Love God and Do What You Will: Avoiding Over-Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Discernment
January 6, 2012
Michael W. Hannon
In so many Christian contexts today, it is almost impossible to avoid hearing about the importance of discerning one’s “personal vocation.” This label, apparently, is meant to denote the specific calling God gives to each individual, through which each is to live out his own particular call to holiness. Yet this language reflects only a half-truth. We are indeed meant to follow the will of God in all that we do. But such popular talk of one’s “calling” also betrays a crucial misunderstanding of discernment, a cardinal error that is entirely foreign to the great tradition of the Church.
The confusion is rooted in the oft-overlooked sin of presumption. For when a Christian goes to prayer with the expectation that God will reveal to him a personalized plan for his life, he presumes that God will make him the recipient of a miraculous private revelation. Now, our Christian history has seen numerous instances of his doing exactly that, particularly with some of the Church’s most venerable mystic saints. But God is under no constraints to act in this way, and far be it for me to deem myself worthy to receive so extraordinary a message from Our Lord.
But if a Christian is not to presume that God will supernaturally reveal his “personal vocation” to him, how then is he to know God’s will for his life? I would contend that, if he has been going to church on a weekly basis and has received at least average catechesis along the way, he probably already does know his will for his life. God summarizes it succinctly in the Ten Commandments, and even more succinctly in Matthew 22: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”, and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. That, further informed by the ordinances of the Church, is all the instruction we need to achieve our fulfillment and arrive at salvation.
In a recent documentary on Eastern Christian monasticism, NYU’s Norris Chumley asked a monk in the Ukraine if God speaks to him in prayer. “He does not speak to me,” the monk answered, “because he has already said everything, through the Gospel and through the works of the Holy Fathers, of the saints.” Such a response might sound borderline blasphemous to contemporary Christians. And yet, this answer reflects perfectly the consensus of the Church over the past 2,000 years. In general, it seems that God provides the graces people need to serve him in whatever station of life they occupy.
So God does not tell each of us exactly what to do all the time. In fact, he does not necessarily even tell us what to do with regards to major life choices, including choices between religious and secular life. He gifts us with any number of good and virtuous options, and then leaves the decision to us. As a mantra classically attributed to St. Augustine puts it, “Love God and do what you will.”
This attitude obviously flies in the face of most of today’s popular literature on vocation, wherein “discerners” are told to look within themselves to see if their desires indicate that God has singled them out to live a religious life. So, in addition to the prideful presumption lurking within that common strategy, this typical modern message about discernment also sows a dangerous confusion about the nature of a religious vocation.
The religious life is a higher calling, not an esoteric, separate one. Just as giving an extra hundred dollars to the collection plate is not as good as giving an extra thousand, still both are goods, and there is no immorality in opting out of the heroically generous higher option. That is an ancient doctrine of the faith, but too often today people shy away from it and try to mitigate the revealed truth that a religious vocation is more perfect than any secular life can be. The message of Our Lord and St. Paul in the Scriptures, and that of the Church’s tradition throughout history, is simply this: “Let those who can take religious life take it.”
God tells Jeremiah that he knows well the plans he has made for him, “plans for his welfare and not for his woe.” What he does not say is that Jeremiah will likewise know these plans before they come to fruition. God promises never to abandon the Christian in his pilgrimage towards Heaven, but not that the path ahead will be made clear to him before he walks it. Does this seemingly radical rejection of “personal vocation” mean that God does not care what I do with my life? Of course it does not. It simply means that God does not condemn all ways but one.
The Christian ought to make major life decisions as he ought to make all decisions: by evaluating how he can serve God, by choosing a course of action accordingly, and by having the courage to follow through and do it. As Pope Benedict XVI writes, “If I listen to [God] and walk with Him, I become truly myself. What counts is not the fulfillment of my desires, but of his will. In this way life becomes authentic.” May we each have the courage to live such an authentic life, free from the unnecessary burdens we impose on ourselves by becoming too preoccupied with what one of my friends refers to as “an over-devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Discernment.”
Michael Hannon studies philosophy, religion, and medieval studies at Columbia University.
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Comments:
1.6.2012 | 10:31am
The Moz says:
Keep pop-psych. out of our faith and it will grow in strength. The new translation is a very important step in this direction. Our faith is much more mysterious and if I may use the word spiritual than even we faithful Catholics realize or acknowledge.
1.6.2012 | 10:48am
Craig Roberts says:
Excellent article! So many popular writings on the subject contain the subtle implication that our 'heart' should be consulted and our 'head' ignored while trying to discern God's will. How often do we blame God for not being clear enough to us personally while we try to ignore the commandments and the Gospel?
