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Discernment Ron Smith

The document discusses Catholic discernment and how it should be used. Some key points: 1) Discernment includes making a judgement aided by the Holy Spirit to determine if something is from God, oneself, or evil spirits. 2) When discerning, one should pray continually, test all things against Scripture and Church teachings, and judge based on the fruits produced, such as a deepening love for God. 3) An example is given of discerning a smaller car purchase that ultimately helped provide for one's daughter's need, showing discernment can lead to fulfilling God's will.

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90 views2 pages

Discernment Ron Smith

The document discusses Catholic discernment and how it should be used. Some key points: 1) Discernment includes making a judgement aided by the Holy Spirit to determine if something is from God, oneself, or evil spirits. 2) When discerning, one should pray continually, test all things against Scripture and Church teachings, and judge based on the fruits produced, such as a deepening love for God. 3) An example is given of discerning a smaller car purchase that ultimately helped provide for one's daughter's need, showing discernment can lead to fulfilling God's will.

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Francis Lobo
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NOVEMBER 2011

Discernment
"Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it" - Pope St. Felix III Note: In this letter I may occasionally use bold print, italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting. Q: How does the Catholic Church define discernment?

A:

When looking to define Catholic sayings or words, we often forget older dictionaries back before 1970. In them you will find hundreds, if not thousands, of words with their accepted Christian meanings. These were the days when schools and colleges could still read about God and pray without penalty. "Discernment: skill in discerning or discriminating: keenness of insight. Discern: to come to know or recognize mentally: to see or understand the difference."1 "In 1 Corinthians 12:10, Paul lists one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit 'the ability to distinguish between spirits'. The English term discernment is from the Latin discerne - to distinguish between, to resolve [as in conflict], to decide which parallels the New Testament term diakrisis, meaning to distinguish, differentiate or see through to the source, which inspired either an interior movement or a specific behavior. Discernment includes making a judgement aided by the Holy Spirit, so that it is a grace-filled human judgement. The goal of discernment is to see through a given behavior or movement in ones interior life to its source and inspiration: God (or angels), our own heart or evil spirits/the Tempter. Discernment of spirits is necessary for the sake of the People of God, so that they may recognize and participate in the act/work of God in their midst as this relates to the unfolding of His great plan of salvation; in effect, it is Gods gift of spiritual sight which helps identify the critical path of our pilgrimage to God."2 Q: How should a Catholic use discernment? JoAnn Riggio, RN

A:

"Pray without ceasing. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good."3 "There are two basic means of verifying what is discerned. First, at the theological level, any movement of the interior life or behavioral pattern which claims to be from God affirms the basic gospel message is verified throughout Sacred Scripture, is echoed in the Sacred Liturgy, and is consistent with the lives of the saints. Second, on the pastoral and practical level, one always judges an authentic prophecy the same way one judges whether or not an attractive tree is not full of sickness instead of being full of life by the fruit produced; such fruit would normally include a deepening love for God, others and even ones enemies."4 "Beware of false prophets, who come in sheeps clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them."5 In summary: Discernment includes making a judgement aided by the Holy Spirit, so that it is a grace-filled human judgement.
1 2

Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, (1965), G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield, MA., P. 237 Our Sunday Visitors Catholic Encyclopedia, ISBN: 0-87973-669-0, (1998), Rev. Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas Ph.D., S.T.D. Editor, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, IN., P. 332 3 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, N.Y., 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1921, P. 317 4 Our Sunday Visitors Catholic Encyclopedia, ISBN: 0-87973-669-0, (1998), Rev. Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas Ph.D., S.T.D. Editor, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, IN., P. 333 5 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, N.Y., Mt. 7:15-20, P. 21

Pray without ceasing, or, in English a bit more understandable, pray about everything before you make a decision. You know you discerned correctly and made the right decision by the fruits born by your decision!

Let me close with an example. You have $25,000 cash available to buy a new car. You 'want' an SUV with all of the bells and whistles. You put considerable prayer into this and decide to spend only $10,000 on a perfectly good compact car that will serve your 'needs'. You buy the compact car. A week later your daughter has an accident that totals the familys minivan. It was not insured and they have no money to replace it. But you have an extra $15,000 to give them because you trusted in the Lord by discerning in faith your own vehicle purchase! The Lord provided for the 'needs' of both you and your daughter because you prayed, discerned and obeyed! This report prepared on January 7, 2007 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: [email protected]. Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired to anyone as long as the content is not altered and it is copied in its entirety. In this little ministry I do free Catholic and occult related research and answer your questions. Questions are answered in this format with detailed footnotes on all quotes. If you have a question(s), please submit it to this landmail or e-mail address. Answers are usually forthcoming within one week. Let us recover by penance what we have lost by sin [email protected] www.ephesians-511.net

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