Blessed Easter Season from the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate!
Do you know the Shepherd’s Voice?
We hear many voices in our noisy world, but also, at times, in our noisy head. As we incorporate times of silence & recollection, pray with Scripture, and reflect regularly on our day, many voices will be noticed. It can be hard to tell which voice (or movement of the heart) comes from Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
St. Ignatius of Loyola gave the Church a great gift in his Rules of Discernment, also known as the practice of Discernment of Spirits. These rules can help us to know which voices to listen to as we discern God’s Will.
His first lesson is that if we are leading a life that, in general, is moving away from God, then the evil one will encourage us to keep going in the same direction, while the good spirit will try to get our attention and point out areas where we need to change. However, if we are moving towards God in our life, really seeking to follow His will, even with many stumbles along the way, the good spirit will encourage us and help us along the path to holiness. The evil one will be quite displeased and put up road blocks, attack our weak points, and try to get us to give up.
God’s Voice vs. Satan’s Voice
One of our Sisters shared this helpful guide for distinguishing between God’s voice and the voice of the evil one, when you are, in general, walking towards God.
She further shared that the influence of good: stills you, reassures you, leads you, enlightens you, forgives you, calms you, encourages you, and comforts you. On the other hand, the influence of evil: rushes you, frightens you, pushes you, confuses you, condemns you, stresses you, discourages you, and worries you.
For a discernment group, she had a four page handout that illustrates these qualities with Scripture verses and reflection questions. Below are two examples. If you’d like the whole handout, just respond to this email and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
God’s Voice Reassures
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.” Gen 3:21
“…they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart, it is I; have no fear.’” Mt 14:26-27
“’Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” Lk 7:47-48
- Do you feel God’s reassurance after Confession? Or do you still carry the weight of your sins? Why or why not?
Satan’s Voice Pushes
“The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’” Lk 4:3
Q. Have you ever felt impatient waiting on the Lord’s timing and therefore been tempted to meet your own needs your own way?
“But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.” Mk 15:11
Q. Have you ever felt pressured by popular culture to make a decision you knew wasn’t right?
In the Apostolate
A woman once asked me how her son could have fallen away from his Catholic faith so completely. I used this teaching of Jesus to show that the Christian needs to know the voice of the Good Shepherd to follow Him. Unfortunately, many Catholics (and other Christians) receive the sacraments, but are not evangelized – they don’t know the voice of the Good Shepherd, or they have chosen to follow other voices.
As Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate we are privileged to go out with the Good Shepherd to “seek and save the lost and straying.” Our hearts burn with the love of the Sacred Heart of the Good Shepherd for His little ones who have wandered away. Have you felt this burning in your heart? Perhaps Our Lord has placed this mission in your heart as well. Bring it to prayer, and then, if the good spirit is at work in this area, reach out and let’s have a conversation.
Where do I go from here?
You can use the lens of Discernment of Spirits to characterize the voices you hear/feel in you heart, especially when you are considering decisions. As you learn to recognize God’s voice, you will be able to reject the voice of the evil one more easily and firmly.
I hope you find this helpful, but a conversation can also help open up your discernment journey. If you’re looking for that conversation, please let me know. I have also listed a few helpful resources at the end this newsletter.
This summer we will have two scheduled opportunities to share in our Parish Visitor contemplative-missionary spirit at our Motherhouse in Monroe, NY. July 17-19 we’ll have a scheduled Come and See. More details will be forthcoming soon. We will also host our annual Marycrest Youth Day on Saturday, August 1. This event is open to high school teens and young adults (up to 25 years old.) If you or anyone you know within driving distance is interested, you can find more information here.
We’re also open to Come-and-See visits on a flexible basis, working with your schedule. Please reach out if you have questions or would like to have a conversation about your discernment journey. Just respond to this email or click here to fill out our Vocation Inquiry Form.
Also, could you help us spread the word? Do you know any young Catholic women who would be interested in these upcoming events or the Vocation Newsletter? Pass the word along and please pray for many young women to answer God’s call to grow closer to Him through discernment.
In the hope of Christ,
Sr. Theresa Marie, pvmi
Vocation Director
Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate
845-542-1086
“Oh, it is such a glorious thing to have the use of free-will in order to serve God gladly.” ~Servant of God, Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, PVMI
http://www.parishvisitorsisters.org
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Some Resources for Ignatian Discernment of Spirits
Four page God’s Voice vs Satan’s Voice Handout – email me and I’ll happily send it to you!
Discernment of Spirits Comic Book – lighthearted illustrations, solid teaching, at Vianney Vocations
‘The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living” by Fr. Timothy Gallagher (or anything by Fr. Gallagher – just google him:)
