Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Practice of Discernment

In both the Old Testament and gospel readings, people were asked to make a decision. In Joshua, the people were asked to choose between worshiping a foreign god or worshiping God. In the gospel, Jesus’ revelation about himself as “the one who has come down from heaven” turns away some, but it also generates Peter’s confession: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Making choices is at the core of a moral and ethical life. Now that we have “come to believe and are convinced” that Jesus is the Christ, we must continue to make choices that are consistent with our commitment to follow Christ.

An excellent way to make these choices, or to “discern” what is consistent with our spiritual welfare, is the time-honored approach of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.  Taken from the site developed by the Valparaiso Project from the University of the same name, it is an adjunct to the book Practicing our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People. As the website, PracticingOurFaith.org describes: “Both book and website explore twelve time-honored practice shaped by the Christian community over the centuries and still richly relevant to contemporary experience.  These Christian practices are shared activities that address fundamental human needs and that, when woven together, form a way of life that is faithful and has integrity.”

Here is an excerpt from that site meant to guide a Christian in discernment:

Discerning the Spirit as an individual 
Ignatius of Loyola, founder of Jesuits, offered a model that includes these requisites: a passionate commitment to follow God, an attitude of indifference toward all other drives and desires, and a deep sensitivity to the ways and being of God. 

1.     Become aware of as many aspects of the decision as possible.

2.    Consider the negatives, the decision you feel least inclined to choose.

3.    Repeat the process of consideration with the side you feel most inclined to choose.

4.    Take action to see if your decision is resulting in the desired outcome; if it is not, re-evaluate your decision.

One essential addition I’d like to make: All decisions involving your spiritual welfare should be made in dialogue with a spiritually mature friend or mentor. In the Christian life, discernment has a communal element as well.  Needless to say, prayer is part of all the steps of the process.

Fr. Todd