by Deacon Dana Nearmyer
One common request of the more than 1,700 campers at Camp Tekakwitha in Williamsburg this summer was a request that went something like this: “I want to follow God; can you teach me to pray and hear God?” The answer is yes.
God can be heard, recognized and encountered in many ways, including through meditation on Scripture, lectio divina (“divine reading”), and visio divina (“divine seeing”). The Mass is the source and summit of our faith and full of prayer-filled encounters. The Liturgy of the Hours and rosary bring peace and enlightenment to millions. Eucharistic adoration is a powerful time of prayer. There are many other great ways to pray, including getting on your knees and pouring out your heart, but the more complex part of the question is what does God sound like.
In the Catholic tradition, hearing God’s voice is understood most often through discernment, less commonly as a direct audible voice, and frequently as an interior movement confirmed by prayer, Scripture and the teachings of the church. The process involves distinguishing divine guidance from that of the world, Satan and our own will. We have to discern what we hear, sense and feel.
Father Mike Schmitz says that we need to ask: 1) Does it contradict Scripture? 2) Does it contradict the church? 3) Does it sound like someone untrustworthy? He further says, when we then prayerfully act on it, we must assess the fruits.
Keep in mind when God’s voice convicts, it is out of love, calls for repentance and closeness to him, whereas the enemy’s voice heaps on shame and guilt and creates distance from our loving Father.
Cardinal Robert Sarah says in his book “The Power of Silence”: “At the heart of man, there is an innate silence, for God abides in the innermost part of every person. God is silence, and this divine silence dwells in man. In God, we are inseparably bound up with silence,” and he later says: “Nothing will make us discover God better than his silence inscribed in the center of our being.”
To sharpen your discernment acumen:
For women, a great way to discern God’s voice is at Camp Tekakwitha’s women’s retreat (www.archkck.org/camp), Oct. 24-26 held at beautiful Prairie Star Ranch.
Other great formation opportunities can be explored on our website at: www.archkck.org/oe.
On Nov. 1, the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) will hold Gaudeamus. It enables CEF to make Catholic education possible for those most in need.
To give the gift of Catholic learning and discernment to a child in need, go online to: www.cefgala.org.
