In my article last week, it was indicated that we know we love God if we are conscientiously avoiding grave sin, also called mortal or serious sin. We know that our love for God is even greater when we avoid deliberate venial sin. I had also mentioned that we love God best, when we seek His Will in everything and try to do it.
It is easy to know God’s Will in some ways. For example, God’s Will is clear to us in the Ten
Commandments. For Religious, God’s Will is clear in the Community’s Rule. But sometimes it is not
easy to know God’s Will when one has to make a decision between two things that are good.
As a young Sister, I asked a very wise and elderly Jesuit: "How do I know God’s Will when it
does not involve sin and does involve choosing between two things that are OK
in themselves? For example, if I have a choice of two retreats ... how can I discern which one
God wants me to make?"
His answer was very Ignatian and has often been of help to me throughout
my Religious life. He said: "Weigh the pros and cons."
In other words, God gave each of us an intellect and most likely God is
not going to speak aloud from the Heavens to tell us everything to do. So having given us an
intellect, which God wants us to use, God expects us to DISCERN ... to think of all the reasons FOR a particular
choice and all the reasons AGAINST a particular choice. Then WEIGH them with good judgment and prudence.
I have met people on occasion who ask God for signs for everything in
their lives. Something like: “Dear God, if I should go to the grocery store today, please let there
be a deer in my back yard.”
Ouch!!!! My, my! I think if one needs to make a decision about whether
they are to go to the grocery store or not, they should simply go to their kitchen and check out
their supplies. Then make an intelligent list.
When I hear something like that, I want to cringe. I guess it’s because
I was taught as a young Sister that we should be very careful about asking God for signs, for such
could take the form of “tempting” God. Though there may be occasions for asking God for signs, they should be
reserved to very, VERY serious matters and hopefully with proper spiritual guidance.
So, it is simple, my friends. We have to work at discerning the Will of
God many times by using the intellect and wisdom we have. It may take time. It might even require
that we sit down with pencil and paper to actually write out the pros and cons of a particular action.
Perhaps consultation with wiser persons than ourselves can and should play a part.
Of course, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. We should pray constantly
throughout our day, but then use the natural and supernatural gifts God has given you to discern.
God bless you! See you next week!