How to Discern the Spirits
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ย. 2019
- What did St. Ignatius mean when he counseled followers to “discern the spirits”? How do we do this? In this episode of the “Word on Fire Show,” we unpack the “Spiritual Exercises” of St. Ignatius and offer practical tips on how to discern God’s will in your life. A listener asks how to discern whether God is calling him to marriage or the priesthood.
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For anyone reading this: Do you find that some people provide a feast for the brain? I could follow people like that easily, just to hear what they are thinking. Bishop Barron is one of them.
It's not just the factoids he has or knowledge he presents it's how he interacts with stimuli around him, the points he makes. Even when he mentioned that he would be interested in visiting this person's office, even that struck my curiosity - "yeah, that would be interesting." Such a seemingly small thing opened up a lot more. There is so much around us that weaves into our awareness and connectedness.This plotting of awareness is no accident - it all fits together.
“What awakens greater love in you? That’s the path God wants you on.” What beautiful clarity!
Uhc
That's such a COOL avatar name!! ...Just Love IT!! Mommy SeaStar!
@@goodwinike126 iiuuiiuuiiiuiiiiiiiuiuiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiuiuiiiiiuuiuiuuuuuiuiiuuuuuuiuuuiuuuuiuiuuuuiiiiiuuiuiuuuuuiuiuuuuuuuuuuiuuuiiiiuiuiiuuiiiuiuiuuuuuiiiuuuiuiuuuuuxuuuuuuuiuuuuii
I've been having some trouble lately and this inspired me.
Bishop- I for one will never be bored hearing you talk about Aquinas.
me too!
Dad?!
randel hanson I’m not exactly sure the context of your reply. However I’m somewhere between feeling complemented and laughing
Me too!😁❤
I do not support you at all. At this time on the church, a priest needs to be vehemently opposed to corruption and complacency in the Church. You are too easy in your homilies and in general. You need discernment yourself.
Prayers keeps us on track to the will of God. Total trust in God’s merciful love.
Every talk with Bishop Barron makes me feel that greater love.
Hello Bishop Barron, blessings to you Sir for the exceptional work that you do representing the Kingdom Of God. My background is Protestant, and although I have visited other churces, including the Catholic Church, on numerous occasions, I remain faithful to the Protestant denomination. I have been an ardent follower of some of the stalwarts of the Catholic faith through Telecare and EWTN for over 20 years. Fr. Benedict Grochel, Fr. John Corapi, Bishop Weurel and now you, are some whose teachings I have found priceless. I watched almost every episode of Catholicism; and I can't seem to get enough of WOF. I still watch Mother Angelic. I loved your Good Friday presentation of the seven words. I just wanted to let you know that you've been a favorite of mine for a long time. Blessings once again Sir.
“A consolation is what is going to lead you to a deeper commitment to love of God and love of neighbor.” I love this.
Mommy SeaStar
W
100% GB
Thank you Bishop Barron ! You always have a brilliant way of "teaching us " about the history of our church.
I recall that in Gospel of John, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will remind us of things He has said. Also recently, I heard on Catholic Radio that the Holy Angels, our Guardian Angel will remind us of memories that lift us toward God, remind us of joyful times, blessings we've received from God and so on. The evil spirits will bring us memories of past sinful acts and make them look tempting again. When I am contemplating Jesus and I ask a question, a memory will come up as an answer! This can go on for several minutes, like a conversation. It ALWAYS uplifts my soul and draws me closer to Christ and increase my Love and Trust for Him. Always. I have gone through the dark, dry times too and I just keep the Faith, pray just as much, dive deeper. Later, I will have the experiences of God raining down consolations again. Praise God.
I'm grateful this found me at the right time
I completed the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in a 10-week session with Fr. Broom, and it was life changing. The acronym B.U.T stayed with me; Be aware of the good spirit or bad spirit in each situation, Understand if you are being tempted to sin by the bad spirit, Take action and reject the bad spirit. This simple acronym has been so helpful in my daily life to avoid sin and the near occasion of sin.
