The power or faculty of the mind by which it distinguishes one thing from another; power of viewing differences in objects, and their relations and tendencies; penetrative and discriminate mental vision; acuteness; sagacity; insight; as, the errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment.
Prayerful reflection and discussion before taking a major decision.
A Gift of the Spirit, achieved after much interaction between conscious mind and higher consciousness. The goal of the disciple is realized as the energy of the soul from its level and the higher mind blend in new awareness.
the God given ability to see with God's insight rather than a limited human perspective.
A spiritual gift that allows a person to understand or know something.
The act of determining whether a person is acting genuinely from a virtue and grace of God or only simulating the virtue or is influenced by the Devil. The ability to discriminate between the false and the true spirits is a "gift of discernment of spirits." This may be an acquired gift or an infused gift of God. Mentioned by St. Paul in (1 COR 12:10, 1 COR 14:29, GAL 5:19-23, 1 JN 4:1-6).
this is a process of prayer, study and reflection that enables a person to discover one's path in life or to make a decision. Discernment is a process that frees and opens us up to God's will. It enables us to sort out which impulses and inclinations originate from God and which originate from our own ego or other influences."Thy will be done." "Identifying the unique way each of us is called to glorify God in our work or way of life." "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is ..." Romans 12:2
The ability of persons who are filled with the Holy Spirit to detect the activity of demons based on the presence in victims of the known symptoms of violence, lust, greed, and an unnatural power of persuasion.
The formal prayerful process by which a group discovers God's will in a particularly significant situation or decision.
In the context of Christian spirituality, discernment refers to the act of "testing the spirits"--the process of sifting, weighing, and discriminating what is of God and what is not.(cf. 1 John 4:1ff) It is the practice of making choices that bring Christians into greater obedience to and synergy with the life of the Spirit. Discernment is an art, a skill and a gift. It usually entails four movements: 1)Cultivating an inner disposition of openness, desire, and intention to live in the Spirit of Jesus, 2) Deepening attentiveness to what is happening within and around me/us, 3) Refining discrimination as to what is of God and what is not, 4) Making a decision, a judgment, or response in obedience to what is revealed.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands; "he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect"
A prayerful process through which we try to discover God’s desire for us in the circumstances of our lives. It is a way of listening to the voice of God in our experiences, in Scripture, and in the Church. Discernment is a means to sorting through the movements in our hearts and making the best choices among alternatives. Vocational discernment is a mutual process done in dialogue with others.
the art of prayerfully distinguishing the wisdom of the heart, wherein the Holy Spirit dwells, from other influences and forces. In mature Christian living, discernment plays an essential role in making decisions, enabling us to discover God’s call (will) in concrete situations, and to live in accord with the movements of the Spirit.
The gift of Discernment is the special ability God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to sense whether a certain behaviour purportedly to be of God is in reality divine. (see 1 Corinthians 12:10, Acts 16:16-18, 1 John 4:1-6, Mathew 16:21-23)
A process of discovering God's direction and guidance in the concrete reality of our day-to-day lives. . . Discernment is a prayerful "pondering" or "mulling over" of the options facing you. Your goal is to understand them in your heart: to see them, as it were, as God might see them. In one sense, there is no limit to how long you might wish to continue this. Yet as you continue the process, some options should of their own account fall by the wayside while others should gain clarity and focus. It is a process that should move inexorably toward a decision. (Brother Charles J. Jackson, S.J.)
Discernment is a process of prayerful reflection which leads a person or community to understanding of God's call at a given time or in particular circumstances of life. It involves listening to God in all the ways God communicates with us: in prayer, in the scriptures, through the Church and the world, in personal experience, and in other people.
the act of distinguishing what is God's will from what is not (35)
ability to see into a problem, to understand why things differ
Discernment is a term used in Christian tradition to describe the process of discerning God's will for one's life. In large part, it describes the interior search for an answer to the question of one's vocation, namely, determining whether or not God is calling one to the married life, single life, religious life; ordained ministry or priesthood (Roman Catholic or Episcopal/Anglican) or any other ministerial calling by virtue of Baptism. The concept is not limited to ordination or vowed life.
