Listening Hearts discernment is communal in nature – “Helping people hear God’s call through community.” People striving together gain strength from one another. When a core of people committed to practicing spiritual discernment touches the life of the faith community in which it lives, an ever-expanding network of support begins to develop. Some who are part of the larger network will be drawn into the nucleus so that over time it grows in size and strength.

In both the individuals associated with the program and in the specific community of faith, if the use of discernment does not move forward, it regresses. “Use it or lose it,” as the saying goes. The practice of spiritual discernment feeds itself. The challenge is to stay centered in God and faithful in applying the principles of spiritual discernment.

An annual retreat day can help a discernment ministry team sharpen its focus. Devoting a day to seeking God’s guidance for their life together helps the team to stay alive in the Spirit. Appropriate Scripture passages coupled with a meditation exercise adapted from Listening Hearts’ Retreat Designs and Meditation Exercises can help frame the event.

A small group of people, dedicated to the task and immersed in the Spirit, has the power to infuse a congregation or diocese with new life.

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