How do you know when God is talking?
There are some people who claim to hear the voice of God constantly – in every impulse they have, every chance event or random encounter. And others who have never had an inkling of divine communication.
The classical tradition says that neither of these pictures is accurate. It claims -and I agree! – that God does seek to communicate with his people (far more consistently than many of us assume). But it equally teaches that we should be quite suspicious of impulse and recognize our temptation to give divine authority to what might well be our own desires.
In this episode we dive deeper into the work of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his instruction around discernment (what he called “the discernment of spirits”). He offers very practical help not only in listening to for God, but in determining – over time and in community – if we are discerning God’s voice correctly.
Want more on the topic of discernment? Check out episodes 85 and 89!
Thanks for listening!