God’s Living Word Today - Friday June 12, 2020
There was a tiny whispering sound. (1 Kings 19:12)
Israel was at a critical juncture. The weak King Ahab, along with his pagan wife, Jezebel, had led the people into deep idolatry and sin. What’s more, the prophet Elijah had just overcome the false prophets of Baal and fled to Mount Horeb to seek help from the Lord. First a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a fire passed before Elijah—each one seeming to bear the kind of majesty that befitted Israel’s need. But God was in none of them. Instead, Elijah heard the Lord through a “tiny whispering sound” that was so intimate and so intense that it made him hide his face in his cloak (1 Kings 19:12).
We may think that heroes like Elijah found it easy to hear God, but history shows that they were ordinary people just like us. They too had to learn the art of discernment. In our spiritual life we might ask ourselves where is God is this? What is God asking of me? What is God wanting to show me? What is God wanting to learn from this situation?
So how do we begin? It’s really quite simple. Jesus once said, “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16). We typically apply this verse to how we think about other people, but it applies to our spiritual lives as well. For instance, if a thought in your mind helps you love God more or be a little kinder to someone, it’s probably from the Lord. But if something makes you anxious, fearful, angry, or resentful, it’s probably not coming from God or his Spirit.
“Holy Spirit, open the ears of my heart. Teach me to hear you clearly so that I can follow your plan for my life.”
Father Dennis
“Discernment” in common usage is the ability to judge wisely and to be able to choose carefully among many choices. For the Jesuit, however, “discernment” means something much more. It is the art of prayerful decision-making
“Discernment for St. Ignatius means being aware that God wants us to make good decisions, that God will help us make good decisions—but that we are often moved by competing forces: ones that pull us toward God and ones that push us away. Anyone who has ever made an important decision knows this experience. You feel pushed and pulled by a variety of inner forces: selfish versus generous motives, free versus unfree motives, and healthy versus unhealthy motives.”
First, you try to be “indifferent”—that is, free of anything keeping you from following God’s desires. Second, you ask for God’s help. Discernment is not done on your own. You need God’s help to choose the right path. Third, you weigh the various “movements” within oneself, to see which may be coming from God, and which may not be. For someone progressing in the spiritual life, says St. Ignatius, the “good spirit” will bring support, encouragement and peace of mind. Fourth, if there is no clear answer, you can rely on other practices, each suggested by Ignatius. Imagine what you would want to tell Jesus at the Last Judgment. (That doesn’t work for every decision, but particularly for complex ethical decisions it can be clarifying.) Or think of how you would judge your decision on your deathbed. (This can help prioritizing what is most important in your life.)
Finally, after making a good discernment you will feel a sense of what Ignatius calls “confirmation,” or a sense of rightness. You feel in line with God’s desires for you because you arein line with them. And this naturally brings peace.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Father Dennis