Transcript Discernment: What Does God Want

Personal Vocations
Fr. Llane Briese
• Discernment: The Head Meets the Heart
•Underlying Premise of Discernment
•The 5 C’s: Signs of Authenticity
•Prayer, Resistance, and Tools of Discernment
• While it has a “churchy” name, discernment is nothing
other than seeking God’s will or, in less religious
language, asking questions about what path I should
take?
• Philosophical Foundation: Humans are rational
creatures; therefore, our life decisions should be made
intentionally.
• Discernment is all about asking questions, developing
criteria for finding an answer, and attempting to find
an answer.
• Quo Vadis? “Where are you going?”
• In order to go somewhere, one must have a mission (Why?),
vision (What?), and a strategy (How? When? Where?).
• GPS Analogy: Road Trip!
• Mission (Why?):
Visit my grandpa/extended family
• Vision (What?):
Travelling from Atlanta to San Antonio
• Strategy (How?):
• Pack Correct Clothes. Don’t Forget to Bring Toiletries.
• Plan Hotel for Trip (Lafayette, LA).
• Program GPS/Check Maps
• Gas Station: Gas in Car, and Skittles & Diet Mt. Dew in cup
holders.
• Refill gas as necessary.
• Eat meals (Denny’s, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, Whataburger,
etc.)
• Call ahead so grandpa opens gate.
• For a Christian, our mission in life is pretty clear:
• “One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them
disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked
him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" 29 Jesus
replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is
Lord alone! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and
with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other
commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31 NAB)
Section One
• Fundamental Premise: God is a God of order.
Therefore, contradictions are not God’s plan.
• God’s plan is supposed to make sense!
• We are called to eternal happiness and peace
(although the path to it may indeed involve
turmoil, suffering, and sacrifice).
• Just as we saw in college and career choices,
we make these decisions according to criteria
(consciously or not).
Section Two
• We can easily summarize five criteria of discernment
(cf. M. Scanlan, What Does God Want?)
• Conformity
• Conversion
• Consistency
• Confirmation
• Conviction
• These criteria are not just for “big life choices”
but also for smaller decisions with lasting
consequences.
• This criterion asks:
• Is the proposed action in accord with God’s revealed will?
• Does it concur with the Church’s teachings?
• Does it concur also with my natural obligations (i.e. towards
parents, children, and spouse)?
• The easiest criterion for discernment because it is the
most black-and-white.
• Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of Mark (1:14-15):
• “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee
proclaiming the gospel of God: 15 "This is the time of
fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and
believe in the gospel.”
• This criterion asks:
• Does the proposed action promote personal conversion; that
is, does it promote growth in faith, hope, and love?
• Does it lead me closer to God or farther away from him?
• This is not necessarily an arithmetic question! The key is
one’s personal conversion!
• This criterion asks:
• Is the proposed course consistent with God’s prior
work in my life?
• What prior experiences concord or conflict with the
proposed action?
• More than other criteria, this criterion expresses
faith in God’s providence and the reality of a
call.
• This criterion recognizes that if a proposed action is
truly God’s will, it fits into his plan for the larger
Church. Therefore, one can expect signs of
confirmation:
• “She says ‘yes’”!
• Opportunities work out (or don’t).
• Obstacles disappear (or reassert themselves).
• We accomplish things we didn’t think we could (or fail in
things in which we expected to succeed).
• Indeed, most “major life decisions” are not truly
individual decisions.
• The X-Factor of Discernment
• Ultimately, discernment is not an exact science.
Occasionally, we just “get our heart set” on
something. This sort of conviction will work and
suffer without noticing it.
• Hence, this criterion asks: How strongly do I feel
about this proposed action?
Section Three
• In order to discern well, one must first pray well (yes,
there is such a thing!)
• Prayer: Listening and talking to God. (1st grade
definition)
• Prayer: Ought to include both anamnesis and epiclesis;
that is, it should both remember the past and invoke
God’s blessing on the present and future.
• While the most important tools for discernment are prayer
and the Sacraments, sharing one’s life and story with
another (especially someone more experienced) can be an
invaluable tool.
• Mentoring: An opportunity to learn.
• Spiritual Direction: An explicitly spiritual type of
mentorship.
• Hint: A good mentor or spiritual director is not afraid to
call “nonsense” on you.
• Dealing with Resistance: Both external (discouragement)
and internal (selfishness and pride).