How does God speak to us?

[jacobaer]

After being away from the Church for decades, I finally came home on Holy Saturday of 2005. I had been radically converted to the Lord in 1973. It happened in a Southern Baptist church and, what did I know, I followed whatever they told me, for the short time I was there.

Now, all these years later, I feel like I have a calling to help bring Protestant Christians into the fullness of communion with the Church, especially evangelical Christians, and to help lapsed Catholics back.

I was inducted into the Secular Franciscan Order in October of last year. At January’s fraternity meeting, we had the annual Epiphany service. We each received three “spiritual” gifts, in imitation, I guess, of the three gifts that the Magi gave the Holy Family.

We each received a Scripture verse to help us through this year, a virtue to practice this year, and a patron Saint for the year, I guess for emulation and intercession.

Anyway, in the context of how does God speak to us, here we go. These three gifts were chosen at random. There were three bags, one for each gift, and a separate person for each bag to draw out the gift at random.

My patron saint for this year is…St. Charles Borromeo!!! Is this the Lord speaking to me, or what? I take this as confrimation that I am on the right track with what I fell is my calling, seeing as how St. Charles was one of the driving forces of the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation, and worked to confirm Catholics in their faith, and to bring lapsed Catholics back to the faith.

And the virtue I received was exactly what I had been thinking about and concerned about in my life.

See how our sovereign Lord works through such a simple ceremony done at random to cofirm His love and guidance to His people!

What do you think?

Peace,
Jacobaer

 

[puzzleannie]

I think when done with the proper spirit of humility and submission to the will of God such a prayer service can indeed be a vehicle where the Spirit speaks to us. At my former parish they elected parish council members by putting the names of the nominees in a basket, praying to the Holy Spirit, and picking the names out.

In general, the ordinary way God speaks to us is through sacred scripture and the teaching and preaching office of the Church.

 

[jacobaer]

Hi puzzleannie,

Thanks for the wise counsel!

Do you think God speaks to us in our spirits, i.e., the still small voice of the Holy Spirit?

Peace,
Jacobaer

 

[puzzleannie]

Hi puzzleannie,

Thanks for the wise counsel!

Do you think God speaks to us in our spirits, i.e., the still small voice of the Holy Spirit?

Peace,
Jacobaer

yes but I think we must always heed Paul’s advice to discern, discern, discern.

 

[jrabs]

Do you think God speaks to us in our spirits, i.e., the still small voice of the Holy Spirit?

Absolutely - though I think we often don’t listen. There are many blessings available to those that do listen and hear.

 

[Jenlyn]

It is wonderful that you see God working in your life. Many people miss it, which is a big lose for them.

I loved puzzleannie’s remark…discern, discern, discern!

 

[Beno]

Welcome back to the fold Jacobaer! I find the strongest members and defenders of Catholicism to be the ones that enter as adult converts or are returning after a lengthy absence. It is always a joyful reunion!

In my experiences with things spiritual, I have observed others using some discernment methods such as: randomly opening a page of the bible and reading where the eye is drawn to; “receiving” a page number for a written passage in a particular book; calling a member of a particular religious order for a yes or no answer to a question without revealing the question to them, etc. I’d like to say that the luck of the draw is a suspect method of determining what God wants to say to us. But I am also aware that Judas’ replacement among the apostles was obtained in just such a way. Maybe what I am trying to say is to be careful about the discernment methods used. A lot is riding on the choices that are made. My advice based on my experiences would be for you to seek the advice of those who have been where you are now and who have better knowledge, experience, and authority regarding spiritual matters. Nothing quite like a good, experienced, and qualified spiritual director, preferably one who speaks for the good of the Church. My best wishes to you!

 

[rciadan]

yes but I think we must always heed Paul’s advice to discern, discern, discern.

I would add, confirm, confirm, confirm; just as did Gideon. Paul did the same. Before he began his ministry to the gentiles in earnest he went and confirmed his mission with the apostles, especially Peter. He took his mission (even though it had come in the form of a vision of Christ Himself) to be blessed by the Apostolic Church.

Hi PuzzleAnnie! It’s nice to cross theads with you again! May this year find you blessed in abundance!

 

[FiremanFrank]

Here is a good book for people to read as it pertains to how God does and does not speak to us.

Revelations and Visions:
Discerning the True and the Certain
***from the False or the Doubtful ***
by Fr. Augustin Francois Poulain (1901)
http://www.stpauls.us/images/products/0793-2.jpg

I read this book many, many years ago.

Excerpts from this book have been frequently quoted by Fr. Benedict Groeschel of EWTN.

It’s sound perspective on the subject as it relates to the foundational Teachings of the Church (which also includes examples of specific case studies) is nothing short of extraordinary.

Well done, Fr. Poulain!

 

[littleone]

There are many ways God speaks to us.I remember in younger days God would speak more readily voice to voice to me. Now I am older He allows me to go through situations and relates the answer He wishes as I go along. So now it is more faith led. At times in the past I have told Our Lord after He has spoken to me, to put bolders in the way otherwise I was going home like putting the fleace out, and I always got an answer.

