Really, this question is no different in ‘process’ than any other decision we make.
We become informed
Make the choice
Review the decision
Become informed-
A Faithfull person must first seek enlightenment, and establish communication with God. Prayer is an extremely important part of this as well as reading scripture and Church documentation. You many never feel confident in having “enough” knowledge, but the process will help familiarize you with all the Church resources. When questions do pop up later on, you will have the wealth of knowledge from the Church to use to answer your questions.
Practice the Faith is also part of ‘becoming informed’. Truly practicing Catholicism will offer you insights to much of the Faith. And if you are able to participate in the Sacraments, the Grace that is confered in the sacraments is invaluable to a healthy Faith.
Make the choice or Apply the knowledge-
This part of the equation deals with our internal struggles, and our mental and spiritual “working out the details”. We take the information from our studies, combined with the grace we recieve during the Sacraments and our frequent prayer- and COMBINE it with our earthly life. We infuse it into all parts of our lives and understand the philosophy of our Faith. At this point it should become obvious that few other religions can reach so completely into all aspects of our existence.
We can see Catholicism in a new light, and if we maintain our discipline of prayer and scripture study and Mass attendence- it seems to become clearer and clearer.
Review the decision-
This one is my favorite one because this is the step when I get nearly direct communication from God. Some people talk about God “speaking to them”. Well, I know this is the area where God speaks to me the most.
A similar question came up in another thread devoted to discerning God’s Will in our lives regarding children. The above philosophy applies to ALL Faithfull decision making, so I thought I’d copy a portion of my post here rather than reword the entire thought.
…[We] take “context clues” from life, to discern God’s Will in our life.
I do this too. I call them my “bell choir” (I know, protestantish- but I truly do almost hear the bells when my decisions “ring true” no pun intended.)
There have been times when I’ve heard literal GONGS. And sometimes I struggle to hear the tiniest tinkling. But either way- I have always believed that the Holy Spirit finds wonderful humorous and creative ways of introducing me and guiding me on the path God wishes me to be on.
So, all that said, I agree with you. We need to remain open to those “context clues” you describe, for God often speaks to us subtley and creatively.
But we also need to make sure that these “context clues” ring true with our knowledge of our Faith, and with our prayerful life. I guess I prioritize the process this way:
Become informed on the issue:
- Marriage is creationary- God has set up marriage for us to offer children to Him and the world. This should be a priority over many “material” things. (Please note I said nothing of NECESSARY things).
Make your decision:
2. We need prayerfull and regular contemplation on the decision. I do not like to hear when couples have a blanket “NO MORE KIDS”. It doesn’t indicate an intent to seriously contemplate the decision again. This also indicates that their hearts and eyes might be closed to those subtle context clues we discussed earlier.
Review the Decision:
3. Finally, those context clues should reinforce that which we already know to be true. We decide- we just can’t afford a child right now- BAM, one of the other kids breaks an arm and another $4000 later… Well maybe no kids right now was prudent.
But then there’s the couple decided to remain open, had a moonlit tryst
even though they have a large bill sitting on the kitchen counter- BAM, a rich relative dies and leaves them everything…
Yah, I know pretty unrealistic- but I think you know what I mean.
I guess to sum it all up, to me, any good decision follows this pattern.
God,
Me,
Holy Spirit.
I’m surrounded by God and am in His full embrace. How could it get any better?
I hope you see what I’m trying to convey here. The first step of discerning if Catholicism is for you is to decide to DO IT. There is no other way. And the first step to “doing” Catholicism is to become informed. Invite GOD into your life through prayer, practice and studies.
Then MAKE God a part of your life by inviting Him to work in all aspects- financial, familial, emotional, sexual, ALL ASPECTS.
After some time you WILL begin to notice the context clues described above. I hear them as my bell choir most often. I get a little “ring true” feeling when the decisions I make are correct and pleasing to God. Other times I will also get real life context clues where everything fits nicely into place- it doesn’t seem to be such a struggle.
:
: The minute details are different for everyone I’m sure.
Good luck.
