Discernimiento Espiritual - 5. Gerardo Aste, SJ

Meeting God Through Discernment

In this discussion, the speaker emphasizes the importance of discernment in decision-making and how it can lead individuals closer to God. The process involves examining one's thoughts, feelings, internal movements, and spiritual forces to distinguish what aligns with God's will.

Understanding the Importance of Choosing God's Path

• Loving God above all else entails choosing paths that bring one closer to Him, even if they come with challenges.

• Making correct decisions leads to happiness, while wrong choices result in unhappiness.

The Role of Discernment in Decision-Making

• Discernment helps separate what is from God and what is not by guiding individuals towards choices aligned with God's will.

• Learning to distinguish between different influences aids in making decisions that reflect God's intentions.

Examining Internal Processes for Clarity

• Self-examination reveals inner workings that influence decision-making beyond mere rational thought.

• Internal movements like consolation and desolation impact thoughts and feelings before decisions are made.

Steps Towards Effective Discernment

• Observing thoughts, feelings, internal movements, and spiritual forces aids in understanding what aligns with God's will.

Desernimiento Espiritual

In this section, the speaker discusses discernment in a spiritual context, emphasizing the characteristics of actions or decisions that align with or deviate from God's will.

Characteristics of Actions Aligned with God's Will

• Actions that bring clarity, peace, and tranquility are likely from God.

• Decisions or actions that evoke feelings of peace, contentment, and unity indicate alignment with God's will.

Signs of Actions Not Aligned with God

• Actions causing discomfort or disruption suggest they may not be in line with God's plan.

• Feelings of unease or dissatisfaction after speaking or acting could signify actions contrary to God's will.

Importance of Self-Reflection for Discernment

• Reflecting on one's feelings post-action can reveal alignment (contentment) or misalignment (discomfort) with God's will.

Consolation and Desolation in Spiritual Movements

In this section, the speaker delves into the concepts of consolation and desolation within spiritual movements, as outlined by Ignacio in his early rules.

Understanding Consolation

• Ignacio defines consolations as moments when individuals are filled with love for their creator, feeling a sense of purpose and connection to God.

• Consolation can also manifest through tears shed out of emotions related to personal sins, passion for Jesus Christ, or any noble cause aligned with serving God.

• Another form of consolation is experienced when one is moved to tears by witnessing acts of kindness or truth, indicating God's presence through emotions.

Recognizing Consolation

• Consolation can be identified through emotional responses triggered by beauty in nature, art, or empathy towards others' pain or personal wrongdoings.

• Tears shed due to impactful biblical texts or moving experiences signify a consoling moment where one feels closer to God's truth and goodness.

Characteristics of Consolation

• Consolation extends beyond mere beauty appreciation; it encompasses solidarity, repentance, and recognizing divine attributes like truth and goodness.

• Contrary to associating consolations solely with pleasant experiences, they also arise from empathy towards others' suffering or deep remorse for personal mistakes.

Continuing Exploration of Consolation

The discussion further elaborates on the multifaceted nature of consolation as a spiritual experience that deepens faith, hope, love while fostering peace and joy internally.

Deeper Insights into Consolation

• Ignacio expands the definition of consolation to include any increase in faith, hope, love that draws individuals closer to God and aids in their salvation journey.

• Three key indicators of being in consolation are an inclination towards godly matters leading to inner peace, joyfulness, and enhanced belief and desire for spiritual growth.

Manifestations of Consolation

• Personal introspection helps recognize moments of consolation marked by actions aligned with God's will that promote peace and aid others positively.

• Thoughts during consolation reflect clarity, optimism filled with charity and respect while feelings emanate joy, patience trust among other positive emotions.

Transition from Consolation to Desolation

The narrative shifts towards preparing for transitions from states of consolation characterized by divine inspiration towards impending desolations necessitating humility amidst spiritual highs.

Transitioning Phases

• During periods of consolation marked by divine influence guiding decisions positively; individuals should cherish these moments but remain vigilant as desolations often follow.

Distinguishing True and False Consolations

In this segment, the speaker discusses the concept of consolations, highlighting the importance of discerning between true consolations from God and false consolations that may stem from negative forces.

Analyzing Consolations

• The speaker mentions that while consolations are gifts from God, there can be difficulties associated with them.

• "lo está regalando Dios pero hay una dificultad con las consolaciones también existen Las falsas consolaciones"

• False consolations are described as deceptive comforts that may appear good but are not truly beneficial.

• "es decir todo lo que parece bueno en algunos casos no es bueno"

• It is crucial to examine the source of one's consolation to determine its authenticity.

• "va a requerir que tengamos que examinar quién me produce la consolación"

• The speaker warns about false consolations originating from negative forces rather than from God.