How Can I Discern Between Two Good Things?

Discernment is really Decision-Making Done in a Christian Spirit

The basic thing to know about discernment
In spiritual discernment, the basic assumption is that we are given
two options wherein we need to decide what path to take or what action
to be done. The basic assumption that we need to have when we are given
these two options is that this must be both good options. Otherwise, there
would be no need for spiritual discernment. Because discernment is
choosing which of the two options will be better in God's eyes and closer
to what He really wills of us to be or to do. On the other hand, when we
are faced between two options and one of them is bad, this is a temptation,
and to take the bad option is a path to sin. There is no need for spiritual
discernment here because the decision to be made is obvious: if we are
to use well the gift of freedom God gives us, we will be wise to choose
what is good.

When is the time to discern?
Every moment is a moment and opportunity to choose what is most
according to God's will. This is because every moment is potentially
filled with the gift of God's grace and the more we are attuned to God's
voice and His call, the more our discerning will be successful. However,
we need to be in touch with everything that is involved in our discernment
- most especially with the voice of God Himself. We have to listen well
to His voice: in the Word, in the Eucharist, in the teachings of the Church,
through the wisdom of our Catholic traditions, through our confessor and
spiritual director, through the wise counsel of our friends, associates and
professionals, in the signs of the times and through everything that
involves our very self - our thoughts, our feelings, the state of our
soul, and our physical well-being and our relationships. In our classic
Catholic tradition, there are many methods of discernment that have been
time-tested and truly are methods that were made under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. Ignatian discernment, named after St. Ignatius of
Loyola, is one traditional method of spiritual discernment. It would be
good to have a Jesuit confessor and spiritual director whenever you need
to discern something very vital - especiallly one which can have very
big life-changing consequences in your life.

How do I know if I discerned well and went through the proper way of
spiritual discernment?
One thing for sure to tell if we have made the right decisions in our
way of discerning is if the fruits of the Holy Spirit are very much abundant
and evident in our way of life and in how we relate to others. If the
fruits of the Spirit were not as abundant and rather lacking, then perhaps
there must be something we have missed in the way of our spiritual
discernment. But, all is not lost. Our journey is a continuous journey.
We can still make that important and vital decision where the fruits of
the Holy Spirit will even flow more in abundance - and not only for
ourselves but for all the people in our life network - including the parish
community or religious group or workplace or neighborhood in which we
are rooted. And also, we must not worry that we may not have made a
perfect decision. Perfect decisions are not real. We cannot make
perfect decisions. We can only make good and wise decisions that would
fit the particular life situation and context we are living in. What is
important is that we choose the greater good all the time. We do not
only avoid evil and choose the good. Rather, what is more essential and
vital is we always choose what is the greater good and what would
redound more for the good of everybody in our life network. As we
always seek the best in a situation or the better option between two
goods, let us be reminded always that on our own, we cannot do so. It is by
the grace of God and through the gifts of His most Holy Spirit that we
are able to see the greater good and to have the will and the commitment
to continually choose it.

Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera
March 6, 2005

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