1.6.2012 | 11:24am
Seth says:
While I agree with the author here, and find this kind of thinking virtually absent nowadays, Jeremiah also says, "Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know." I know, I know, Jeremiah was a prophet, but it is something to consider.
1.6.2012 | 11:58am
Billian says:
In fact, Vatican II and thereabouts, began to speak more favorably of "Lay" believers.
And? Arguably, the Bible itself grew tired of prophets per se: in Jeremiah there are many complaints about "false prophets." While the OT concludes with an expectation that in the end, "every prophet" will be "ashamed" of his vision. And in the New Testament? Jesus in the NT warned that there would be many "false prophets" after him.
Was the Bible itself in the end, becoming disenchanted with prophets and soothsayers? Becoming more "secular"? Or certainly, more supportive of lay vocations?
And? Arguably, the Bible itself grew tired of prophets per se: in Jeremiah there are many complaints about "false prophets." While the OT concludes with an expectation that in the end, "every prophet" will be "ashamed" of his vision. And in the New Testament? Jesus in the NT warned that there would be many "false prophets" after him.
Was the Bible itself in the end, becoming disenchanted with prophets and soothsayers? Becoming more "secular"? Or certainly, more supportive of lay vocations?
1.6.2012 | 1:47pm
sam says:
Your article falls short of the truth. God does indeed inspire all our of good thoughts and desires, including moving us to our vocation in life. Only those who take the time to encounter Christ in the silence and stillness of their intellects can have a spiritual life and make progress in that life.
1.6.2012 | 2:15pm
Harry Flynn says:
Fr. Richard Butler wrote a book that says much the same as above:
Religious Vocation: An Unnecessary Mystery.
Religious Vocation: An Unnecessary Mystery.
1.6.2012 | 2:23pm
Christopher says:
"But if a Christian is not to presume that God will supernaturally reveal his “personal vocation” to him, how then is he to know God’s will for his life? I would contend that, if he has been going to church on a weekly basis and has received at least average catechesis along the way, he probably already does know his will for his life."
This is an over-simplication and does not accurately reflect Catholic teaching on personal vocation and mission. See especially Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici on this topic, and LifeWork by Ignatius Press.
This is an over-simplication and does not accurately reflect Catholic teaching on personal vocation and mission. See especially Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici on this topic, and LifeWork by Ignatius Press.
1.6.2012 | 2:26pm
Randy says:
As far as I can tell, I've been called to be good and stay out of trouble. God gives you what may seem like monumental tasks for you, but they're doable, I hope. People like John Paul II just have a higher bar for what constitutes monumental but doable.
1.6.2012 | 3:02pm
LY says:
G.K. Chesterton. "In Defense of Rash Vows". Available for free. Google. Cheers.
1.6.2012 | 3:44pm
Assistant Village Idiot says:
I started in an evangelical culture which believed quite forcefully and openly in being specificlly led to not only your profession but your specifc job; your spouse, the timing of your children, and all your friends; your church and ministries; whether you should buy JIF or Peter Pan; whether you should go to bed at 10:30 or 10:45PM.
A certain type of personality prefers to approach life this way, and decrees that other Christians should as well, or fail in their spirituality.
My cure came from CS Lewis, partly, and from reading the New England Puritans, who recognised the general and specific calling of the Christian, and considered the latter of no value compared to the former.
A certain type of personality prefers to approach life this way, and decrees that other Christians should as well, or fail in their spirituality.
My cure came from CS Lewis, partly, and from reading the New England Puritans, who recognised the general and specific calling of the Christian, and considered the latter of no value compared to the former.
1.6.2012 | 4:20pm
Jeanane says:
This reminds me of what I once heard about Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, the famous priest who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp: Mary let HIM choose between the crown of a martyr and one other crown that was for purity I think. He was the one who got to decide though. Mary asked she didn't say it was mandated.
1.6.2012 | 4:27pm
Elizabeth D says:
"He does not speak to me,” the monk answered, “because he has already said everything, through the Gospel and through the works of the Holy Fathers, of the saints"
Amen, this really is the consensus of the last 2000 years. This is basically exactly what St John of the Cross says, in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God has already said everything, and has nothing more to add.
Amen, this really is the consensus of the last 2000 years. This is basically exactly what St John of the Cross says, in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God has already said everything, and has nothing more to add.
1.6.2012 | 6:02pm
Don Roberto says:
Flannery O'Connor in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" (1953) had a great closing line: "...she would have been a good woman, if there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life."
Those rare times when God speaks to us are to be greatly treasured. Free will would be less meaningful in a world where God often reveals Himself overtly.
†
Those rare times when God speaks to us are to be greatly treasured. Free will would be less meaningful in a world where God often reveals Himself overtly.
