Soon we will once again celebrate 8 May, the day on which we commemorate the moment when our Founder, Joseph De Piro, decided to change the course of his life and embrace the priesthood. It was not a decision he took lightly, but the fruit of a genuine process of discernment, during which he opened his heart to listen attentively to God’s will.
Discernment is an essential element of a mature Christian life. The deepest desire of every Catholic believer is to know God’s will and to fulfil it wholeheartedly. It is the only authentic response to God’s love, as the Lord clearly teaches: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” At the same time, the believer knows that doing God’s will is also the greatest gift one can give oneself, since God’s will is always ordered toward our true and lasting good.
Discernment concerns not only major decisions taken at decisive crossroads—such as the one we celebrate on 8 May. Perhaps even more importantly, it involves a daily attentiveness to our interior life: carefully sifting through our thoughts and asking where they come from and where they are leading us. Only through this constant, humble commitment to seeking God’s will can we be confident of making sound decisions when significant choices arise.
It is naïve to assume that our thoughts are always simply “our” thoughts, ignoring the possibility that they may be influenced by forces beyond ourselves. Even when we acknowledge that both God and the Evil One can act upon our interior life, we must remember that the latter is especially skilled at disguising his presence. Without vigilance, we can easily be deceived and led astray.
For this reason, each of us must take seriously the need to grow in the art of discernment, of which Ignatius of Loyola is a recognised master. Our Founder followed his wisdom when he drew up his list of pros and cons regarding the call to the priesthood. We too can greatly benefit from becoming familiar with Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment, which are both deeply spiritual and eminently practical.
To help mark this celebration, and in continuity with my previous message, I would like to propose a video that offers an introduction to this invaluable teaching. I am sharing both an English and a Spanish version for your convenience.
The English video is an interview with Fr Timothy Gallagher, OMV, a well-known author on Ignatian discernment. In this conversation, he presents the essential foundations of the discernment process in a way that not only informs but also awakens a desire for deeper understanding.
Let us commit ourselves to growing in our ability to discern God’s will, so that we may imitate our Founder who wrote to his mother:
“There is only one good wish I accept with all my heart: that I may be able to recognise God’s will and follow it faithfully. This is enough for me.”