Praise God, reverence God, and serve God.🙏🤲
Thank you Bishop Barron
God bless
Yahweh is so great! Thanks a lot Bishop Barron for the divine consolation well explained and clarified. I have that experience now and I was wondering how I could handle it because the enormous increase in love for God and for neighbour is so overwhelming to the extent that I thought I was about go crazy but this video kinda open my eyes and make me realised that God has gotton hold of my heart and now I feel a relieved and comfortable with it now... No other feeling like that on earth and I love it. I basically pray thrice a day using breviary seeking God wholeheartedly, consequently the result is the spiritual consolation I now have, it makes me often cry when praying, when after receiving holy communion and when contemplating about God. To me God providentially designed this video for me. All glory and praise belong to Yahweh Saboath who lives for through Yeshua the Christ. Amen!👏 From Italy!
thank you for the patience in discerning the Spirit that let you to the priesthood, Bishop Barron.
Don’t fall in love with the good feelings of God, fall in love with God himself! This is beautiful advice. Thank you Bishop B🙏🏻
Bishop Barron, I have made the 19th Annotation, the 30 week retreat twice in my adult life. Get over your fear and do it. God is a God of surprises. Let God surprise you through this retreat. It is a retreat that has formed many great saints. 🤓
Listening to you has given me great joy and peace. As I perceive the consolations of God have faded in me, I do view myself as growing in the love of God and neighbor. Thank you, Monsignor!
The discerning what's right and good and faithful I think it's really important to have a good spiritual director as I do
Many thanks Bishop Barron for sharing your knowledge through word on fire shows like this.
God bless you.
I really needed this, thank you both
What I learned in spiritual discernment:
What's a library?
What is a book?
What isa a bike?
I really love both of you Bishop Barron and your tandem🤣🥰🤩
This is so wonderful. Thanks be to God.
Thank you for the series that you're doing. It is clarifying certain moments of my life and helping me to focus on God.
This is lovely! Thank you from the Eastern Church.
Say some prayers as I discern my vocation. I have been feeling like I'm free-wheeling through life and letting entropy get the best of me.
Peace remains after doing something. Thank you Bishop Barron.
I always look forward to these
Which of the two paths is going to lead to lead me into a greater love for God and neighbor?
This is a very great question put forward by Bishop Barron to those discerning the religious life. Its almost a silver-bullet statement on how we will have the scales to weigh down where our life is gravitating into.
Its not only applicable to the religious life but maybe to our other life choices too like career choices and whatever. God bless you Bishop.
This is monumental right now for me, thank u Holy Spirit.
Understanding my illative sense of discerning the spirits at which i feel present , makes me enjoy this very moment
'Consolation without cause'. I have often felt this in my past as I have tried to live through the Holy Spirit, I will now use this as my mantra. Thank you Blessed Bishop Barron.
I really just needed this
Thank you father for sharing this with us 🙏🏻👍🏻❤️
Discernment is a cable!! Per a quote from our favorite St JH Newman that was used in a talk by Fr Beseau (new rector of PCJ) a few weeks ago. "An iron bar represents mathematical or strict demonstrations; a cable represents moral demonstration, which is an assemblage of probabilities , separately insufficient for certainty, but when put together, [irrefutable]." (Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, Vol XXI, 146) IMHO, this quote would work fabulously in your talks on this subject. We don't walk into church and start to genuflect to Jesus in tabernacle and think about why we believe this is really Jesus, what doubts we might have, and what one thing proved that Catholicism is right, but we genuflect and make the sigh of the cross immediately because it is the combination of very many life experiences, thoughts and some feelings that together formed a very very strong cable of belief in us that does not break easily. This is a really good insight. Please pray for our children who have no cables!
This is so good. Love listening to Bishop Barren.
Thank you so much for this much needed video. It's what I am living through and have prayed on for years.
Insightful! Thank you!
Exceptional talk. Thank you!
