Fr. Charles Fox: To Know and Do God’s Will: A Short Ignatian Primer

By Fr. Charles Fox, Catholic World Report, July 31, 2024

Rev. Charles Fox is an assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit. He holds an S.T.D. in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome. He is also chaplain and a board member of Saint Paul Street Evangelization, headquartered in Warren, MI.

(Editor’s note: This essay was originally published by CWR on July 31, 2018.)

Because we are rational human beings, it is best for us not only to do God’s will, but also first to know God’s will and to choose to do it freely.

Today’s Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (July 31) provides a good opportunity to explore one of the choicest fruits of this saint’s extraordinary life: Ignatian discernment of spirits and of God’s will.

Of course, this article is only an introduction to a spiritual tradition that can be highly specialized. I wish to offer a simple, practical approach to this important part of our Catholic spiritual heritage. My hope is that you will find this approach to the spiritual life helpful in understanding yourself, the forces at work in your life—both internal and external, and in understanding how we come to know the will of God as we engage in the many different kinds of decision making our lives entail. I am eternally grateful to the priests who taught me Ignatian discernment, especially because it played such a critical role in helping me to hear and to say “yes” to God’s call to the priesthood.

Spirituality rooted in life

“May you attain full knowledge of God’s will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight.” — Colossians 1:9b …..

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