Winner of the 2018 TGC Book Award for Christian Living “And God saw that it was good…” Look out over the world today, it seems a far cry from God’s original declaration. Pain, conflict, and uncertainty dominate the headlines. Our daily lives are noisy and chaotic—filled with too much information and too little wisdom. No wonder we often find it easier to retreat into safe spaces, hunker down in likeminded tribes, and just do our best to survive life. But what if God wants you to do more than simply survive? What if he wants you to thrive in this world, and be part of its redemption? What if you could rediscover the beauty and goodness God established in the beginning? By learning the lost art of discernment, you can. Discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Come, discover the God who not only made all things, but who will also make all things good once again.
Based on the time-tested spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits who developed a systemic way of considering and making choices, this revised edition helps those who want to make fruitful choices and manage decisions with faithfulness to God.
Spiritual discernment is the traditional name for listening and responding to divine guidance. In this book you will approach decision making as an active participant, a co-creator with God in shaping your life. Drawing on twenty-five years of experience as a psychologist and fifteen years as a spiritual director, Nancy L. Bieber presents three essential aspects of Spirit-led decision making:
We all make decisions constantly--some with careful reflection, some without much thought. But what if we understood these decisions, minor as well as major, as matters of faithful Christian living? In this helpful and encouraging book, Elizabeth Liebert introduces the practice of discernment and guides readers through the process of faithful decision making. Following the way of discernment means becoming increasingly able to notice where God is at work in the world and in one's own life--and becoming increasingly generous with one's own life in response. After briefly exploring the Christian tradition of discernment, Liebert then turns to practical steps and exercises that will help readers as they seek God's call in the midst of their decisions, allowing readers to internalize some of these practices and incorporate them into their daily lives.
Pope Francis has said, "Discernment is a choice of courage." In this little wisdom book, Professor Ladislas Orsy shows contemporary readers a well-tested way to listen to the Holy Spirit within and among us as well as offering a way of navigating life's questions through communal discernment. Community discernment is the discovery of a gift by another gift: the discovery of God's plan for the community through the light of faith infused into the minds of its members. While this text was originally written for Jesuits living in community to help them to live God's calling, the principles of Ignatian spirituality outlined here have broad application beyond such a setting today. As such it is: Rooted in history but not a history of discernment Theological but not a doctrinal treatise Practical but not a how-to manual Spiritual but does not belong to any specific school of thought. Succinct and very readable, this book contains a collection of insights suitable for both individual and group discernment exercises.
What should I do? We ask the question when we pray. We ask it when we run out of answers to our problems. We ask it when we face big decisions. We ask it when we get out of bed in the morning: How should I live this day as well as I can? We can find answers through learning the art of discernment-the wisdom that enables us to see and interpret the leading of the Holy Spirit as it is manifested in the inner lives of our hearts. The great master of this art was St. Ignatius Loyola, author of The Spiritual Exercises, who believed that the ability to discern the spirits is one of the most important skills a Christian could have. Ignatius believed that the answer to the question "What Should I Do?" is found in the shifting sea of feelings, insights, leadings, and intuitions of our affective lives. What Do You Really Want? shows us how to understand these emotions and use what we learn to make the choices that best serve God and bring his love to the people in our lives. It shows the truth of one of Ignatius's greatest insights-that when we find what we really want, we find what God wants too, because the deepest desires of our hearts were placed there by God.
Satan is always at work breeding sadness and anxiety while providing obstacles that prevent souls from making spiritual progress. In this concise yet powerful book, author Dan Burke presents the venerable, time-tested wisdom of Catholic mystics to help you understand the influence of the Enemy on your mind and heart, and the tactics you need to combat him. With St. Ignatius as his guide, Burke presents here an indispensable, authoritative manual for engaging in daily battle with the Adversary—combat that is both inevitable and winnable. Burke will help you recognize the ebbs and flows of consolation and desolation, and distinguish between the voices of God and of Satan. Best of all, you'll come to see the spiritual life not as a science to be learned, but as an intuitive art to be practiced as you move with increasing success from habitual sin to sanctity. The battle for our souls is unavoidable. The saints won theirs by learning how to be spiritual warriors and by recognizing that we become stronger through battle and grow weaker from avoidance. With this book as your guide, you'll grow in strength and contentment as you learn: How to take captive every negative thought and make it obedient to Christ St. Ignatius's revelations exposing how the Devil seeks to influence us The Paradigm of Ascent and the Five Steps to Sanctity The three ways you can discern “Good Spirits” from “Bad Spirits” The three principal causes of desolation—and what you must do when it afflicts your soul Proven methods for moving away from sin and toward self-giving love of God and neighbor.
So much about our contemporary living can distract and disorient us, making it difficult to grow in the spiritual life, or even to cling to one?s beliefs and practices with an inner conviction that fills the heart. Enter the true art of discernment: more than simply a tool for making decisions or a method for mastering God?s will, discernment is a process by which we learn how to remain in Christ, taking on his stance toward life, allowing him to inspire and direct our everyday choices. Precisely because it is an art of communication between persons, discernment cannot be reduced to a psychological technique for running our spiritual lives; rather, it is rooted in relationship. Jesuit priest Marko Ivan Rupnik blends the wisdom of ancient church fathers collected in the volumes of the Philokalia with the keen insights of Renaissance giant, Ignatius of Loyola, liberally sprinkled with present day examples. The result is a book of spirituality both eminently practical and lyrically enticing.Includes:Discernment as relationship with God Discernment and prayer Understanding temptation How to surrender to Christ Practicing discernment Discerning one?s vocation Community discernment