The
OFS USA National Theme for 2022 to 2025
is "LISTEN, DISCERN, GO FORTH,"
We were
inspired by a lecture given by Fr. Thomas Nairn who paraphrased Pope John
XXIII. Hear his talk in English HERE.
For
our second installment, “Discern,” we have invited Anne Mulqueen, OFS, Spiritual
Assistant to the National Formation Commission, to reflect on Discernment. Thank
you, Anne!
Discernment: Seeking God’s
Guidance
The purpose of spiritual
discernment is that … you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all
spiritual wisdom and understanding… Colossians
1:9
The
word discernment comes from the Latin discernere,
which means to distinguish or to discriminate among various options.
Spiritual discernment is not the same as decision-making. We come to decision-making
intellectually by weighing options, but to discern spiritually, we must listen and
align our responses and decisions in accord with God’s desire and will for our
lives.
God
wants to speak to us. In fact, God is
speaking all the time. We need to discover how to hear God’s voice. God speaks through Scripture, other people, nature,
experiences, our intellect, events and endless other ways. To discern the true voice of the Almighty, we
must enter into communion with Him through prayer, solitude and the desire for
God’s will alone. When we read a portion
of Scripture that speaks to us in a special way, it may well be His voice. In
John 10:27, Jesus says, My sheep hear my
voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Discernment
is both a gift and a skill. The desire to seek God’s counsel comes first from
God. Discernment is one of the supernatural
gifts of the Holy Spirit available to all Christians. It works best in
conjunction with her sisters, Wisdom and Knowledge. Discernment is not only a
gift, but also a skill that can be developed by prayer and practice. Over time
we can learn to identify the “voices” we hear. Some come from our egos, some come
from culture, and some simply from what we want to hear. And because God has
given us the great gift of free will, sometimes we listen to the other voices
and are deaf to the voice of God.
So,
as we sift through all the thoughts and information with which the world and
our own self-interest bombard us, we realize that discernment is not easy. It
takes faith, prayer and determination to distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit
from distractions. Remember, God’s leading will never contradict Scripture.
Discernment
from on high is confirmed in many ways. Sometimes we receive a similar message
from other sources or persons. And sometimes, if we missed it the first time,
we will hear the same message again. We may feel a sense of joy, clarity, and
peace when our insights are in line with the will of God. We might have an
“aha” moment, a mystical moment, when what we “hear” can only be described as
supernatural.
We
can never be absolutely certain of our discernment, but we can move forward,
asking God to continue to guide us and to correct any missteps along the way. It
takes trust to step out in faith and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as
we journey into the heart of God.
For
discussion or to comment on in your journal:
The
word question is related to the word quest.
Please consider these questions as a quest to hear God’s voice.
1. Have you ever made an
intentional attempt to discern God’s guidance and direction before making a
crucial, life-altering decision? Did you receive the direction you sought? If
you did, how did God speak to your heart?
2. God often uses other
people to confirm His voice. Think of
the people you would most likely turn to when you need to make a difficult
personal decision. What is it about them
that makes you turn to them?
3. Take a pen and paper;
recall and write down an event in your life when you felt the hand of God guiding
you to something new and perhaps frightening.
Were you willing to go forward without fully knowing where the path
would lead? Journal about the
experience.
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