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In a classroom setting at the San Carlos Formation Complex last August 11, 2007, Rev. Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual devoted a whole day seminar on "Personal Discernment of Spirits" as inspired by the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola. A total of 65 participants, among them servant leaders and workers of the community, attended the seminar. It was an occasion, as Fr. Anton aptly said, to “learn, un-learn and re-learn.” The session started with a reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew 13, 24-30 – the parable of the wheat and the weeds. As explained by Fr. Anton in the gospel, evil was allowed by God to thrive with the good and be separated at the proper time. The same gospel was cited during the end of the seminar.
Discernment, according to Fr. Anton, can be found between Faith and Action. As defined in the dictionary, it is perceived by sight or intellect; a sense of perception and judgment. While citing the Old and New Testaments on various discernment definitions and settings, by tradition, Fr. Anton said, discernment is meant the process by which we examine in the light of faith and in the connaturality of love, the nature of the spiritual states we experience in ourselves and others; the purpose is to decide which of the movements we experience lead to the Lord and to a more perfect service of Him and our brothers, and which deflect us from this goal (Fr. Edward Malatesta, S.J.) A climate for spiritual discernment is necessary to be able to acquire the gift of discernment - having the desire to do God’s will (Luke 1); being open to God (Mark 9); and having knowledge of Him (Matthew 11), Fr. Anton said. He also emphasized to every one the need to develop silence and solitude to be able to listen to God. For a discerner, he must have the following qualities—humility, charity and courage, he added. The “how of discernment” was explained by Fr. Anton at Revelation Time – where God’s call is clear; Reasoning Time – where the natural power to evaluate and judge is used; and Feeling Time – where you name, claim, tame and aim (discernment proper). During this time, two movements of the soul – desolation and consolation – are experienced. “Desolation is darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness arising from many disturbances which lead to lack of faith, hope and love. The soul is wholly slothful, tepid, sad and separated, as it were, from its creator and Lord. For just as consolation is the opposite of desolation, so the thoughts that spring from consolation are the opposite of those that spring from desolation” (St. Ignatius of Loyola). Desolation is a strategy Satan uses to lead Christians away so we must be on guard, Fr. Anton said. Fr. Anton stressed that during this time, we are not to make a major decision; we must do the opposite; and persevere in prayer. Just like the story of Job, God allowed these things to happen for a reason – a wake up call; a test of faith; and a reminder that without God, we are nothing. Consolation is harder to define, Fr. Anton said, but it can only either be consolation with a cause (out of the blue – 1%; truly comes from God) or consolation without cause (99% – with preceding cause). In case of the latter, we have to watch out for the tail of the snake, Fr. Anton said. The experience has to be evaluated from the beginning, middle and end. For a true consolation must be good, perfect and pleasing to God. And when one has experienced true consolation, the fruit of the Spirit will be upon him, just like Jesus Christ. Concluding the session, Fr. Anton cited the spiritual value of the weeds – the weeds teach us to be humble, to trust in the Lord, and to be compassionate with others. In the end, he quoted 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." |
