CHAPTER 20 – DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD
“Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening life in me.” -St. Ignatius Loyola
“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” -Mother Teresa
“God is near to all those who call on Him. The kingdom of heaven can be reached from any land.” -St. Samthann
“God possesses perfect reason, so He can see all the consequences of every possible decision.” -St. Morgan
The Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ places a strong emphasis on discernment as a core spiritual practice. Discernment, in this context, refers to the process of prayerfully seeking God’s will in all aspects of life, from personal decisions to communal actions. It involves attentive listening to God’s voice through Scripture, prayer, reflection, and the guidance of spiritual directors or trusted companions. The community believes that true discernment requires humility, openness to the Holy Spirit, and a willingness to surrender personal desires to God’s loving plan.
Within the Coworkers of Christ, discernment is not a solitary endeavor but a communal process. Members are encouraged to share their struggles and joys, their hopes and fears, with one another in a spirit of mutual support and accountability. Through shared prayer, reflection, and dialogue, the community helps individuals discern God’s call in their lives and discern the best course of action for the community as a whole. This communal approach to discernment fosters a deeper sense of unity and shared purpose among the members, as they strive to live out their faith together in response to God’s loving invitation.
Within the Coworkers of Christ, time itself becomes a significant element in the discernment process. The community recognizes that true discernment often requires patience and a long-term perspective. It may take time to discern God’s will clearly, as it may involve periods of waiting, testing, and reflection. The community encourages members to cultivate a sense of spiritual attentiveness in the present moment while also maintaining a broader vision of God’s plan unfolding over time. This allows for a deeper understanding of how God is working in their lives and in the world, enabling more informed and insightful discernment.
Discernment within the Coworkers of Christ is an ongoing and dynamic process, not a one-time event. It requires consistent attention to God’s presence in daily life, a willingness to adapt and change as needed, and a commitment to living out the fruits of discernment in concrete ways. Through the practice of discernment, the Coworkers of Christ seek to deepen their relationship with God and one another, grow in holiness, and more effectively serve the needs of the world around them.
- Scriptural Support
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:1-8 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and discern what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:1-8 (NIV)
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him?”
These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:6-16 (NIV)