Discernment of One's Will being in Harmony with God' Will

Discernment of God’s Will: In today’s first reading,  Proverbs 3: 27-34, and responsorial psalm,  Psalm 15,  we are given several ways to know whether our wills are in harmony with the will of God.

In today’s first reading, Proverbs 3: 27-34, God says to us:

“Refuse no one the good on which he [or she] has a claim when it is in your power to do it for [that person]. Say not to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give,’ when you can give at once. When a person accepts this instruction, he or she is at peace. That peace signals harmony with the will of God. Likewise when you “plot no evil against your neighbor, against one who lives at peace with you”; when you “[q]uarrel not with [a person] without cause, with one who has done you no harm….”  your will, again, is in harmony with the will of God.

In the responsorial psalm, the Lord continues to instruct us according to His holy will: “…walk blamelessly and do justice; …think the truth…slander not. …[H]arm not…[your]  neighbor …[H]onor those who fear the Lord.  …[L]end not [your] money in usury [at exorbitant interest rates] and accept no bribe against the innocent.  …[D]o these things [and you] shall never be disturbed.”

What do you and I need to do to bring our wills into harmony with the will of God, to live in harmony with others and with ourselves? In what ways are we helping others in need? In what ways are we honoring those who reverence the Lord?

Discernment and Surrender

Discernment and Surrendering to the Will of God:  God wills our peace and our salvation. God wills that we become the person God designed us to become.  God did not send us to this earth to be what another person wants us to be but to become our own person who carries out the purpose for which God created us.  No one else in the world has or will be given the mission that God entrusts to us. We need to discern what that mission is and become the person we are in God’s sight.  No one else is given the mission God has given to us and no one else in the world is who we are: each one of us is unique. The image of God by which we are made is not the same as anyone else’s.  I f we do not reflect the image and likeness of God given to us in God’s creation of us, that image and likeness of God is denied the world around us.

So, who are you in God’s sight? What image and likeness of God are you to be reflecting in the world where God placed you? What mission has God given you? And in what vocation are you to reflect God’s image and likeness and in what vocation are you to carry out the mission God gave to you and to no one else?

To discern this, we need to surrender our will to God’s will as Jesus surrendered to the will of His Father.  On our own, we are not capable of surrendering our free will. We need the grace of God to do this.  That is why it is paramount that we prostrate ourselves on our knees and ask God to assist us, to empower us to follow Jesus’ example of surrendering to God as our Father and Creator, our Sanctifier and Savior!  We need God’s grace to enable us to know and trust and love God our Father and Creator, our Sanctifier and Savior. Only then will we surrender our wills to this Higher and trustworthy Will.

Discernment: What Vocation is Right for Me?

In discerning which vocation you believe is right for you, I recommend that you look at how God has been present in the major events of your life thus far.  Those places and events in which you found God are clues to God’s call.  God is always present. God is always searching for you. God is always ready to respond to your desires for peace and love and fulfillment. God wants you to blossom into the person God created you to be.

 Where have you felt most like yourself? Where have you experienced a deep sense of meaning and purpose. Where and when and with whom have you said to yourself: “This is it.” “This makes sense to me.” “ I feel one with my Creator God.” “I feel a sense of goodness welling up in me.” “This is for me!”   “I can grow in this way of life!”  “Yes, I believe that I can become my best self as a single person committed to this particular profession.” “When I think of becoming a woman/man religious within this particular community devoted to the mission God entrusted to them, I feel a deep sense of peace. I find God here!”  Or maybe you are saying to yourself: “I can see  this woman/man as my spouse. I feel a wholeness when I am with this person. I feel hope-filled with him/her. Together, I believe that we can build a life of faith, grow in love and support one another in our professions. “This feels right for me!”

When you hear such messages, are you not hearing God, sensing God, knowing that God is calling you to seriously consider that call?

Discernment: Am I following God's Will or my Own?

In today's first reading, 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a, the Israelites ask Samuel to appoint them a king to rule over them, like other countries have.  Samuel is upset at their request and goes to the Lord to complain about it.  God says to Samuel: "Grant the people's every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king."  

God lets the people choose their will over His, as He does to this day. Part of discernment is figuring out when we are choosing our will over God’s will. In the story, Samuel warns the people that a king has the right to "take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot. He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers. He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will use your daughters...He will take the best of your fields, vineyard, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and your vineyards, and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves," and much, much more! The people still insist on having it their way!

 Do we automatically close our ears when a person in authority over us or someone in a leadership position suggests that what we are about to do or get involved in, or that to which we are saying “no,” will ultimately be to our ruin and cause us a lot of misery?    Do we realize that sometimes when we reject advice coming from an authority figure we could actually be rebelling against God as our Ruler, our King!  The more vehemently we cling to our way may be the clue that we are rebelling against an Higher Authority, namely, our God, Truth itself!