”, or “I need to pray more” is not weakness. It is the beginning of wisdom.

Christian discernment is not permanent skepticism: its criterion remains the Gospel, received in living Tradition, the Magisterium, and the communion of the Church.

TO REFLECT:  when someone challenges one of my ideas, do I feel threatened or do I recognize an opportunity for growth?

2. From Binary Thinking to the Discernment of Nuances

Distinguishing Without Dividing

Our society tends to divide everything into opposing categories: conservatives or progressives, spiritual or rational, charismatic or institutional, contemplative or missionary.

But Christianity often lives in the fruitfulness of the conjunction “and”:

• truth and charity;

• prayer and action;

• charism and institution;

• freedom and obedience;

• identity and dialogue;

• proclamation and listening;

• justice and mercy.

Overcoming binary thinking does not mean denying the difference between good and evil. The discernment of nuances is not relativism. It means recognizing that people and situations are often more complex than our immediate judgments.

Jesus sees Zacchaeus beyond his dishonesty, Peter beyond his denial, the Samaritan woman beyond her situation, and Paul beyond his violence. He calls sin by its name, but He never identifies the sinner with their sin.

Fratelli tutti invites us to respect the other person’s point of view and to recognize that it may contain legitimate convictions or interests, even when we cannot fully share it.

Listening to the grain of truth present in another person’s words does not mean betraying the faith. It means believing that truth has no fear of confrontation.

TO REFLECT: am I seeking the truth, or am I simply classifying people as allies or adversaries?

3. From Insecurity to Confident Humility

Living a "Parresia on Our Knees"

Christian humility does not consist in repeating: « I am not capable, I am worth nothing, I cannot do anything ». Sometimes what we call humility is simply fear of taking risks.

« I can do all things through him who strengthens me. » (Philippians 4:13)

The missionary disciple is humble because they know that everything comes from grace, but they are also confident because they believe that God can work through their poverty.

We carry a treasure in earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). The vessel must not pretend to be the treasure but must not refuse to carry it either.

This is parresia on our knees: the boldness to proclaim, pray, serve, and exercise charisms, knowing that the work belongs to the Lord.

One who lives confident humility:

• recognizes their own gifts without boasting about them;

• recognizes their own limits without despairing;

• welcomes corrections;

• values the gifts of others;

• acts with courage;

• remains willing to change course.

Our imperfections must not become an excuse to shy away from mission: the mission itself pushes us to grow and break out of mediocrity.

TO REFLECT: does my confidence stem from my own abilities and the approval of others, or from God's faithfulness?

4. From Destructive Conflict to Communion-Generating Confrontation

Seeking God's Will Together

Even the early Church went through profound divergences. In Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles, the community faces the issue of welcoming Christians from a pagan background.

The apostles do not hide the problem. They gather, listen to different testimonies, discuss, pray, and seek God’s will together.

« For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. » (Acts 15:28)

This expression reveals the heart of ecclesial discernment: neither just “us” with our human strategies, nor a “Holy Spirit” invoked to avoid confrontation.

Conflict becomes destructive when we say: « You are the problem », « Whoever doesn't think like me is against me », « I must prove that I am right ».

It becomes constructive when we ask:

• « What good are you trying to protect? »,

• « What have I failed to understand? »,

• « What is the Holy Spirit asking of our community? ».

Affirming that unity prevails over conflict does not mean hiding problems, but walking through them without destroying fraternity.

TO REFLECT:  in conflict, do I desire to seek God's will or to win over the other person?

5. From the Desire to Convince to Accommodating Listening

Evangelizing Without Manipulating

Often we offer answers before we have understood the questions. We correct a person’s conclusions without knowing the wounds, fears, and experiences that generated them.

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus shows a different style. He draws near, walks with the disciples, and asks:

« What are you discussing with each other while you walk along? » (Luke 24:17)

Jesus already knows what has happened, but He allows them to tell their own version of the facts. He listens to their disappointment, illuminates the events through the Scriptures, and finally reveals Himself in the breaking of the bread.

Here is the Emmaus missionary style:

• approaching without intruding;

• walking at the other's pace;

• asking questions without interrogating;

• listening to their story;

• illuminating life with the Word;

• leading to an encounter with Christ;

• respecting the person's freedom.

Dialogue does not replace proclamation, but makes it incarnate and capable of reaching the heart.

It is not us who convert people. It is the Holy Spirit who touches hearts. We are asked to be credible witnesses and companions along the way.

TO REFLECT: do I listen to the other person to understand them or solely to prepare my response?

6. From Closed Identity to Missionary Identity

Being Rooted Without Remaining Immobile

Our Christian identity is born from Baptism: we are children in the Son, members of Christ's Body, temples of the Holy Spirit, and sent out into the world.

This deep identity does not change, but the forms through which we live the mission can change. God may ask us to leave a role, modify a project, learn a new language, or collaborate with different people.

Sometimes we overly identify with a function: leader, founder, preacher, catechist, intercessor, or prophet. When that role changes, it feels as though we are losing ourselves.

