"Discernment" -- What is it? Is it real?

[BarbaraTherese]

Shoshana:

How can one dissent from Church teaching when birth control is abortive by nature publicly or privatly???

There have been saints who have challenged clerical dissent, including Popes (St Catherine of Sienna for one) when it went against Church teaching.

Our late beloved John Paul 2 would totally disagree with this priest and would have been reprimanded by His Holiness. I personnally believe it was the birth control pill that came into being in one generation has caused the so many abortions in the next generation…Mother Church was so wise in her teaching against the pill. Mother Church KNEW that it would snowball into catastrophe. Mother Church also knew that birth control would turn into controlling the birth…

Hello there Shoshana…

I may be very wrong, but I took birth control as only an example…a for instance…I thought that Thepeug in his/her Post was raising the issue of saying one thing publicly and doing another thing privately with birth control as an example…but as i say I could be very wrong! I do agree with you that this local priest he/she spoke about was very very wrong !!!..in fact advoca ting something that is quite sinful: lying by implication. Because God indeed is Truth.

Regards Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

My personal manner of discernment is:

l. Pray and think about it
2. If I cannot arrive at a decision
3. Talk to one or more people I trust about it
4. After seeking advice pray about what has been said to me as thoughts and/or advice.

Make a decision based on all that and stick to it, commit myself to it…go for it! I find nothing more upsetting to Peace of soul t han continually changing my mind and never really making a committed decision.

St. Teresa of Avila advocates a director (or advisor(s) who are wise learned and holy…these are the types of people I seek advice from.

Barb smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_6_6v.gif

 

[BarbaraTherese]

StephanieC:

Got this off a Google search & a Catholic site. Hope it helps.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

1. 
   *]Wisdom - desire for the things of God, and to direct our whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory
   *]Understanding - enable us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith
   *]Counsel - warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation
   *]Fortitude - strengthen us to do the will of God in all things
   *]Knowledge - enable us to discover the will of God in all things
   *]Piety - love God as a Father, and obey Him because we love Him
   *]Fear of the Lord - have a dread of sin and fear of offending God
   
   The 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit:
   1. 
      *]Charity
      *]Joy
      *]Peace
      *]Patience
      *]Benignity
      *]Goodness
      *]Long-suffering (patient suffering over an extended period)
      *]Mildness
      *]Faith
      *]Modesty
      *]Continency
      *]Chastity

1. 1. 
      Thanks StephanieC…I knew the Gifts of The Holy Spirit…but the first time (I think!) I have seen a complete list of the Fruits of The Holy Spirit as well as a concise description of what The Gifts of The Holy Spirit actually are… cut pasted and printed!
      
      Barb

 

[Thepeug]

BarbaraTherese:

Hi there Thepeug…nice to meet you!

I also think your local priest was very wrong in his statement. Nevertheless my response is quite speculative and it will be interesting to read others’ thoughts.

Nice to meet you too . For anyone who’s interested, you can listen to the priest’s homily here: newman-chapelhill.org/Undergraduates/events.htm#Formation. Choose “Forming a Christian Conscience”.

 

[Prometheum_x]

There are also these gifts of the Spirit:

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. . . . There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another giftrs of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” 1 Cor. 12:1, 4-11 (NIV)

 

[Grace_and_Glory]

BarbaraTherese:

My personal manner of discernment is:

l. Pray and think about it
2. If I cannot arrive at a decision
3. Talk to one or more people I trust about it
4. After seeking advice pray about what has been said to me as thoughts and/or advice.

Make a decision based on all that and stick to it, commit myself to it…go for it! I find nothing more upsetting to Peace of soul t han continually changing my mind and never really making a committed decision.

St. Teresa of Avila advocates a director (or advisor(s) who are wise learned and holy…these are the types of people I seek advice from.

Barb smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_6_6v.gif

That sounds like good advice to me!

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Grace and Glory:

That sounds like good advice to me!

Hello Grace and Glory…advice it is …wish I always without fail followed it!

