Status Updates From EL DISCERNIMIENTO. Cómo lee...

“I know I am in danger, but how can I be afraid of danger? If I remember I am nothing, I will know the danger can take nothing from me. . . . Yes, I am afraid, because I forget that I am nothing. If I remembered that I have nothing called my own that will not be lost anyway, that only what is not mine but God’s will ever live, then I would not fear so many false fears.”

- Thomas Merton

“I am scared to take a proprietary interest in anything, for fear that my love of what I own may be killing somebody somewhere.”

- Thomas Merton

"...But if the future is not in my hands, then I have all the more reason to stay in the present and give honor and glory to God from where I am, trusting that God is the God of life who makes everything new. Who knows where you or I will be next year on June 7th? So why worry about it? God will surprise us."

“In retrospect, many of the good and important things that have happened to me in life were completely unexpected. And many things that I thought would happen to me did not occur. As I reflect on this reality, it is clear that God is present in the events of my life, yet I act and speak as if I am in control...”

“The power of friendship is great if it doesn’t find all its meaning in itself. If people expect too much from each other, they can do each other harm; disappointment and bitterness can overpower love and even replace it. But in the practice of discernment in daily life, we can learn to appreciate our closest friends, family members, and sometimes complete strangers, as signposts pointing toward God.”

“Père Thomas had a theological understanding of the trusting heart—that all human expressions of love which come to us in life, though limited and imperfect, are in fact manifestations of the unlimited and perfect love of God.”

“It is not enough for me to discern God’s will for my life. I must discern God’s desires for my life as one small but important part of God’s great call to renew and redeem all the earth.”

“Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you.
Those who cling to God
will lack nothing
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
God alone is enough.”

- the prayer of Saint Teresa, “Solo Dios basta, God alone is enough”

“...Still, it is very important to remain faithful to these times and simply stick with our promise to be with God, even if nothing in our minds, hearts, or bodies wants to be there. Simple faithfulness in prayer gives the Spirit of God a real chance to work in us, to help us be renewed in God’s hands and be conformed to God’s will.”

“The Spirit works deep within us, so deeply that we cannot always identify its presence. The effect of God’s spirit is deeper than our thoughts and emotions. That is why setting aside a special time and place for prayer is so important. Often we do not feel like praying and our minds are distracted. The lack of motivation and difficulty focusing make us think that our prayer time is useless and wasted time...”

“It was hard for me to see God at work in my life when I was running from class to class and traveling from place to place. I had so many classes to prepare, lectures to give, articles to finish, people to meet that I had come quite close to believing myself indispensable. Still I was frightened of being alone and having an unscheduled day, even as I longed for solitude and rest. I was full of paradoxes.”

“...Like you, I have been excited about new books and new theories, have put my hope in a new psychological or spiritual movement, trusted a new hero, and given my energy to a new way of changing myself or others. You and I are not very different.”

“All the directions you have chosen, all the choices you have made—I know them in my own heart. There are few paths not familiar to me. If you felt oppressed, I did, too. If you consulted directors, I did the same...”

“As discerning people, we sift through our impulses, motives, and options to discover which ones lead us closer to divine love and compassion for ourselves and other people and which ones lead us further away.”

“Discernment is not once-and-for-all decision making at critical points in one’s life (Should I take this job? Whom should I marry? Where should I live and work? ), but a lifelong commitment to “remember God” (memoria Dei ), know who you are, and pay close attention to what the Spirit is saying today.”