Excellent discussion and clarification on this difficult idea. I can't wait for the film on the 7 sacraments!
Discernment is a gift from the Holy Spirit, I believed that every Christian has the power to discern. God has given us this gift The Holy Spirit that we may be able to discern what is from the Holy Spirit and what is from the Evil.
Felix Servidad Big Amén to that!!!
I was just sharing what a waste of life is to think that we can be advised by ANYONE ELSE !
You nailed it. The Lord, The Holy Spirit giver of life is He Who gives Life and Wisdom and knowledge about good and evil. Let’s just ask for Him to The Holy God The Father ❤️as Our Lord advised so long ago! 🙏👍
Collins Anosike I did not mean pride at all ! Jesus encouraged us to ask for Him. No pride was in my mind. In fact, I was purely thinking of that very act of receiving the Holy Spirit :)
How can you be advised from anyone higher than you if you cant discern what he is saying ? :) thanks.
Discernment is a higher spiritual function. It requires much maturity. Those who are not advanced in the spiritual life will definitely need more guidance than others. Those who are advanced will have clearer discernment.
Collins Anosike Absolutely we who have the gift of the Holy Spirit, still need the advice from the one who is more mature in the faith.
@@el-sig2249 I disagree. I don't believe discernment is only reliant on advanced faith. It is a gift from God. One can develop the skill but some have it naturally.
Thank you Bishop Barron.❤❤❤
Learning more about christ and Catholicism is the best use of time for anyone wanting to traverse purgatory
I am 80 years old and have never ever heard, felt, or any other spiritual discernment. However, I am a Catholic (Very Catholic) during the Vietnam war when I was in fire fights or when my brothers were KIA next to me. Now I enjoy Bishop Sheen, Mother Angelica, and Bishop Barron and they all have brought me closer to the faith, but again no spiritual feelings, thoughts, or any other christian wills. I am forever praying I too can have that love and feelings other folks talk about here.
Thank you for this episode!
As one whose attempting to learn more about spiritual discernment myself, I think I can perhaps clarify (per Brandon beginning around the 2:50 mark) - God spirit = love/joy/peace vs the evil which engenders anxiety/sadness/fallacious reasoning. Based on my (limited) experience, it's not a 'feeling' that one would get exactly, but it's more like a visceral reaction which is stirred in you that falls under whichever category love, etc. or, anxiety and is brought out in you, not necessarily 'felt' by you. It's like comfortable vs uncomfortable - it's less like a feeling than a state of being in regard to what's presented at that moment. For me at least. I hope that makes some kind of sense???
Thankyou!🕊💖✨Very helpful!😊This is a gem of a talk; a gem with many facets of which each point and all of them are so rich in ideas to contemplate in many many helpful ways.
I really love this and feel very good about this, and how important it is to read the invisible and be guided. Thank you, I want to know more about why we feel all these feelings and I know God has feelings.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you for creating this channel and God bless you both 🙏💖
Same here!
Fully agree.
14:22 Awesome! Bishop Barron is an expert on St. Thomas Aquinas' Theology/Philosophy!
Wow I was led to Father Barron through my news feed on Facebook. In turn I was drawn to one pod cast after another and can't wait each day to hear more
Thank you for making this video.
Praise the Lord Jesus Christ 🙏 Mother Mary Pray For Us 🙏Abba Father Bless us and we Adore You 🙏
We should not be worshipping Mary!
Thanks much for this video.
Thank you so much Brandon Vogt and Bishop Barron. This you tube video helps me a lot
Love Bishop Barron :,)
Thanks bishop Barron
We all have to know the word of God for ourselves-that is our responsibility.
I love the word on fire series
Thank you Bishop and please do more on this topic.
Awesome. Thank you.
Its the second time I've seen this, and learn new things.
I hope everybody discerned their answers through this video 🙏✝️📿❣️
May the Lord bless you
So helpful! Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou!
Thank you bishop baron
Brandon is a gem. So glad he's a part of this program.
I love these two!
