Part 1: What is spiritual discernment?
Channel: SSJEOnline
Date: 2023-07-21

"Let me pray about that..." The Art of Discernment in Prayer
Part 1: What is spiritual discernment?

Welcome to this five-part video series on the art of discernment in prayer.  The series is meant to help us learn to hear God’s “voice” as it comes to us in the silent places of our hearts and through our interactions and experiences in the world.  We’ll try especially to answer questions such as, “How can we bring God into the realm of our decision-making?” “What does it mean to pray about a choice we are facing?” and “What do we hope or expect will happen when we do seel God’s guidance in our decision-making?

In this first video, Br. David will be introducing the topic of “spiritual discernment,” drawing especially on the story of Samuel’s call in I Samuel 3.  As you watch these 30-minute videos, we welcome you to pause the tape to allow space to reflect on these ideas on your own, or to go back and listen again.  Captions are available on each video (click the CC button to turn these on).  Text transcripts and audio versions are also available each week.

Part 2: What do we mean when we speak of a ‘vocation’ or ‘calling’ in life? 
Part 3: What can we learn from Jesus’ sense of his own vocation/calling?
Part 4: How can we discern our own vocation or calling in life? 
Part 5: Is there a reliable method for discerning important life choices in prayer? 
www.SSJE.org/discernment