But I am not my job description. I am not my success, my failure, my group, or the opinion of others. I am a beloved child, a called disciple, and a sent missionary.

A closed identity says: « I am made this way and I will never change ».

A missionary identity says: « I belong to Christ and I am available for whatever He wants to make of me ».

Being rooted does not mean being immobile. Only a well-rooted tree can grow, face the wind, and bear new fruit.

TO REFLECT: what role, habit, or project am I defending as if it were my true identity?

7. From a Culture of Fear to a Learning Community

Uniting Trust, Truth, and Responsibility

A missionary community should be a place where people can ask questions, admit mistakes, express concerns, and propose ideas without fear of being humiliated or excluded.

This relational security does not mean lowering the demands of the Gospel or abandoning authority. It means exercising authority in the style of Jesus, uniting truth, responsibility, mercy, and the protection of the vulnerable.

In a mature community, it is possible to say:

• “I made a mistake”;

• “I didn’t understand”;

• “We need to verify the fruits”;

• “This person must be heard”;

• “We can learn from what happened”.

A leader does not lose authority by acknowledging an error. On the contrary, they show that Christian authority is service, not domination.

The Synod’s Final Document invites the Church to develop a culture of transparency, responsibility, and evaluation. Evaluating does not mean judging the value of people, but learning from experience and verifying whether our choices truly serve the mission.

A community that cannot speak of its own mistakes is condemned to repeat them. A community that brings them into the light can be healed and renewed.

TO REFLECT: can the people walking alongside me speak to me sincerely, or do they fear my reactions?

8. From the Pursuit of Success to Evangelical Fruitfulness

Not Measuring Mission Solely by Numbers

Even within the Church, we can measure success by the number of participants, social media views, events, healings, or new members....

Results must be observed and evaluated, but the Kingdom of God cannot be measured solely by quantitative criteria.

A full room does not automatically prove that the Holy Spirit is at work. A sparsely attended room does not necessarily mean that the mission has failed.

Jesus experienced the abandonment of the crowds, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial, and the apparent failure of the Cross. Yet it was precisely the Cross that became the place of greatest fruitfulness.

« I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. » (1Corinthians 3:6)

Evangelical success does not consist merely in achieving what we planned, but in remaining faithful to the mission received. We must sow well, work with competence, and verify the fruits, but growth belongs to God.

« Life grows and matures in proportion as it is given up for the lives of others. » (Evangelii Gaudium, 10)

Sometimes the most important fruit remains hidden: a person finding hope, a wound beginning to heal, a family returning to prayer, a young person opening up to God’s call, or a poor person finally looked upon as a brother.

TO REFLECT: do I consider fruitful only a mission that produces visible results, or do I know how to recognize God’s hidden work?

Conclusion

Letting Oneself Be Renewed by the Holy Spirit

The missionary disciple does not change convictions with every wind. They are rooted in Christ and, precisely for that reason, always available for conversion.

They do not question the deposit of faith, but allow the faith to question their own ego. They do not relativize truth, but recognize that no one possesses it as an object: it is Christ, the living Truth, who precedes and guides us.

Renewing the mind means:

• distinguishing faith from personal opinions;

• verifying convictions in the light of God’s Word;

• discerning charisms within ecclesial communion;

• listening before responding;

• navigating conflicts without destroying fraternity;

• accepting correction;

• evaluating the fruits of one's choices;

• measuring success according to the logic of the Cross;

• remaining available to the newness of the Holy Spirit.

The decisive question is not only: « What do I need to rethink? »

The disciple's question is:« Lord, what do you want to convert in my way of thinking, judging, listening, and serving, so that I may better proclaim your Gospel? »

The missionary Church does not need Christians convinced they already know everything. It needs men and women in love with the Truth, docile to the Spirit, rooted in ecclesial communion, and humble enough to keep learning.

Only those who allow themselves to be transformed can become instruments of transformation.

Only those who keep listening can proclaim a Word capable of being heard.

Only those who accept to be evangelized anew can become authentic evangelizers.

Two New Masterclasses to Continue the Journey

This reflection does not end with the article. EMMAUS COM will soon offer two new complementary Masterclasses:

• a Masterclass dedicated to the Construction of vision, to learn to recognize the horizon toward which God is calling us and transform an inspiration into a concrete missionary path;

• a Masterclass dedicated to spiritual intelligence and discernement, to better discern God's presence and action, understand inner movements, and make decisions illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

Renewing our mind means learning to see with God’s gaze and acting according to the inspirations of His Spirit.

Keep following us to find out soon about the dates, contents, and registration details for these two new training pathways.

Renewing the mind does not mean extinguishing the fire of the mission, but freeing it from everything that chokes it: pride, fear, rigidity, self-referentiality, and the need to always be right.

Then the Holy Spirit will be able to rekindle in us a more humble, more free, more fraternal, and more fruitful mission: a mission that does not carry ourselves, but Jesus Christ; that does not seek admirers, but generates disciples; that does not conquer spaces, but opens paths so that every person may encounter the mercy of the Father.