Hello Bishop Barron. The light of Christ shines through your presence. You have been chosen to feed the flock. It is the spiritual light of God that feeds/awakens the soul of those who gain audience with you.
You said, "At a decisive moment, God will withdraw those happy consolations. Now Why?"
Honestly, I believe our body, mind, and spirit, are where we first make contact with the experiences that generate the kind of pleasure and excitement you speak of. I don't believe it's God that diminishes the pull of these spiritual experiences but rather the natural process of digesting into the soul something new. We experience and it tantalizes our physical mind, body, and spirit. In time we digest it into the soul, draw it into ourselves, it becomes who we are. How are we to be excited by a spiritual experience if that vibration is who we already are? Satisfied? Yes. Excited? No. I don't believe God takes the thrill away but rather continues through his word and our trials, to raise our core vibration to a state of eternal bliss. As I know you know, the Holy Spirit is so pure, so loving. Once you digest him and his silent vibration you become him and he, like in you Bishop Barron, shines his light through you. The major thrill is gone only because the new vibration that you feel is constant and therefore more common/uneventful. But in the end, a Christian life is a blissful life. I choose constant bliss over the occasional youthful thrill of a new spiritual experience. One heart, one love. Peace.
Thought you might like this.
The Holy Spirit gave it to me as a path home.
"How to grow in Christ"
Read, study, self-evaluate, seek to perform. :)
THE TEN PROMISES OF GOD:
[] Come and you will hear.
[] Hear and you will understand.
[] Understand and you will try.
[] Try and you will succeed.
[] Succeed and you will believe.
[] Believe and you will trust.
[] Trust and you will love.
[] Love and you will serve.
[] Serve and you will surrender.
[] Surrender and you will live.
Live in everyday union with God's Holy Spirit.
P*E*A*C*E
Great Program.
Wonderful discussion.
Really loved this, I couldn't think i could find catholic helping ressources. thanks for this.
Indeed i need the book written by a priest said in this video
Yes, it is absolute, no mistaking it with ones self.
Preach it Bishop!
For my life I need to be able to discern the spirit of a person and pick up problems that will keep me safe. I’ve been deceived in the past by friendly people who were never supposed to be in my life.
God always builds us up. Sometimes, He allows us to be torn down a little (owch!) to build us up better.
I (and certainly many others) know exactly that magical, invigorating feeling the Bishop talks about cycling/walking up to the library, perhaps on a crisp autumn day, to read challenging, life-changing books. In my case, it was not Aquinas but Marx, Nietzsche, Foucault, Marcuse, Fromm, and such...which, for me, have ultimately turned out to be other ways to God.
This video is so helpful.....many people should visit this channel
Thank you....
I wish I would have discovered Bishop Barron sooner.
I listen to multiple Catholic sources, including Church Militant (who tends to be over critical at times) but it's good to do your research. We should remember that we're all Catholic and we all have our concerns for the Church. We shouldn't shut the door on each other but listen, discern and remember what the Lord has prayed for us: 'that they may all be one'.
@@precisi0n86
I watch Alex as well. He's revealed some real things before. I don't trust everything he says but that doesn't mean I shouldn't listen.
Church militant has some interesting things to say as well and they're legitimate concerns, more legitimate half the time than Alex.
They're vultures that only feed on carrion. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but they sow anxiety, division and a climate of revolt and disobedience towards the successor of Peter, by means that reveal no qualms in resorting to slander, guilt by association and interpreting sayings and gestures in the worst possible light. In other words, they're doing the devil's bidding, so unwittingly that it would be pathetic if it wasn't so tragic, since their (honest, in my opinion) intentions are precisely to attack those who are also doing (knowingly, in my opinion) the devil's bidding.
