Discernment: What Does God Want?

Discernment: What Does God Want? Personal Vocations Fr. Llane Briese

Program for the Unit • Discernment: The Head Meets the Heart • Underlying Premise of Discernment • The 5 C’s: Signs of Authenticity • Prayer, Resistance, and Tools of Discernment

Why 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? Three Elements • 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.

Mission: The Easy Part • 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! 30You 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)

The Underlying Premise of Discernment Section One

The Logic of Discernment • 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).

The 5 C’s: The Signs of Authenticity Section Two

Five Criteria for Discernment • 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.

Conformity • 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.

Conversion • 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!

Consistency • 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.

Confirmation • 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.

Conviction • 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?

Prayer, Resistance, & Tools of Discernment Section Three

Prayer and Discernment • 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.

Dealing with Resistance • 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).

Discernment: What Does God Want?