I married 6 weeks ago and simbolicly God shared His love for my wife and I through having a song thrush (bird) come into the church building and sing while the singing was happening and while Father shared the word the same happened, and after the nuptual mass the bird flew over to the tabanacle and stayed looking at it for a few minutes.
God might give a message to a person maybe a child to give to us as has happened to me. I asked Jesus how much He enjoyed my girlfriend and I being together one night as we were lieing our on the grass and all of a sudden some 7 or so shooting stars shot across the sky, my girlfriend didn’t believe it and thought it was silly any way.
I said Lord can you show us another shower of your love for Eryne and I and straight away there were about 5 or 6 satilites all together moving across the night sky.
So there are no obsticles holding back God’s way of relating to His children, that is other than our lack of faith.

God bless
littleone

 

[jacobaer]

I believe God is ALWAYS speaking to us. We just have to listen.

He speaks to us:

Directly to our spirits, that still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Through Scripture.

Through other people.

Through the Church.

Through circumstances.

And, as has been stated, this whole process takes discernment and a good spiritual director.

Peace,
Jacobaer

 

[puzzleannie]

Fr Groeschel’s A Still Small Voice is the best beginner’s guide to discerning private revelation, whether of the dramatic or subtle variety.

 

[shirleytowers]

This is just exactly how God communicates to us. I have gotten messages through quiet prayer and listening, through dreams, through complete strangers handing me leaflets or coming up to me and volunteering to help me with exactly the problem I am thinking about, through (I think) even fortune cookies

You know it’s a message from God when you look at it or you experience it and POW, a bomb goes off in your head that says something like “Whoa!!! This is no ordinary thing, no coincidence, it is too right on the money to be anything but Providence!” Awesome, isn’t He?

Lots of things happen that you COULD construe as a message, but that is crazy and just superstitious. I think if you are mindful of God, he will let you know when it is Him and not just chance–it’s that POW!!

 

[FiremanFrank]

Fr Groeschel’s A Still Small Voice is the best beginner’s guide to discerning private revelation, whether of the dramatic or subtle variety.

And since Fr. Groeschel has often quoted from the earlier work that I had mentioned (“Revelations and Visions”, pub. 1901) …

I wonder where he might have gotten some of his material from?

 

[puzzleannie]

And since Fr. Groeschel has often quoted from the earlier work that I had mentioned (“Revelations and Visions”, pub. 1901) …

I wonder where he might have gotten some of his material from?

yes he mentions that source in several of his books, I did not know it was still in print.

 

[littleone]

The ways God speaks to us are so numerous that the stars in the sky and the sand in the sea are not even i pinch of how many ways there are.
Here is one situation I had happen where a number of people were used to relate messages from God to me, hope it helps.

I remember telling the leaders of our charismatic group that I would definitely be going to our next meeting in two months time. The leader asked if I had a place to stay and a way of getting there. I said no and he retorted to tell me that there was a woman who knew how to get to my home town but not how to get from my home town to the meeting.
I said to the leader well there you are there is my ride. The meeting was over three day (Fri sat& sun) and was being held some 500 kl away form my home. The woman and I left for the meeting and just before we got to the city (10kl or so) this voice told me I wasn’t going home until Wednesday.

I tested this by saying Lord if this is you, then you will have to put three boulders in my way to stop me staying, I thought this could be satan trying to break my marriage, my job or ruin my life. As soon as I got to the meeting a young woman leading music came and said to me you are not going home till Wednesday and you are staying at my parents place (one boulder).
The woman I went down to the meeting with came to me and said that she was not going back until Wednesday so there was my ride back, another boulder. On the same day as the other messages, one of the other leaders said Wayne the Lord tells you to take a step into the water and you look and see the rock and so you step out. The tide comes in a little and The Lord tells you to take another step, you look see the rock and step out. Next the tide comes in and the Lord says take another step and since the tide is in you can’t see the rock!!! Do you know what I mean?, another boulder another person with a message from God.
It is all a matter of faith, step into the darkness having faith. At that I resolved to stay, after the meeting I followed the young woman (who by the way I did the music with), to her parents home.

When we arrived the young woman went in to get her parents who she had rung to ask if I could stay. I waited outside the door and was met by her young 7 year old brother who came up to me and said ” You are a prophet of the Lord, you have come to teach us about the Lord” ??? What! Just think how surprised I was, I had never met this family at all, but God sending a message again. Earlier from another person I had been told that I was a farmer in the Lords vine yard.
This family had a vineyard. The father asked me to come for a ride on his tractor, while we traveled around he told me about different grapes good sour grapes, new ones being tested, and those sweet ones to be uprooted that were no good.
I realized that the Lord was speaking to me about the different kinds of people I would meet in ministry through his sharing. (so another way of gaining a message ).

Many miracles occurred in the three days and I went home, with the woman I traveled there with, mission accomplished. So there are some ways the Lord will speak to us.
God bless
littleone

 

[littleone]

I just thought that my writing might allow wrong thoughts in so I hope you realise that we all belong to the charismatic group and that the woman is the mother of one of my best friends.
Good on you for discerning.

God bless
littleone