†
1.6.2012 | 6:30pm
james keating says:
Sorry mike, way too simplistic an understanding of desires and discernment, and using Benedict XVI as a prop for your argument is baseless. "Under the guidance of your formators, open your hearts to the light of the Lord, to see if this path which demands courage and authenticity is for you. Approach the priesthood only if you are firmly convinced that God is calling you to be his ministers, and if you are completely determined to exercise it in obedience to the Church’s precepts." (Benedict XVI, Aug, 20, 2011)
How does one become convinced if God is calling without noticing and embracing the fruit of conversations with Him, conversations that obviously include desires. Desires are not self evidently clear and so as Benedict says they must be placed within the context of guidance. Such guidance, which includes both interior movements of the soul and attention to external input from trusted spiritual leaders, is crucial for a man to enter before he embraces priesthood. This process is commonly known as discernment.
And as far as the monk noting that God does not speak to him....hmmm. What is this monk doing as he is reading the scriptures? Applying them to some generic human situation or is he discerning the scriptures relevance to his own concrete life? If the latter... God is speaking to him, personally.
How does one become convinced if God is calling without noticing and embracing the fruit of conversations with Him, conversations that obviously include desires. Desires are not self evidently clear and so as Benedict says they must be placed within the context of guidance. Such guidance, which includes both interior movements of the soul and attention to external input from trusted spiritual leaders, is crucial for a man to enter before he embraces priesthood. This process is commonly known as discernment.
And as far as the monk noting that God does not speak to him....hmmm. What is this monk doing as he is reading the scriptures? Applying them to some generic human situation or is he discerning the scriptures relevance to his own concrete life? If the latter... God is speaking to him, personally.
1.6.2012 | 7:19pm
Catinlap1 says:
The exercise of free will involves more than the ability to choose between emergent issues of good and evil. If, after diligent prayer and an honest assesment of our abilities and inclinations (discernment) two or more viable pathways remain open to us (for example, religious life or marriage) it is God's will for us to choose one or the other. Whatever we choose is God's will for our lives. Therefore our own free will shapes the will of God for our lives.
1.6.2012 | 8:50pm
Gil Costello says:
There is much I disagree with in this piece, but with the limited time I have left at the library I will respond to this one paragraph:
"So God does not tell each of us exactly what to do all the time. In fact, he does not necessarily even tell us what to do with regards to major life choices, including choices between religious and secular life. He gifts us with any number of good and virtuous options, and then leaves the decision to us. As a mantra classically attributed to St. Augustine puts it, 'Love God and do what you will.'"
Those called to a priestly vocation, a religious life or a lay calling eventually see the journey to arriving as a bundle of resistances. God's gentleness in abiding with our resistances until his light gradually builds up in us, seeping through our walls, eventually instills a profound gratitude in the person with each piecemeal advance.
Jane Mansfield’s father knew that his daughter had been called to be a writer, that there were no other options from God, although He would have abided in any case if she had chosen another path, and her dad decided to support that calling no matter what the expense, monetarily and emotionally. And Mansfield addressed this dynamic of calling (how we are all called to our baptismal priesthood, our holy orders and our ordination) in what I believe his her greatest novel, "Mansfield Park". In it she simply shows how those who are not listening to how they are called journey into wasted lives, and those who listen to how they are called and embrace the specifics of how they are called find a path to the fullness of joy and happiness.
"So God does not tell each of us exactly what to do all the time. In fact, he does not necessarily even tell us what to do with regards to major life choices, including choices between religious and secular life. He gifts us with any number of good and virtuous options, and then leaves the decision to us. As a mantra classically attributed to St. Augustine puts it, 'Love God and do what you will.'"
Those called to a priestly vocation, a religious life or a lay calling eventually see the journey to arriving as a bundle of resistances. God's gentleness in abiding with our resistances until his light gradually builds up in us, seeping through our walls, eventually instills a profound gratitude in the person with each piecemeal advance.
Jane Mansfield’s father knew that his daughter had been called to be a writer, that there were no other options from God, although He would have abided in any case if she had chosen another path, and her dad decided to support that calling no matter what the expense, monetarily and emotionally. And Mansfield addressed this dynamic of calling (how we are all called to our baptismal priesthood, our holy orders and our ordination) in what I believe his her greatest novel, "Mansfield Park". In it she simply shows how those who are not listening to how they are called journey into wasted lives, and those who listen to how they are called and embrace the specifics of how they are called find a path to the fullness of joy and happiness.
1.6.2012 | 9:14pm
Gil Costello says:
My concern here is the notion that God provides options in every second of choosing. I do not think so. What he provides resides in his gift of free will, something he abides in and is the origin of options. Jesus never did his will, but the will of his Father. Sure, Jesus had an option in the Garden of Gethsemane, but Jesus chose what his Father willed.