What frustrates me is that they're attracting more and more people, because people are starving for good doctrine and solid intellectual food and what they find everywhere else is "dumbed down Catholicism". That's why we need more Bishops Barron, more initiatives that lure people into a fuller fidelity to the faith, because the "trads" (as they call themselves) are decidedly drifting into a position of open disobedience. In their tragic attempt to blast heterodoxy, they end up in heresy themselves by flaunting the doctrine of the supremacy of the bishop of Rome, arguably the only one that separates us from all other Christians. They harshly and justifiably criticize the lack of faith (or downright evil intent) of so many bishops and cardinals (and the Pope himself, though not justifiably, in my opinion) and don't seem to realize that they too are guilty of the same, for they seem to have lost faith in the words of Jesus when he promised Peter a special assistance from the Holy Spirit, or they lost faith in the Holy Spirit himself.
@@xaviervelascosuarez
I like them because I'm a traditionalist. I'm in my mid-30's and a cradle Catholic. I've recently been learning how to pray in Latin. I believe one of the reasons for the loss of people in the Church is a turning away from tradition. One of the worst practices we've adopted is receiving communion in the hand.
A famous protestant once asked, 'if Catholics believe what they say they believe about the Eucharist, then wouldn't they be receiving communion prostrate on the ground?"
The Novus Ordo, in my opinion, was an attempt to appeal to protestants and outsiders. Truth is, if I wanted to be a protestant then I'd have joined a protestant church.
This is not to say that the N.O. is all bad, just that there are practices within it which I believe need refinement.
All this aside, whatever side of the spectrum you find yourself on, I think it's imprudent to turn away and not have a healthy discussion or debate about each other's concerns.
As I stated before, we're all Catholic and we should listen attentively to one another with compassion and patience. And with the Grace of God we may not only maintain our bonds but strengthen them.
Anthony Burke,
Why would you need to attempt to win Bishop Barron's favour? Or advice Bishop Barron on what he ought to know.
*Bishop Barron has the best Video (in 33 minutes duration) on 'How to Discern the Sprits'.*
What next?
@@marypinakat8594
I'm not attempting to win favor or to advise. I'm simply stating my opinion. But the good Bishop already faces opposition every day and is able to handle any criticism.
I like Bishop Barron, we both grew up in the Chicago land area and he's a fantastic Bishop. I'd like him to possibly be Pope some day or at least a Papal Adviser, someone who has more direct influence on the Church as a whole.
Really challenging battle!
Caring for my severely/profoundly handicapped 45 year-old son simplifieds many things when it comes to discerning. The most difficult temptation is worry about my boy's health and future.
Bob it's a sob here a tear
Bishop Robert Barron, can you please pray that my intention is granted? I've been praying for 2 years with no change, but I'm confident that your prayers will be sufficient to at last give me the blessing I desired for so long.
God Bless!
Just a suggestion, whenever you pray for this blessing that you desire, you should conclude with: not mine but Your Will be done!
And then ask St. Anthony to pray for you.
Anthony Burke I can vouch for St Anthony. St Therese is amazing too. Or ask why He hasn’t given it to you yet and ask if He has something better in mind?
Zeno Guard I pray for your intentions!! God bless you
Sometimes the will of God is giving something better instead. You will see it later..
Victor Ugo That's not possible.
This isn't like me asking to be a programmer when God wants to make me a CEO instead, with this prayer, It's either granted or denied, but there is no better "variant" of it.
Thanks Bishop Father Robert. We are living in a world that seems like the one described in Revelation, where evil spirits are in charge in governments/ legislature. Spiritual discernment is needed even more now, including how to fight evil spirits. PS. Please adress mass evangelization in the Catholic church in near future.
Yes we are in that time of Revelation/Apocalypse. Very rarely do the evil spirits come at us as the movie the exorcist or the exorcism of Emily Rose. They have brought more hell and destruction through sneaky slyness an the little white lies etc. that have misled souls more than anything. The unknown author of the book 'The Cloud of unknowing' said that there will always be something that a messenger will give away of themselves wither they be of God or the Devil in some small why you'll know whom their from.
Now hearing this, I'm very intrigued.
Timothy Gallagher, The Discernment of Spirits.
I will definitely be checking this book out!