Barb

 

[puzzleannie]

Authenticity by Thomas Dubay is a great guide for the topic of discernment.

a very short, 80 pages, but excellent little book on the topic is Temptation and Discernment by Segundo Galilea, distilling the wisdom of Ignatius, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, translated and distributed in US by Institute for Carmelite Studies, Washington DC, ICS publications

the sections are the Demons of Discernment - exactly what original poster is talking about
The Demons of Ministry - essential for anyone engaged in ministry or apostolate
the Demons of Prayer - several posters on this forum could benefit from this section, several topics recent posters have touched on are “Not praying because one is unworthy”, “confusing prayer with natural contemplation”, “Discouragement”, “Measuring effectiveness by experience”.
the last short section is The Search for Happiness and Christian Renunciation - Discernment
the topics are short, 1-2 pages, but packed with wisdom of 3 great saints of prayer and discernment.

 

[mercygate]

puzzleannie:

Authenticity by Thomas Dubay is a great guide for the topic of discernment.

a very short, 80 pages, but excellent little book on the topic is Temptation and Discernment by Segundo Galilea, distilling the wisdom of Ignatius, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, translated and distributed in US by Institute for Carmelite Studies, Washington DC, ICS publications

the sections are the Demons of Discernment - exactly what original poster is talking about
The Demons of Ministry - essential for anyone engaged in ministry or apostolate
the Demons of Prayer - several posters on this forum could benefit from this section, several topics recent posters have touched on are “Not praying because one is unworthy”, “confusing prayer with natural contemplation”, “Discouragement”, “Measuring effectiveness by experience”.
the last short section is The Search for Happiness and Christian Renunciation - Discernment
the topics are short, 1-2 pages, but packed with wisdom of 3 great saints of prayer and discernment.

As always, Puzz, perfect elixir.

 

[puzzleannie]

in each brief section of this little book, the author describes the temptation and the remedy for each “demon”. This makes it extremely helpful also in examining one’s conscience, because one can see which temptations keep cropping up and their source, as well as their remedy, that is the virtue that should be cultivated.

the more specific form of discernment, of the subtle, deceitful temptations that lead to mediocrity. Discernment of spirits: not so much a matter of distinguishing the explicitly evil from the good, but of differentiating the good spirit from the bad spirit, that is, discerning what is a call from God and what is temptation. Even with good will, the spiritual person easily confuses the two spirits. The temptations are subtle, at first glance they do not seem bad, and could even be taken as inspirations from God. . . . it is much more complex than any other type of discernment. (p. 11, Temptation and Spiritual Discernment, St. Ignatius & St. John of the Cross)

 

[BarbaraTherese]

puzzleannie:

Authenticity by Thomas Dubay is a great guide for the topic of discernment.

a very short, 80 pages, but excellent little book on the topic is Temptation and Discernment by Segundo Galilea, distilling the wisdom of Ignatius, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, translated and distributed in US by Institute for Carmelite Studies, Washington DC, ICS publications

the sections are the Demons of Discernment - exactly what original poster is talking about
The Demons of Ministry - essential for anyone engaged in ministry or apostolate
the Demons of Prayer - several posters on this forum could benefit from this section, several topics recent posters have touched on are “Not praying because one is unworthy”, “confusing prayer with natural contemplation”, “Discouragement”, “Measuring effectiveness by experience”.
the last short section is The Search for Happiness and Christian Renunciation - Discernment
the topics are short, 1-2 pages, but packed with wisdom of 3 great saints of prayer and discernment.

…thank you for the book details Puzzleannie…will purchase it…

Signed: A very peculiar person on the beach.

Peculiar: Strange, Different , Unique, Distinctive, Weird…

 

[puzzleannie]

I think my signature line perfectly describes me and my fellow forum mates, which is why I chose it.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

puzzleannie:

I think my signature line perfectly describes me and my fellow forum mates, which is why I chose it.

Hi Puzzleannie… ‘peculiar’ has a couple of definitions…and yes I agree that we are a unique lot as a group and as individuals:thumbsup: …in fact we are a motely crew…and we were from the very beginnning! … perhaps therein a message…

Regards and Peace to all, even if you dont drink milk …

Barb