This notion of God providing options of equal value just doesn't sit well with me. What I do think is true is that every person can opt out of what God calls him/her to do in every specific situation, and in opting out God still abides and providentially graces us until we move back on track, and abides when we move off that track again. We are, after all, to be perfect as our Father is perfect, and that we fail in this most of the time humbles us, always trying to return to doing everything that God would choose if he were in our situation, his will.
I also have to disagree with the monk who said, "He does not speak to me because he has already said everything, through the Gospel and through the works of the Holy Fathers, of the saints." Unless he meant something other than how his words are being interpreted here.
I just wrote this today:
Pray all the time. That is what is required of every Christian. But how? We must first acknowledge that Jesus speaks to us in every second, even from behind the door we refuse to open when he knocks.
Second, we must respond to his voice with a Marion “Yes”, an invitation for him to enter our room. Our room then becomes the rich soil where Jesus’ words are planted and grow into a beautiful flower that will pollinate the world.
This pollination is praying all the time.
**********
When I hear Jesus’ voice I respond, “Yes Lord…Bless you Lord…Thank you Lord.” This response is provided by our Lord, for he provides all good things. And it occurred to me one day that this response is complete in its receiving him, worshiping him and expressing gratitude for his visit.
From this place a desire is birthed to go out into the world to share the good news of his visit, and that he has no desire to leave.
This notion of God providing options of equal value just doesn't sit well with me. What I do think is true is that every person can opt out of what God calls him/her to do in every specific situation, and in opting out God still abides and providentially graces us until we move back on track, and abides when we move off that track again. We are, after all, to be perfect as our Father is perfect, and that we fail in this most of the time humbles us, always trying to return to doing everything that God would choose if he were in our situation, his will.
I also have to disagree with the monk who said, "He does not speak to me because he has already said everything, through the Gospel and through the works of the Holy Fathers, of the saints." Unless he meant something other than how his words are being interpreted here.
I just wrote this today:
Pray all the time. That is what is required of every Christian. But how? We must first acknowledge that Jesus speaks to us in every second, even from behind the door we refuse to open when he knocks.
Second, we must respond to his voice with a Marion “Yes”, an invitation for him to enter our room. Our room then becomes the rich soil where Jesus’ words are planted and grow into a beautiful flower that will pollinate the world.
This pollination is praying all the time.
**********
When I hear Jesus’ voice I respond, “Yes Lord…Bless you Lord…Thank you Lord.” This response is provided by our Lord, for he provides all good things. And it occurred to me one day that this response is complete in its receiving him, worshiping him and expressing gratitude for his visit.
From this place a desire is birthed to go out into the world to share the good news of his visit, and that he has no desire to leave.
1.7.2012 | 9:42am
bernie thomas says:
Those who want to know the map of life they should take in all its details don't know how God works. Most of us know in some fairly clear way what we are to do today, tomorrow and the next day. But to pray to seek guidance about big and little decisions is wise. Surely God "speaks" to people in prayer and not in prayer. Promptings of the Holy Spirit are real and can lead one spontaneously to do holy things one never would have reasoned out. Intimacy with Christ is real and can lead one to receive guidance on mundane as well as profound matters. But not all guidance is direct and obvious. Some is subtle and we are foolish to look for indubitable signs. While offering much good advice, I think this article downplays the immediate guidance God does offer to many who pray always.
1.7.2012 | 10:46am
Mark says:
Great book on this subject is by father Larry Richards: Surrender! The life changing power of Doing God's Will.
1.7.2012 | 12:20pm
Joey L. says:
If God has already said everything? Then that renders the Second Coming and Last Justment useless.
Christians should be a little less self-satisfied and cocksure, about how perfect things already are. When they do, they look exactly like the Pharisees, after all.
The Last Word is yet to come.
Christians should be a little less self-satisfied and cocksure, about how perfect things already are. When they do, they look exactly like the Pharisees, after all.
The Last Word is yet to come.
1.7.2012 | 2:06pm
Pat says:
When I only went to church once a week and had a moderate amount of catechesis I would have bought this stuff and been affirmed in my lukewarmness. The life you describe here will always lead you to choose yourself. To love God means not doing as you will unless you have United your will to His. Presumption in expecting to decern your path in prayer to your Father? Of course you are not worthy. No one is. Don't ever let that stop you. That surly is a devils trick.
1.7.2012 | 2:07pm
Teddy Burkhardt says:
This is great for waking up perpetual discerners! Nice work, Michael.