For the first time, last night, I watched the film (movie) "Silence". If we were all committed to faith as those priests and lay people were, there would be no need for a new evangelisation.
Denis 1901 where did you watch it? Thanks :)
@@ketinporta4994 I've watched this movie- it's on Netflix ( but check to make sure)
ronnyandjamiejoy Sandvick it was shown on the BBC, the national broadcast service in Britain. It began at 22.00hrs, so not really user friendly for people going to work the next day. (I saw it on the digital catch up service).
@@Denis-tg6jw I want to learn more about this movie. The one I mentioned above is not the same movie.
polishmehappy the one I mean is "Silence" by Martin Scorsese. It is about the 16th century efforts by the Jesuits to evangelise Japan and the savage repression of Christianity the followed.
I asked Jesus in prayer: "Please help my to know You better." The answer was quick: "I am the TRUTH..You must abstain from lying, there are no white lies." By living in constant truth .. you WILL KNOW ME." That was 11 years ago. Yes, I DO know Jesus better, and I have abundant clarity and insight! "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life!"
Once you decided to tell only the truth, did it seem like the devil tried harder to make you lie? I had a couple of incidents. The one that bothered me most was a pesky handyman who rang my doorbell and would not leave me alone until, finally, I broke down and lied saying that I don't own the house and only rent. Naturally, I confessed my sin but I need to learn to say "no" in an effective way.
YES! But Jesus helped me by pushing at me to correct the lie..then and there! Boy is that a great motivator for truth telling..lol. More than a few times in 1st weeks I had to say; "I'm sorry, that was a lie.." and then explain.
For the repair man...Had I been in your shoes..now .."I am sorry but we do NOT need anything. now" ."I hope you find someone who does." Close door...and pray for him.
As I said...the pay off is really knowing Jesus..and being filled w/Holy Spirit graces for clarity of thought ..discernment! Ask Jesus for this..and keep working at it.
P.S. Another one is..give me your number/card and I'll keep it with my list, in case I need it in the future. Thank you...bye!
Bishop Barron, in discerning what path we should take, i.e., what God wants us to do with our life, is it finding which path will "lead me to greater love of God and neighbor," or is it, as you say in your Holy Spirit video (where you talk about Galatians Chapter 5), finding the path that "makes me the most generous?"
Happy 60th Birthday soon! 🎈🎆🎉🎂🎉🎆🎈
AND WHAT HE WANTS ( his will)
Thank you for this one. Would you please make one on spiritual warfare.
It's obious i born to love God from offer every pain it's not a matter cause i doesn't hope big things and ever i'm surprise from God. Cause He love more that we can expect.😇
A good book to read on the high and noble place of emotions is Dietrich von Hildebrand's "The Heart: An Analysis of Human and Divine Affectivity."
I enjoy listening to the Bishops' talks un English: how can I send the spanish versión to Friends un Spanish?
Bishop how are you happen mass mass every day miss your mass thank you share god virgen maria blessing all time👍🌹
"There are no answers, only choices."
The answer is the Will of God; the choice is one's response to Him!
@@el-sig2249 Sure, but who knows the will of God?
@@tinman1955 you're right: no one does! That's why we have to be faithful and trust that He will reveal His will.
@@aperta7525 Maybe God whispers in your ear but he doesn't whisper in mine. No excuses but is it humanly possible to love that which has not been revealed? Can love be genuine if it must be delivered on command under threat of punishment?
Hi Bishop Barren, please can you talk about the many things that happened at the Amazon synod recently? I am a catholic christian and its difficult trying to search for answers and the truth about why certain things happened during the synod e.g. worshipping a pagan idol in the Vatican grounds. Please can you talk about this? I enjoy hearing your wisdom when you talk about concerning issues, so please can you guide us with what happened at the Amazon synod. I'd really appreciate any thoughts you can offer :)
- Chris
What happened at the synod?
Chris McKay,
Are you a regular viewer to this Channel?
@jacegil exactly!