GOD OF ALL AGES

During the time of Moses, the presence of God is very evident as in today's 1st reading. God came to them in a dense cloud accompanied by peals of thunder and lightning and a very loud trumpet blast which made God's people tremble. Nowadays we rarely or no longer experience these trembling when we communicate with God. We started drifting away from God and could hardly feel God's presence in our lives and fail to establish a clear communication line with Him. There had been many interruptions, distractions and hindrances in our lives that keep us from being fully aware of God. We have gotten used to the things around us and the daily events in our lives that we sometimes take things for granted already. It is not God who changed rather it is us, His people, who have changed by neglecting and breaking our relationship with God. I am very sure that if we will only do our part in this relationship then we can also see marvels and wonders or even greater things happening in our lives. For the God who appeared to Moses and made His presence felt to His people is still the same God we have today full of might and power. Amen. Hallelujah!


Exodus 19:1-2. 9-11. 16-20b
...the LORD told Moses, “I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you also.”...On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder...
God is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. His power extends throughout all generations. Amen. Hallelujah!

Daniel 3:52. 53. 54. 55. 56
R: Glory and praise forever.
29 [Dan 3:52] “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”

Today’s gospel focuses on the gift of discernment and these notes on Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition is a big help for those who want to have blessed eyes and ears that see and hear what many prophets and righteous people longed to see and hear. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 13:10-17
...“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition.

Discernment is a process of giving conscious attention to what we think and what we feel in relation to particular choices we are making. Discernment is the basis for the practical and experiential application of Ignatian Spirituality to every-day life. In order to make good decisions, we need to "read" the data available to us both in terms of factual information and also our feelings about what we know. Our immediate experience contains elements of both intellectual understanding and spiritual appreciation. Attention to these two components of our thought and feeling processes enables us to recognize and choose what is better rather than what is less good.

The word "discernment" suggests faith: to ask God for help in choosing the better option - but only if we have agreed to act on the help that we will receive in a relationship of trust with God. The adventure of engaging in a process like this always brings us closer to God.

Trust is founded upon our experiences. God completely understands our present concern and us. God wants to help us make the free personal choice that will bring us towards the fulfillment of our purpose in life. It is God's desire, as well as ours, that decision - making by discernment will provide us with the best conclusions we can make at this time.

Becoming clear as to what is to be decided is necessary: "either this or that," one issue at a time. If that question is decided, then a further decision may be needed. The sharper the focus of the question to be decided, the better it is.
For major issues, list the individual factors into "pro" and "con," one side at a time, prayerfully, without “censoring.” Write down your thoughts and feelings relative to only one side at a time

If there is some reason that we notice, one so strong that we can hardly imagine being able to choose the other side, we need to know whether this is an obstacle to our freedom or a brilliant light that gives us our "answer." Fear and disturbance accompany an obstacle; peace and clarity reveal God's hand. When we can calmly look at all the reasons we have on both sides of an issue, it will usually become rather clear which side really is in accord with our values, what will be the better thing to do. Seek confirmation?

The Right Time
In making an important decision, we would like to "get it over with" as soon as possible. If we have an immediate deadline, God will help us decide within the limited time we have. When a discernment process is brought to a natural completion, there is an accompanying sense of peacefulness. Though we might be under considerable pressure from within to reach a conclusion, we might at the same time know that we are not yet ready. It is very helpful in making important decisions to be looking for the kinds of surprises that bring us clarity and joy – signs of God’s activity.

The act of writing down some thoughts, feelings, and reflections often enables us to determine their relative importance. Writing is also a means of sorting wishful fantasy from deep desire.

When Peace Is a Sign
"Are you at peace with your decision?" We experience a kind of satisfaction which many of us identify as a sense of peace that goes beyond mere selfishness when any of us chooses what is better rather than what is only more immediately attractive. We operate from a kind of "holy selfishness" when we make decisions that are right for us. A truly good choice we make is not just for our benefit, but also for all those who will be affected by what we do or say. Peace is confirmation from God about the better decision. We cannot directly cause the experience of peace; peace is a true sign of an inner reality that cannot be faked or forced. Real peace is more than a momentary approval of a decision. It is an indicator about our relationship with God, others, and us.

Certainty in Decision-making
At least once or twice in our lives most of us have had the experience of becoming suddenly and with great clarity aware of a major direction that we should take in our lives. Often, we also sensed that God was directly involved in the experience. Later on, we might have had doubts. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. God, who is creating us continuously, knows the best time to reveal something that is wholly suitable for us. We cannot know ahead of time how things will turn out, but we can experience surety about how appropriate the path is for us and have a strong desire to follow wherever it leads.
Making a decision that is strongly influenced by God does not mean that it will be accompanied by ease or by fame. But we do find the capacity to pour our energies in a particular direction rather than to reserve ourselves and keep all our options open. It is helpful to recall our special graces or inspirations from time to time.

If we are careful to observe the positive or negative direction of the thoughts that enter our minds, we can “have it both ways.” When the thoughts are flowing in keeping with our direction, they are worth our consideration. They confirm the route we are taking. When they are contrary and disruptive, they can safely and wisely be dismissed as simply irrelevant on our path to God. By pointing in the opposite direction they actually give us an indication of the correct path upon which we want to continue.

Within ourselves, we have the capacity either to reflect or to rationalize. We can try to understand what has happened, or we can “explain away” something that is unfamiliar. Our integrity requires that we honor all our experiences. It is right that we do recall these experiences that might have been from God. Notice the difference between the time of the event and what followed later. Our own sense of honesty will guide us in naming rightly what was from God and how we doubted it afterwards.

When Not to Make a Decision
When we are knocked off our center, cannot find God in our thoughts or prayers, and find ourselves more pushed around by our feelings and thoughts than by what invites or encourages us, it is definitely a bad time to be making a decision. Not making a decision except when there is peace inside may seem a difficult rule to follow. Making a decision at a time when we are being influenced by thoughts and feelings against our basic orientation towards God can cause great harm to ourselves and to others.

There is an illusion in times of confusion that making a decision – any decision – will give us relief. That is equivalent to reaching blindly into a bag of good and bad apples and just taking one. Even if we happen to get a good one, we would consider ourselves lucky, not smart, or wise. This “rule” about not acting while we are without peace does not mean that we can always take time to get comfortable before making important decisions. When a crisis occurs, we have to move quickly. Most often we will have an immediate clarity about what is the “right thing” for us to do. If we reflect back on the decisions we made when we had to decide “on the spot”, we will probably recognize that most were the proper choices. There is no time when God is not present, though we might not be aware of it.

Thinking and Feeling
One of the big secrets in our relationship with God is the connection between what we think and what we feel. God is good, so our experiences of God are accompanied with thoughts and feelings that are appropriately positive. Most of us also have some other kinds of experiences which are not necessarily “bad” but they do not come to us directly from the gracious love of God. We do not make up our own feelings, but when we pay attention to what is going on in our minds we gain some understanding of our feelings.
In making decisions, we help ourselves by attending to the “spiritual weather” we are experiencing. When our minds are cloudy and our feelings correspond, it does not mean that we have become less good than we were before, or less a responsive and responsible child of God. But the confused set of thoughts and concomitant discomfort do not come to us from God. When God approaches us, we find that our thoughts flow easily on how to act in accord with our values, and feel confidence and a sense of rightness.