I'd only add that, once we realize our calling is more simple than we might have thought, that the Lord calls us not to keep discerning what to do, but to simply be in deeper relationship with him. I may have read you wrongly, but your article's tone seems to make light of the relationship that a Christian is meant to have with the Lord. Daily discernment of spirits, of our own thoughts and desires, is, truly, perpetual, in the sense that we will always be looking at our concupiscent lives and asking God to further purify them, no matter what our larger vocation is.
Your article, although very helpful, could perhaps lead a reader to a more deistic conception of God, which is not what Augustine meant when he wrote "Love God and do what you will", this being the man who wrote such an intimate and painstaking portrait of his own discernment and relationship with God in the Confessions.
I would challenge your simplistic view of the criteria of sanctity which you contend to be weekly mass and an average catechesis topped off by loving God and doing what one wills. You may argue with this, you may not, but I believe you neglect the core wisdom of the saints by not mentioning the hinge which a good, Christian life turns upon--a personal relationship with Christ.
(Perhaps some confusion arises about these two things: 1) discernment of God's plan, which is a means to an end, and 2) relationship with Christ, beatitude, contemplation, the end in His self. You have properly simplified the first while not mentioning the second.)
I'd only add that, once we realize our calling is more simple than we might have thought, that the Lord calls us not to keep discerning what to do, but to simply be in deeper relationship with him. I may have read you wrongly, but your article's tone seems to make light of the relationship that a Christian is meant to have with the Lord. Daily discernment of spirits, of our own thoughts and desires, is, truly, perpetual, in the sense that we will always be looking at our concupiscent lives and asking God to further purify them, no matter what our larger vocation is.
Your article, although very helpful, could perhaps lead a reader to a more deistic conception of God, which is not what Augustine meant when he wrote "Love God and do what you will", this being the man who wrote such an intimate and painstaking portrait of his own discernment and relationship with God in the Confessions.
I would challenge your simplistic view of the criteria of sanctity which you contend to be weekly mass and an average catechesis topped off by loving God and doing what one wills. You may argue with this, you may not, but I believe you neglect the core wisdom of the saints by not mentioning the hinge which a good, Christian life turns upon--a personal relationship with Christ.
(Perhaps some confusion arises about these two things: 1) discernment of God's plan, which is a means to an end, and 2) relationship with Christ, beatitude, contemplation, the end in His self. You have properly simplified the first while not mentioning the second.)
1.7.2012 | 2:20pm
A.M . says:
Unsure if the author has tried to discern enough :) , before choosing a title that seems to be a subtle mockery of one of the revered titles of The Lady and thus , to go against the warning , to even avoid the appearance of evil !
That too, esp. in these latter times , when we might need to care more about what are the deepest convictions that move us !
'Honor your Mother and Father ' - one very basic one and an area that the need to consider ...The Lady of Perpetual Discernment - from The Presence of The Holy Spirit with her , that could avoid much confusion , in this regard , thus helping us to fulfill another dictate - ' rejoice always ' , knowing who we are , in her !
There is the incident, in bio of St.Faustina , may be to help us little people not to loose heart , when it comes to making decisions in a hurry ( like St.Peter , who jumped in , in the zeal of fallen human nature, to admonish The Lord and was put in his place , so that he could do so for others too, down through the centuriees ! )
She was given direct directions from The Lord , about plans for an Order of nuns she was to start - yet her superiors could not agree at the time .
She discerend the Lord's will from trusting them , inspite of the interior struggles she mentions this caused her which possibly was to earn her much , as a powerful intercessor for those who too would have to wait and wrestle , prayerfully , unless The Church has spoken clearly !
The Order of her congregation has come to exist , besides the nuns , in the form of the many laity also who too try to follow in the devotion to Divine Mercy , trusting that
exercising of our priesthood , to pray and praise , esp. in and for those areas that are in special need , is always occsion for gratitude !
May the times of Mary Immaculate help to mitigate for any lack of discernement in all our lives !
That too, esp. in these latter times , when we might need to care more about what are the deepest convictions that move us !
'Honor your Mother and Father ' - one very basic one and an area that the need to consider ...The Lady of Perpetual Discernment - from The Presence of The Holy Spirit with her , that could avoid much confusion , in this regard , thus helping us to fulfill another dictate - ' rejoice always ' , knowing who we are , in her !
There is the incident, in bio of St.Faustina , may be to help us little people not to loose heart , when it comes to making decisions in a hurry ( like St.Peter , who jumped in , in the zeal of fallen human nature, to admonish The Lord and was put in his place , so that he could do so for others too, down through the centuriees ! )
She was given direct directions from The Lord , about plans for an Order of nuns she was to start - yet her superiors could not agree at the time .
She discerend the Lord's will from trusting them , inspite of the interior struggles she mentions this caused her which possibly was to earn her much , as a powerful intercessor for those who too would have to wait and wrestle , prayerfully , unless The Church has spoken clearly !
