For starters...We are not alone in this world, nor do we travel it alone. We have by our side, God who is trying to lead us down the path of grace as the psalmist writes, "the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalm 121:4); but on the other hand we have the devil and his demons trying to lead us down the path of destruction, as St. Peter writes, "your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Therefore, we need to know how to discern--discern whether thoughts and ideas are coming from us (flesh) and from our passions and desires, or from the good spirit (God) or the evil spirit (satan and the world). To be able to enter into this "discernment of spirits" as St. Ignatius of Loyola calls them, one must first be a man of prayer and grace. He must be living in or striving after the state of grace and he must have contact with God through prayer and the channels of grace: the sacraments, the Sacred Scriptures, spiritual direction, and the lives of the saints. All of these are the necessary building blocks of a genuine and deep spiritual life, which must be at the foundation of any serious discernment. |
"Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
- 1 John 4:1 |
The "Rules of Discernment"
To better understand what it means to belong to the Institute of the Incarnate Word and to help discern if this is what God is calling you to, we offer you these 13 "non-negotiable" characteristics of an IVE priest.
