Discernment: Recap

My final post on Ignatian discernment summarizes everything I’ve covered in the past nine weeks. I’m listing all the topics and including links to each post so that everything is accessible in this one place for reference.

In the first post on discernment, I introduced Ignatian Discernment and described how this is a practical process. It helps us decide how to act and is how we live our faith in the real world. On the surface, our lives look like what everyone else is doing. But by applying discernment to our choices, we put our faith into action and put meaning into our lives.

Next, I covered why discernment is vital in life’s second half. This process grew from a mid-life crisis moment in the life of St. Ignatius, so it is ideal for us to apply it to the second half of life.

The next four posts cover foundations in the discernment process. These key attitudes and beliefs are as important as the process itself.

• Our beliefs about God. The discernment process rests on the assumption that God constantly reaches out to us and wants what is best for us.
• Hearing God. The feelings St. Ignatius calls consolation and desolation help us detect if we’re being drawn toward God or away from God.
• Self-Awareness. The general descriptions of consolation and desolation are an excellent place to start. Still, we can apply our self-awareness to understand how these states typically appear in our lives.
• Indifference. St. Ignatius emphasizes how important it is to be indifferent to the outcome of our decision. This doesn’t mean you don’t care about the decision or think it’s unimportant, but you are genuinely open to any of the possibilities when you start discerning (rather than having a clear preference already identified).

Next, we looked at applying discernment to the many choices we make in everyday life. This involves paying attention to consolation and desolation during the day. It sounds a lot easier than it is to put into practice on a regular basis!

Then, I covered the discernment process for when you have a big decision.

Finally, I discussed why coming to a decision isn’t the final step in the process. It’s important to look for confirmation of your decision before acting on it.

A Few Closing Thoughts

Although discernment likely introduced some new spiritual terminology and concepts to you, it’s important to note that it doesn’t rely on some unusual or extraordinary spiritual phenomena. The experiences of consolation and desolation are available to all of us, and we just need to learn how to detect them.

You also don’t need to decide to go “all in” with Ignatian discernment. Anything small you do to move in this direction will be useful. Paying attention to when you feel consolation and desolation can have a profound impact. The next time you have a significant decision, consider applying some or all of this process to give you a helpful structure to making the choice. It just might give you an alternative perspective on your options and your way of determining the best choice. And most of all, remember that this isn’t all on you. If you reach out to God for help, God will help with the process.

God is mysterious and often surprising. He also seems to reveal His will for us step by step rather than delivering a complete long-range plan. All we can do is discern each step. Even if some appear to take us down a dead-end road, it may all be part of God’s plan that we can only see in hindsight, if ever at all.

A Closing Prayer

God, the world so much feels like a tragic and terrible place lately. There is heartbreaking news every day. But in the midst of this all, I know that what I do in my daily life matters. I can’t fix the problems in the Middle East or the numerous problems here at home. But I can live according to my beliefs and values, and extend empathy and kindness to those around me.

Remind me why I was initially intrigued with learning about a discernment process. Give me clarity to see what parts of this process I could start to put into action. Right now. And help me trust that if I take this first step, You will be there to respond.

Amen

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