Discernment is a process by which we are helped to come to a decision. This is very important to remember and consider when it comes to making life choices. I presume that you are reading this because you want to know more about how God may be calling you. The Vocations that are traditional in our Catholic Tradition are:

• Marriage
• Single Life
• Religious life
• Priesthood

Within these there are many calls to particular ministries. The lay ministerial vocations are being promoted more and more. But the basic life choices still remains much the same.

So discernment here is about how you can come to a decision that includes your faith and belief systems. It is a process of distinguishing or separating what is of God from what is not of God. This may sound easy at first but when you realise that while many of your impulses come from God, many also come from your own ego, from your culture, and from peer pressure.

Every choice I make shapes me in some way. Remember the old saying "Not to choose, is to choose". You made a choice to search this website. That is already saying something about you. But what is that something? Stop reading for one moment: What is coming to this website saying about you?

Now let us move on:

Let's think about what is meant by God's will. We need to understand that God's will

• is not some ready made plan that will solve all your worries if only you could access it
• is related to your deepest desires and aspirations
• is found within you

In the prophet Isaiah God says : My plans for you are for peace not destruction." Responding to God's will is about discovering how to be my best self, my most authentic self. Does this mean that I will never suffer hardship and pain? Of course not. Deep down we all know that. Decisions and choices can often mean hardship and even pain. But the bottom line is that following God's will, is also about discovering and living my most authentic self. This will lead to a deep peace and joy even when there is struggle and hardship.

So let us start:

You will need:
Time: Discernment is a process that takes time
Journal: Get a special book that you can record your thoughts and reflections in.
An open heart: Come with a readiness to follow the path wherever it leads. There is no point in coming to a discernment process if you have already decided the outcome!

ARE YOU READY? LET US BEGIN:

God's call is rarely a clear trumpet call or a voice that gives a clear message. Most people 'wake' up to the call, become conscious of the call with time. God's call is like a tiny pebble in your shoe, an irritation that has to be dealt with before you can move on or an itch that has to be scratched. One minute it is there, the next it is not but it keeps coming back. Something in you is calling for a response of some kind. Discernment is about looking at the "irritation" and seeing what it means.

Martin Luther King began his famous speech with the words, "I have a dream ..." When you are ready continue reading .... In the Gospel of John (Jn 1: 35-41) we read of the call of the first disciples of Jesus. Jesus asks them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." If YOU are going to discern God's call then you need to spend time with Jesus in prayer and reflection. Let yourself be like one of these first disciples and let Jesus look you in the eye and ask you "What are you looking for?" It is good to actually put your name in front of the question. In your imagination hear Jesus speak your name,

Tell Jesus about your dream for our world. Tell him about your deepest desires. Listen to how Jesus responds to you. Sit with this response from Jesus. Note your own feelings. What is rising up in you? There is no need to analyse you feelings, just record these feelings. How do your feelings fit in with your dream? Are you feeling energised, excited, fearful, sad? Now see if you can see what lies behind your feelings. eg what is it that excites you or makes you fearful. Try and be as honest as you can here. You might even be surprised at what you discover. As you sit with your own feelings you might like to read what another searcher has written

A Prayer for Discernment – Thomas Merton (Cistercian Monk)

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road. Though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me. And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

Can you make Thomas Merton's prayer yours? I suggest that you write your own discernment prayer. These points may help you in writing your own prayer.

• acknowledge who God is for you
• acknowledge the reality of your situation ... your feelings, questions, doubts
• acknowledge your readiness to trust that God will lead you through.

Consolation and Desolation 

Another famous person who wrote a lot about discernment is St Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.

He noticed what he called movements of "consolation" and "desolation".

Consolation are the movements towards God and desolation are movements away from God.

A person could be suffering physical pain and still experience deep peace and joy. This is consolation.

Desolation is usually marked by feelings such as anxiety, restlessness, fear or negativity.

Working out the difference can sometimes need the help of a Spiritual Director. Do you have someone wise and skillful that you can talk with? If you don't you might like to seek out such a person. (If you need help in finding somone you may like to contact the CVMA office and we will do what we can to help)

St Ignatius has some rules to help us deal with desolation.

1. The person is trying to live a faithful Christian life
2. In times of desolation Ignatius encourages us to remember and focus on time of consolation. He invites us to act as well. If I am doubting then he encourages me to act in the opposite way eg. I doubt that God could call me to Religious life/Priesthood because I know I am not the best person I could be. So I pray something like:

"Gracious and loving God, you call me to be my best self. I know you call me simply because you love me. If you wish that I become a religious/priest, then I will do so. Thank you for your trust in me."
I might be feeling self absorbed ... its all about me ... (desolation), then I could go out of my way to do something kind for another. I might surprise them and myself!

Remember St Ignatius expects that we will have moments of desolation as well as moments of consolation.

A spiritual person is a person who is sensitive to these times of desolation and consolation. If I am too caught up in other things, work, making money, possessions, having a good time, I probably will not notice what is going on in me. If my focus is God and how best I can follow his way, then I will notice such changes. Interestingly if I focus on self I become self absorbed and do not notice the call to conversion. If I focus on God then I do notice!!! Strange but true.

Another important point to remember is that Ignatius warns about when decisions are made.

Look over what you have written, what you have discovered about yourself and about God. Where do you sense God is calling? If you don't have that sense yet, just spend time with Jesus. Read the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. Ask Jesus to guide you and LISTEN to what God is saying. You might life to use the Reflection page.

If wish to continue and see if you can discover more of where God may be leading you click here.