discernment 2
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Principles of Discernment
SpiritLife Presentation
Connie R. Burkholder
What is Discernment?
I John 4:1 – Beloved, do not believeevery spirit, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God; for
many false prophets have gone outinto the world. By this you know
the Spirit of God: every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ hascome in the flesh is from God, and
every spirit that does not confess
Jesus is not from God.
Discernere - meaning “to separate,”“to distinguish,” “to determine,” “tosort out.”Identifying what spirit is at work,testing the spirits
Sifting through our interior andexterior experiences to determinetheir origin.
The art of appreciating the gifts thatGod has given us and discoveringhow we might best respond to thatlove in daily life.
The process of finding one’s own
way of discipleship in a particular
set of circumstances
Responding to the call of
Christian love and truth in a
situation where there are often
conflicting interests and values
and choices to be made.
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Observing and assessing
different factors in a situation and
choosing the course of action
which most authentically answers
our desire to live by the gospel.
David Lonsdale, SJ – It is more than a
process of decision-making which occurs
during prayer. It is a covenant with God:an alliance by which God and God’s people
agree to live in mutual love and fidelity. It
is a continuous succession of choicesbetween two paths, the one leading to
fullness of life in the love God; the other
leading in a direction that is ultimatelydehumanizing and destructive.
Discernment is the process of
distinguishing between these two paths.
Maureen Conroy, RSM – to sift through
distinguish, separate, and divide interior
movements that result from God’s personalinvolvement. Developing a discerning
heart means being attentive to the
movements and countermovementswithin…discovering a personal God who
embraces both our darkness and our light
because in God’s eyes darkness and lightare the same.. choose those that bring us
to deeper union with God and reject those
that draw us away.
Understandings on Which
Discernment Rests
Unawakened self – operate on thebasis of external laws and rules
Experience of Awakening to the Spiritof God within us. Purgative stage in
the Christian Spiritual Path. Guided
by the desire to imitate Christ and therelationship with Christ/God, rather
than by rules.
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Richard Hauser, SJ – “The person
must have had an awakening to the
Spirit in order to move toward unionwith God/Christ. This is the point at
which we no longer simply follow
external laws or teachings of thechurch, but the person responds to
the internal direction of the Holy
Spirit.”
Understanding human beings asbeing created in the image of God
Brought to life by the very breath ofGod and therefore basically good.
Created by God with freedom tochoose between good and evil.
Hauser’s Scriptural Model of Self inGod: the Holy Spirit is the source ofgood actions
The Holy Spirit in us is the deepestpart of us, the part that we can trust toguide us toward God
David Lonsdale – “…the setting whichdiscernment presupposes: awillingness to look at and appreciatethe signs of God’s love for us and inresponse to listen to the voice of theSpirit of God and to follow where theSpirit leads….We have to find ourown new ways of being Christians, oftrying to live according to the gospelof Jesus, and discernment, rightlyunderstood is at the heart of thissearch for an authentic Christiandiscipleship.”
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Finding God in all things – the core ofIgnatian spirituality
Discerning the spirits – reflecting onhis ordinary thoughts, feelings, and
desires.
Identifying the source of our impulses
– good or evil spirits
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Consolation and Desolation
Joan of Aracadia – video clip
Consolation and desolation described
by Joan’s mother
Margaret Silf – Consolation
Directs our focus outside & beyondourselves
Lifts our hearts so we can see joys andsorrow of other people
Bonds us closer to the human community
Generates new inspiration and ideas
Restores balance & refreshes inner vision
Shows us where God is active in our lives
& where God is leading us
Releases new energy in us
Margaret Silf - Desolation
Turns us in on ourselves
Drives us down the spiral ever deeperinto negative feelings
Cuts us off from community
Makes us want to give up on thingsimportant to us
Takes over our consciousness &crowds out distant vision
Covers up all our landmarks
Drains us of energy
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