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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