The Order of her congregation has come to exist , besides the nuns , in the form of the many laity also who too try to follow in the devotion to Divine Mercy , trusting that
exercising of our priesthood , to pray and praise , esp. in and for those areas that are in special need , is always occsion for gratitude !
May the times of Mary Immaculate help to mitigate for any lack of discernement in all our lives !
1.7.2012 | 9:17pm
BE says:
Sometimes it is extremely obvious what we have to do (or not do) in order to do God's will for us,e.g. someone provokes you and you in turn do NOT bash the person's brains in but manage to restrain your anger through the good habit of patience you have built up through the years. And then there's the call of duty. Newman spoke of God's blessed messengers: events. Sometimes things can get very specific indeed, but in general I agree with what a very saintly nun told me when I inquired about this issue: "Create community" she said. Not so easy.
1.7.2012 | 10:41pm
Lorrie says:
Before throwing out the idea of discernment which in effect rejects what Jesus told us about the gift of the Holy Spirit, I suggest a deeper study of what genuine discernment involves. A great reference is "Authenticity ...A Biblical Theology of Discernment" by Fr. Thomas Dubay. Also, St . Ignatius and his rules for discernment of spirits.
1.7.2012 | 10:41pm
Lorrie says:
Before throwing out the idea of discernment which in effect rejects what Jesus told us about the gift of the Holy Spirit, I suggest a deeper study of what genuine discernment involves. A great reference is "Authenticity ...A Biblical Theology of Discernment" by Fr. Thomas Dubay. Also, St . Ignatius and his rules for discernment of spirits.
1.8.2012 | 8:17am
J. Crook says:
Teddy's comment is spot-on. In addition, it's worth noting that the author's effort (intentional or not) is more polemical than encyclopedic. In other words, he argues in support of the view that discernment is an "Unnecessary Mystery"--an excellent book, by the way. The view is a response to the way that many spend their lives waiting for a plan to drop from heaven rather than listen for the "still, small voice." Arguing for this position does not require the author to lay out an encyclopedic alternative for the spiritual life, only to point out the better way to discern. If he does not do this perfectly--well, OK.
1.8.2012 | 11:32am
Amphitrion says:
The message of this post is good and healthy. Those called to religious life are not, ipso facto, "holier" than those who are called to other vocations. It is not one's vocation that makes one holy, but rather how truly one lives out one's vocation, whatever that vocation may be.
Frankly I find it interesting that Mr. Hannon sees a need to write this piece. I must be living in a very different climate of Catholicism than Mr. Hannon. None of the vocation directors I know pushes the "holier than thou" argument to discerners. It's all about self knowledge. Who am I? Who has God created me to be? Obviously the answer to this question might well be "a priest" or "a religious" but it could also be "a plumber" or "a yachtsman" if these vocations are both personally fulfilling and likewise fulfill our baptismal promises.
Frankly I find it interesting that Mr. Hannon sees a need to write this piece. I must be living in a very different climate of Catholicism than Mr. Hannon. None of the vocation directors I know pushes the "holier than thou" argument to discerners. It's all about self knowledge. Who am I? Who has God created me to be? Obviously the answer to this question might well be "a priest" or "a religious" but it could also be "a plumber" or "a yachtsman" if these vocations are both personally fulfilling and likewise fulfill our baptismal promises.
1.8.2012 | 4:17pm
Rick says:
If I had been asked the question the monk was asked, I'd have to say, "Yes, it has happened, and in specific words that I can repeat, but it is extremely rare." God makes his presence known in a variety of ways, and specific verbal messages can be one of those ways. I'm afraid I'll have to disagree that divine revelation ended with the final editing of the Bible. The Spirit has not been stricken mute and still speaks in different ways to those who have attuned themselves. It may even include (again, on extremely rare occasions) a revelation of cosmic significance. However, the posting of Ass't V. I. really tickled me. I've also known evangelicals who sought God's will as to whether they should have a second helping of mashed potatoes.
1.8.2012 | 10:15pm
edmond says:
I think Saul's transformation from persecutor to Paul the apostle speaks deeply of how spiritual direction plays an important role in discernment. I believe the more important issue should be the degree of commitment, if total and irrevocable, this ushers in the Holy Spirit to direct us as He did with Saul.
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. "
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. "
1.9.2012 | 7:32am
C. says:
The article speaks of religious vocation, i.e. the perfect living of the Evangelical Counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. This is a universal call, to be perfect.
Some commentators confuse this with the priestly vocation, which is a particular call. Not all single men are called to be priests, but all are called to be celibate.
(Yet while all are called by Our Lord, few are chosen--it is not a sin to marry.)
