How would you know?

[dluna]

Hi, I am planning to pray about this but would like to gather your thoughts on this. A few incidents happened that made me wonder if I have the gift of discernment.

Some years ago, a person whom I knew as an acquaintance committed suicide. I did not know her well at all. She was an acquaintance but during the last few weeks of her life, we tended to bump into each other often. I felt like God was telling me to talk to her or she will commit suicide. I was newly baptised, thought nothing of such thoughts and did nothing about it. A few weeks later, she committed suicide.

Before baptism, I would also have a natural tendency to “know” if a place is holy or unclean. I once went to a friend’s place. The family is atheist. But when we hung out at her brother’s room to borrow some things, I immediately felt a strong, holy, prayerful presence. I asked her immediately if her brother was Christian. She said yes and I responded by saying that room felt different!

Recently when I prayed (eyes closed) with my spouse who is grappling with issues of anger and unforgiveness, I will always see visions of evil spirits trying to tear into my face, angry that I am praying with him.

And what sparked off this post, was that I held a form last night from the Church. It was an application form signed off by a parisoner to join one of the Church’s activities. It had her name and contact number. I was staring into the paper when I realised I was sucked into it…like a vacuum. I felt breathless. My heart felt so heavy, physically heavy and I felt a lot of hurt and anger from this person. I immediately dedicated my rosary prayer to her.

I also tend to know if someone is hurt or is carrying a lot of baggage and I would pray for them.

Are these signs of spirit of discernment?

 

[Evania]

Absolutely!

 

[Simca]

Most definitely! What a great gift the Lord has blessed you with!

 

[Casilda]

Pray for that lost soul who took her own life. Pray for those people God brings to you in your dreams and thoughts. I often wonder why out of the blue I clearly remember someone from my past I had forgotten about, a priest told me, God wants you to pray for them.

 

[fred_conty]

It is good to pray for anyone you see is hurting in someway. It may be in a dept. store, bowling alley, walking down the street, in the car next to you…and so on. Sometimes you can see it in their eyes, the pain, and sometimes in their body. Frustration and anxiety is rather easy to spot. It’s just a good kind thing to ask Jesus to help them and have mercy.

 

[wild_thing]

There is available at some parishes a booklet and a “test” that helps people discern whether or not they have certain spiritual gifts to offer the Church. It is called The Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory. The author is Sherry Weddell. If you do posses the charism of Discernment, it is very, very important that you have a spiritual director. He (or she) can guide you into using this charism appropriately and for the sake of the Church. Please do seek out some concrete help for this.

 

[InNomineDomini]

I would second wild thing’s advice: please seek out a trustworthy and orthodox spiritual director. Spiritual directors, afterall, are there to help interpret the movement of the Holy Spirit within a soul. Of course, any special graces that God gives us are ultimately meant to be of service to others.

 

[dluna]

I’m not sure who to approach. I’m not close with any particular priest.

Next questions would be:

How would you know this is not simply “sixth sense”?

Doesn’t the Holy Spirit work in such ways in all baptised too? Prompting you about this person or that etc.

 

[Catholic1954]

I’m not sure who to approach. I’m not close with any particular priest.

Next questions would be:

How would you know this is not simply “sixth sense”?

Doesn’t the Holy Spirit work in such ways in all baptised too? Prompting you about this person or that etc.

Make an appointment with your priest and ask if he can recommend a spiritual advisor for you. There are many gifts, but the same Spirit!

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Interesting thread. It never crossed my mind that my ‘6th sense’ could actually be a gift of discernment. Like the OP, I’ve had such things happen to me on a number of occasions.

Sometimes it is about concrete things such as health or jobs, at other times more spiritual matters that concern people. I feel like I just know, and then it happens.

The last thing was quite recent, when for some reason I started panicking about skin cancer. I was reading about it, slapping more sunblock on the family then usual, asking people about their sun care (we live just above the Equator so the conversation is not unusual lol). And then a good friend from home told me she was diagnosed with skin cancer.

This creeps me out a bit. I guess I should pray about it too.

I’m glad the OP has started the thread.

 

[Sunbreak]

I think you have a natural gift. If you don’t know any priest you could ask, is there a religious order’s monastery or something similar where you could find someone to talk to?

 

[Casilda]

Make an appointment with your priest and ask if he can recommend a spiritual advisor for you. There are many gifts, but the same Spirit!

What if you have talked to priests and they brush you off? There is really no spiritual direction except reading about the lives of the saints. My current spiritual directors are St. Faustina and Mother Angelica on video

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

I would say,. Yes,

I felt much the same as you, up till maybe 10 or more years ago,
I think I lost it because I didn’t try to develope it,
Maybe n a couple years when I retire, I might spend more time in prayer,
Perhaps it might come back,life is just to busy now,

 

[wild_thing]

I’m not sure who to approach. I’m not close with any particular priest.

Next questions would be:

How would you know this is not simply “sixth sense”?

Doesn’t the Holy Spirit work in such ways in all baptised too? Prompting you about this person or that etc.

What if you have talked to priests and they brush you off? There is really no spiritual direction except reading about the lives of the saints. My current spiritual directors are St. Faustina and Mother Angelica on video

Not all spiritual directors have to be priests, though sometimes that is ideal. Some resources and information about spiritual direction include: prayer to the Holy Spirit (naturally), for His guidance and for help in finding a director if this is His will; Seeking Spiritual Direction by Thomas Dubay, *Navigating the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God * by Dan Burke, the website ‘Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction’ , also run by Dan Burke, calling up your diocese and asking if there are centers set up for spiritual direction, attending various conferences and talks in the diocese where you can hear of mentors and speakers in the faith, word of mouth in your own parish- if you know of someone in your church who seems advanced in their faith life, ask them who they talk to, where they get advice from, who do they turn to for help…or they might even be a director for you! Also local monasteries, convents and the like are a great resource; there are also online options as well.

As far as whether such things are simply sixth sense, what you described sounded more than the intuition everybody is born with, but again, that is why you should seek out a director to discern this.

 

[Casilda]

Not all spiritual directors have to be priests, though sometimes that is ideal. Some resources and information about spiritual direction include: prayer to the Holy Spirit (naturally), for His guidance and for help in finding a director if this is His will; Seeking Spiritual Direction by Thomas Dubay, *Navigating the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God * by Dan Burke, the website ‘Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction’ , also run by Dan Burke, calling up your diocese and asking if there are centers set up for spiritual direction, attending various conferences and talks in the diocese where you can hear of mentors and speakers in the faith, word of mouth in your own parish- if you know of someone in your church who seems advanced in their faith life, ask them who they talk to, where they get advice from, who do they turn to for help…or they might even be a director for you! Also local monasteries, convents and the like are a great resource; there are also online options as well.

Thank you for these resources!