What do you do when you don’t know what to do? How do you know what God wants of you? What is the right thing to do? Those are all discernment questions. Discernment means discovering what the Holy Spirit wills for a decision. It is not easy to do. The twentieth century monk Thomas Merton wrote a prayer that perhaps you have heard,
“My God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death. I will not fear for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
This prayer describes the theme of today’s readings. The Council of Jerusalem had decided that Gentiles did not have to become Jews before they became Christians. This decision opened the way for the spread of Christianity across the world. It was, in effect, the decision to become a new religion, rather than to remain within Judaism.
What did that decision mean to the apostles and other early Christian leaders “on the ground” working to spread Christianity? We get a glimpse of that in today’s first reading. The Council of Jerusalem decided new Christians did not have to be circumcised. Yet Paul had Timothy circumcised before he took him with him on his second missionary journey. Why? We do not see the words here “led by the Holy Spirit,” as part of that decision, but this is a demonstration of one way the Holy Spirit can guide us. Paul used the virtue of prudence, which is the ability to decide things rightly. Paul used his human reasoning to look at the circumstances. The Council of Jerusalem had decided it was not necessary to circumcise Gentiles, but Timothy’s mother was Jewish. The Jewish faith at that time did not recognize inter-marriage, so, to all the Jews that Paul and Timothy would meet, Timothy would have been considered an uncircumcised Jew—not a way to win friends and influence people in the synagogues! The Holy Spirit through the virtue of prudence directed Paul to anticipate difficulties and take necessary precautions ahead of time.
As Paul traveled through Asia Minor he told of the decision of the Council of Jerusalem to any Christian community he visited. He had the decision and a letter. The letter would be called an encyclical in the Church today—an official expression of how the Church guides the faithful. This is another way the Holy Spirit works to guide us. The Council of Jerusalem spoke with authority. The Holy Spirit guided the decision. Then the Holy Spirit continued to speak to all through the letter and Paul’s talking with each Christian community about it.
Then we see two individual ways that the Holy Spirit guided Paul. It “prevented him” from preaching in Asia or going to Bithynia, which was up by the Black Sea. How did that happen? It could have been from clarity in prayer, prophecy, dream or vision, or simple circumstances of Divine Providence. One way or another, God said, “No.” Then God said “do this: go to Macedonia.” That message came in a vision. These are perhaps what we think of when we think of “guidance by the Holy Spirit.” In this case Paul discerned what he should not do and then what he should do.
Does the Holy Spirit guide ordinary Christians today? As we move through the readings for the next two weeks toward Pentecost, guidance by the Holy Spirit becomes a dominant theme. The Holy Spirit does guide us today. We just saw four ways it can happen: (1) The Holy Spirit guides us when we use “right reason” and prudently make decisions that apply what is known to be right to particular circumstances. (2) The Holy Spirit guides us in decisions of the Church—for us especially the decisions of Vatican Council II—and the instruction in those decisions we get from Papal encyclicals, bishops synods, the catechism and our pastors. (3) The Holy Spirit guides us when God says no, whether that no comes from circumstances in life or some more direct message. (4) The Holy Spirit guides us when, after prayer, God indicates a path. That, too, can be by some extraordinary means, such as Paul’s vision, in the spoken word or direction of someone, or in the simple unfolding of a path.
God never works against Himself. Individual revelation, if it is from God, is consistent with revelation to the whole Church. This is a wonderful safeguard, because our human nature can be so sure we are right, when, really, we are selfish. Traditional wisdom (and the catechism) say that the first work of the Holy Spirit is conversion (CCC 1989). This is then followed by the action of grace in our lives. Grace is how we participate in the life of God (CCC 1997). It is how the Holy Spirit normally guides us.
Discernment of the Holy Spirit for major decisions often requires extended prayer, careful thinking, and spiritual direction. It is not easy. The Gospel reminds us today of that. Jesus tells us that just because we are following God and God’s will, we should not expect life to be easy.
Today I graduate from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. The Holy Spirit has not yet clearly spoken. What does God want of me now? I’ve had some “no” messages. I’m using teaching of the Church and prudence to make the best decisions I can. But I have not heard, “Go to Macedonia.” So, with Thomas Merton I am saying, “Lord I do not know where I am going….I will not fear, for you will not leave me to face my perils alone.” Pray for me.
Where and how is the Holy Spirit guiding you?
