Today, with the rapidly changing tides and numerous trends flooding, spiritual discernment work is being called for as theological work as more important than ever. God, who calls human beings for the perfection, considers him to reach his own purpose...
Today, with the rapidly changing tides and numerous trends flooding, spiritual discernment work is being called for as theological work as more important than ever. God, who calls human beings for the perfection, considers him to reach his own purpose while leading him to various secondary causes, that is, through various intermediaries. In this process, we must find and identify the will of God hidden behind it in the face of encounters and events with countless people. We can then progress on the path of the sanctification moving on the very path God wants. First of all, spiritual discernment can reveal the origins of various spiritual movements occurring within our souls and based on them, prevent opportunities to fall into sin by either following the spiritual movements or rejecting the movements. Therefore, spiritual discernment is a key task that determines the success or failure of human spiritual journey toward the unity of love with God.
This thesis aims to deal with the spiritual discernment in detail. First of all, we started from the terminology problem and examined what God's spirit, evil spirit, and human spirit movement are in our soul. And we have examined the criteria for identifying these spirits and what are the various means. The fundamental criteria for spiritual discernment are the various evangelical values Jesus has presented and better things than on the path of sanctification, greater spiritual comfort and what lead us to service and dedicate for others. Based on this, we use various means, such as the Word of God, prayer, teaching of the Catholic Church, and personal awareness of the counselee to work on spiritual discernment. The key to spiritual discernment is to know the signs of each spirit. When we have this professional insight, we can use the criteria and means for discernment to reveal the origins of the existing spiritual movement in us. These discernment are made not only on a personal level but also on a community level. We were called to be saved and sanctified together. Therefore, at the end of this thesis, we examined the preconditions and process for community discernment. Through this thesis, you will find basic frameworks for various spiritual discernment at the personal and community level. It is hoped that the consideration of this subject will provide practical help for the sanctification of each individual and the development of community.