It was August in Taiwan. Waking briskly through the university campus toward the library, I was close to being late for a morning meeting. Suddenly, someone from behind called out in English, “Are you a Jesuit?” Surprised, I turned around. “Yes,” I replied. I thought to myself, ‘he must have seen the letters ‘SJ’ on the back of my T-shirt.’ He introduced himself. Juan was a student from Central America.

Juan explained that he was in the midst of making an important decision. Though he was midway through courses, he was seriously considering changing programs. Yet he was noticing that his heart has significant doubts as to whether this change was the right choice.

He was heading in the direction of the library as well. We began to walk together

In our lives, we hear many voices—from family, friends, colleagues at work, our culture, and even from ourselves. Of these many voices, how do we know what is from God and what is not? When we are faced with decisions in life—major and minor ones—how do we know which option Christ is inviting us to choose?

This is what Ignatian discernment is about, sifting through the many voices in life to recognize and discover Christ’s voice amidst these. It is a voice that is often subtle.

Through reflection on his own life experience, however, St. Ignatius of Loyola articulated two tools that help us discern Christ’s voice—consolation and desolation.

In Ignatian spirituality, consolation does not refer to the conventional definition of providing comfort to the grieving. Rather, consolation is a direction. It is an inner movement of the soul that moves a person toward God. When a person is trying to lead a good life and be open to God, consolation often manifests as a sense of peace, hope, surrender to God, love of God, courage or joy. 

Desolation is also direction. It is an inner movement that draws a person away from God. For a person trying to be open to God’s voice, desolation often manifests as fear, inner turmoil and a focus on self. It is often felt as a lack of faith in God, a lack of hope in the future or a tepid rather than passionate desire to love.

So how do consolation and desolation relate to Christ’s voice and making decisions?

Discernment is a process. First, remember that no matter what you choose, nothing will take God’s love away from you. It is not a waste of time to step back and linger for a moment in God’s unconditional love for you (e.g. by reading Psalm 139 and staying with a phrase or image that touches you). Then consider the question. Write it out. For example, ‘Is Christ calling me to take the job offer with Company A or the job at Company B?’ You may be surprised. Sometimes things get clearer simply by writing out the question and naming the options.

Now, as you explore each option over time, notice. What are the fruits of each option? Exploring can include talking to people about what that option entails, researching that option on the internet or even visiting a place involved with the option. In this process we are invited to pray and notice what fruits are predominant.

Is there an option that is drawing me toward God more than the others? In other words, is there an option that gives me a sense of peace in my heart (even though living out this option is going to be difficult)? Is there an option that consistently gives me a sense of hope for the future even though I am not certain what will happen if pursue it, yet the hope persists?

Is there an option that, as I look into it, gives me the sense that I am cooperating with God rather than trying to make things happen myself? These are all examples of consolation. They are signs of Christ’s subtle voice inviting us to choose this with him.

If the consistent and predominant fruit of an option, however, is fear, inner turmoil or focus on self rather than wanting to trust in God, there is a good chance that God is not inviting us to choose this option.

It may take time for these fruits to become evident. Discernment involves patience and noticing.

Yet, what if I notice that more than one option inspires me with consolation? This is a great question. Often the most difficult choices in life are not between good and bad. The most heart-wrenching decisions involve situations where we have two really good options in front of us but we can only choose one. In such situations, we are invited to consider which option inspires us with the most consolation through the process of discernment.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to meet with Juan again after that summer day. I hope that our short conversation facilitated his reflection in some way. Discernment involves, prayer, asking questions, exploring options and noticing the fruits in our soul. This takes time, patience and awareness. It starts by asking for Christ’s guidance and trying to be attentive to his subtle voice.

Ultimately, we can trust that Christ is with us and wants what is most life-giving for us. As long as we are trying to be open to him in this process, when we finally make a decision, we can trust that God will bring about something good from it, no matter what we choose.