Some commentators confuse this with the priestly vocation, which is a particular call. Not all single men are called to be priests, but all are called to be celibate.
(Yet while all are called by Our Lord, few are chosen--it is not a sin to marry.)
1.9.2012 | 3:57pm
John says:
The author displays his ignorance of Scripture by presuming the text of Matthew 22 demonstrates his point that Christians need discern the will of God for their own lives. There was no explanation of how that text applied to he wanted to say. Weekly church attendance, exposing oneself to basic catechesis, trying to achieve personal fulfillment, and aiming to arrive at salvation is hardly indicative of one who loves God with his whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. In fact, I would say that's a getting-by, minimalist Christianity, hardly what the lives of the Saints were (are) like. Passengers simply arrive, Pilgrims progress. There's a reason we Christians call ourselves Pilgrims, not passengers. This authors exegesis is laziness at best. What does the author think of Psalm 139:23-4-"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
1.9.2012 | 10:23pm
Gil Costello says:
C,
I understand your reasoning when you write, "Some commentators confuse this with the priestly vocation, which is a particular call. Not all single men are called to be priests, but all are called to be celibate."
All Christians are all called to be priests, prophets and kings, and why early on in the Church the phrase "the royal priesthood" was coined to describe every Christian. Of course there is a particular calling, the ministerial priesthood, open to men alone who are called to that particularity. But one of the great modern confusions in the Catholic Church is women who experience being called to be priests not being assisted in discerning that they are to embrace that calling, a calling every Christian can experience if open to it. And so it goes that with no understanding of the royal priesthood, many women feel slighted in not being allowed to be ministerial priests.
I understand your reasoning when you write, "Some commentators confuse this with the priestly vocation, which is a particular call. Not all single men are called to be priests, but all are called to be celibate."
All Christians are all called to be priests, prophets and kings, and why early on in the Church the phrase "the royal priesthood" was coined to describe every Christian. Of course there is a particular calling, the ministerial priesthood, open to men alone who are called to that particularity. But one of the great modern confusions in the Catholic Church is women who experience being called to be priests not being assisted in discerning that they are to embrace that calling, a calling every Christian can experience if open to it. And so it goes that with no understanding of the royal priesthood, many women feel slighted in not being allowed to be ministerial priests.
1.9.2012 | 10:29pm
Gil Costello says:
I would also like to suggest that if one loves God with one's whole heart, mind and soul, and one's neighbor as oneself, one is incontrovertibly doing the will of the Father, and thus one could then write with authority, "Love God and do what you will", for your will be in absolute unison with God's.
1.10.2012 | 9:53am
Cathy says:
I think one thing we must do is look at the context for Mr. Hannon's comments. He writes from the college environment. My guess is that he is seeing, as I have seen, the tendency of some of today's young adults to avoid making a decision because they are waiting for God. They drop out of college because they don't know what degree God wants them to get, and they wait tables or work in coffee shops. While their peers are entering the job market, working toward financial independence, and gaining stills that just might benefit a later religious vocation should God ask for it, a certain group of Christians are paralyzed in fear of making a "wrong" choice.
Does this mean we choose without prayer and being open to God's input? No. God can and will talk to people, even directly and clearly, but I've found, and my friends have found, it often happens more in the midst of doing rather than in the midst of waiting. For example, God put me on a path for a graduate degree I would never have guessed, and it did become clear not until I had already started looking at graduate school options.
Like all things spiritual, balance is necessary. Discernment is a process that requires prayer. But God also has given us great opportunities as gifts, and to ignore them out of fear (think of how often Jesus commands "Do not be afraid") that we might make a mistake can also mean refusing what God is offering. After all, as Stephen Sondheim said in "Into the Woods", not choosing is also a choice.
Does this mean we choose without prayer and being open to God's input? No. God can and will talk to people, even directly and clearly, but I've found, and my friends have found, it often happens more in the midst of doing rather than in the midst of waiting. For example, God put me on a path for a graduate degree I would never have guessed, and it did become clear not until I had already started looking at graduate school options.
Like all things spiritual, balance is necessary. Discernment is a process that requires prayer. But God also has given us great opportunities as gifts, and to ignore them out of fear (think of how often Jesus commands "Do not be afraid") that we might make a mistake can also mean refusing what God is offering. After all, as Stephen Sondheim said in "Into the Woods", not choosing is also a choice.
