2025-12-11: Discernment (SALT)

What does Discernment mean (Greek, etc.)

St Antony said Discernment is the most important virtue. Without discernment, the other virtues may not be pleasing to God

- What about Love? For example, St Peter - he loved the Lord but lacked discernment about his own abilities

1 - Discernment of the thoughts

— See Practical Spirituality

 

2 - Discernment in speech

— Bringing up people's old sins

3 - Discernment of the will of God

— See Practical Spirituality

4 - Discernment of my abilities

— Quality in the Spiritual Life, not just quantity

— What I gain quickly, I can lose quickly. What I gain with patience, will be harder for me to lose

5 - Discernment of the abilities of those I serve

— Some stuff in 1952 from the desert fathers

— Dealing with them individually - importance of getting to know each one (e.g. through visitation, through spending time with them on Friday night during free time)

How to grow in discernment?

— Ask the Lord for Discernment

— — King Solomon prayed for “that I may discern between good and bad”

— Conscious Purpose of Mind

— — See On Spiritual Life (33)

— Guidance

Instead of a PowerPoint, give a worksheet that lets them write down each of the points and has a section for notes