Practically Speaking, How Does One Begin Discernment? Making a Timeline A way to prepare for discernment is to make a timeline of your life story from birth to present: 1. Significant persons in my life: - Who have been the people in my life? - What has my relationship been to them? - How have they influenced me positively and negatively? - Who has had the most impact on me? - Reflecting on my experience of family, what have I learned? - What do I value? - What do I want to let go of? 2. Educational experience: - What schools? - What did I like, dislike, favourite memories, activities, friends, significant events, people? - What did I learn of life that I want to keep? - What gets in the way? 3. Social and sexual development: - What do I enjoy doing with others? - What do I do just because it's popular? - What do I find relaxing and renewing? - Who have I dated, in what cicumstances? - What has been my relationship to men? - What has been my relationship to women? - Reviewing my sexual history . . . from where did you first learn about sex? - What have been my experiences as a child, teen, young adult, now? - What impact have various relationships had on me? 4. Work history: - What jobs have I held, for how long, where? - What education, training or preparation for positions have I experienced? - What responsibilities or initiatives have I had? - What did I learn and what skills did I acquire in each job or preparation process? 5. Faith experience: - What's my earliest recollection of God? - Who taught me about God? - Who has had the greatest influence in faith development? - How was church, faith, God in my family? - What practices help me to care for my faith life? - Where did I learn about these practices? - Who is God for me in my life? - Name my experiences of the Divine in my life. - How did that feel, what impact did these have? - How do I see God in the everyday circumstances of my life? - How do I nurture this relationship? 6. Life choice: - When did I first think about religious life? Other forms of consecrated life? Marriage? Single life? - Why that particular state in life? Elements In Discernment 1. Prayer - life of prayer and not just at crisis times. "Then he went out to the mountain to pray, spending the night in communion with God. At daybreak he called his disciples and selected..." (Lk 6:12-13) 2. Evidence - gather facts about your abilities and limitations (spiritual, mental, physical...). 3. Guide - a mature concerned Christian to help you be objective (spiritual director). 4. Openness - look at your motivations, reflect on the Rich Young Man (Mt 19:16-23). What are my idols, false Gods? Why do I want to do it; why not? Effort to be free to do His work. 5. Time - be patient with yourself, with the Lord. We need the passage of time to see if movements within are from God, or self, or... 6. Peace - sense of rightness and calm. "Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God's own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds." (Phil. 4:6-7) Inner peace, even if intellectually or otherwise you find what you are being called to is difficult or unattractive. 7. Decision - making the most loving choice. Choose what you sense is God's will as you understand it. 8. Confirmation - after making a decision, give some more time to prayer and wait to see if peace remains. There should be a continuation of interior tranquility, satisfaction that I made the best decision. Overall Ideas On Discernment 1. Most loving choice - Don't expect infallibility. You won't be absolutely, mathematically certain in every discernment. 2. Work at it - Gathering evidence is hard but try to get all pertinent facts available. 3. Not necessarily the most difficult choice - Try to find God's will. Eg Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42) 4. Scriptures on choice, call can be helpful to pray over: * Abraham (Gen 12:14); * Moses (Ex 3:10-12; 4:1, 10-12) * Amos (Am 7:14-15) * Isaiah (Is:6:8) * Jeremiah (Jer 1:4-8) * Ezechiel (Ez 3:1-4) * The 12 (Mk 3:13-15) * Requirements (Lk 9:57-62) * The Cross (Mt 16:24-28) * Temptations (Lk 4:1-13) * Seek Kingdom (Lk 12:22-31) * What matters (Phil 1:9-10) * All things work together...love God (Rom 8:26-31) 5. Prayer, evidence and peace are the core of discernment |
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