1.11.2012 | 3:21pm
Anaxionos says:
Although Mr. Hannon here made the surgical distinctions necessary, still some of these comments suggest that his viewpoint is irresponsible/wrong because private revelation IS something that should be sought. As Mr. Hannon himself said toward the end of the article: yes, we as Christians/Catholics should be prudent in our life decisions, living with God as Lord of our life; he's not suggesting a cavalier attitude toward our life. One commentor 'got at' the meaning of St. Augustine's quote: if we are participating in the Sacraments, loving the Lord our God with our whole selves, and loving our neighbours as ourselves, we can 'do what [we] will' because we are living in God's will.
Our Lord and Saviour, in the Gospels of Ss. Matthew and Luke, notes to the Pharisees demanding a sign from Him that 'a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign' but that none will be given to such persons but the 'sign of Jonah' - that is, repent and be baptised. 'Adulterous' is an aptly revealing description of the mentality that is so easy for us humans to cultivate - a mentality that is superstitious, nail-biting, untrusting, and tinged with gnosticism. I don't say this polemically - 'me versus them' - because this is the human struggle, in which I too participate. We struggle with it, and the Israelites certainly found it difficult to avoid this sort of mentality . . . hence, their return (over and again) to the pull-lever-and-discern idolatry of Ba'al, while all the time God was asking them to trust Him and His sovereign will at work in them.
Mr. Hannon isn't 'over-simplifying' the issue, and he isn't letting us off the hook - as some have suggested here. This reveals the heart of the misunderstanding, that somehow we need to be 'doing something else' in addition to being faithful to the New Covenant. To live out God's revealed will is the most difficult task most of us will ever face, and it will consume our lives if given its propre weight. In seeking to align ourselves to this, God's revealed moral will, we will also mystically be using the prudence and other graces God offers to make our life decisions. And should He break through the clouds to walk with us in a miraculous manifestation, our hearts will be burning within us.
Our Lord and Saviour, in the Gospels of Ss. Matthew and Luke, notes to the Pharisees demanding a sign from Him that 'a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign' but that none will be given to such persons but the 'sign of Jonah' - that is, repent and be baptised. 'Adulterous' is an aptly revealing description of the mentality that is so easy for us humans to cultivate - a mentality that is superstitious, nail-biting, untrusting, and tinged with gnosticism. I don't say this polemically - 'me versus them' - because this is the human struggle, in which I too participate. We struggle with it, and the Israelites certainly found it difficult to avoid this sort of mentality . . . hence, their return (over and again) to the pull-lever-and-discern idolatry of Ba'al, while all the time God was asking them to trust Him and His sovereign will at work in them.
Mr. Hannon isn't 'over-simplifying' the issue, and he isn't letting us off the hook - as some have suggested here. This reveals the heart of the misunderstanding, that somehow we need to be 'doing something else' in addition to being faithful to the New Covenant. To live out God's revealed will is the most difficult task most of us will ever face, and it will consume our lives if given its propre weight. In seeking to align ourselves to this, God's revealed moral will, we will also mystically be using the prudence and other graces God offers to make our life decisions. And should He break through the clouds to walk with us in a miraculous manifestation, our hearts will be burning within us.
3.28.2012 | 12:29am
Jo Flemings says:
I too, agree this is oversimplified with a broad strokes mixing of ideas that should be individually addressed, each in a proper context, or a much longer article. What you are really getting at is problem of the person who seems to be in constant turmoil over whether or not to actually move on with the invitation to greater depth in Christ in some aspect of following His will. (Kind of like the person who stays in college for ten years continually acquiring skills and knowledge but never moving on to the next stage of actually getting a job and using the many and various degrees and skills for their intended purpose, because they just aren't sure about some aspect of what they think they face in the next phase.)
Knowing God, following Him, loving Him, living for Him, praying to Him and making daily serious life-altering decisions regarding His will are all complex concepts where the matrix of self-knowledge, formation, and personality, personal freedom, and tradition intersect in many different ways. You can't really do justice to the idea in the haphazard way it is addressed in this post, although I can sympathize with the frustrating, seemingly endless, self- focussed issue the author seems to be trying to discuss here. I hope this will come up again but with a more thorough treatment.
Knowing God, following Him, loving Him, living for Him, praying to Him and making daily serious life-altering decisions regarding His will are all complex concepts where the matrix of self-knowledge, formation, and personality, personal freedom, and tradition intersect in many different ways. You can't really do justice to the idea in the haphazard way it is addressed in this post, although I can sympathize with the frustrating, seemingly endless, self- focussed issue the author seems to be trying to discuss here. I hope this will come up again but with a more thorough treatment.
7.29.2012 | 11:57pm
Devra Torres says:
This was a fascinating post, and it inspired this one: http://www.thepersonalistproject.org/comments/god_has_a_wonderful_plan_for_your_life_but_what_if_he_wont_tell_you_what_it that I published at The Personalist Project, which in turn gave rise to a lively discussion. We'd be honored if you would like to join it.
