Join Zoom Meeting: Please use the link below. Included are the meeting ID and password. Our meeting begins at 6:30 pm MT.

https://zoom.us/j/98208217341?pwd=ZW9vQ2h3SFpkcHNLRmlMd1B3a0RIdz09

Meeting ID: 982 0821 7341

Passcode: 422122

Opening Prayer: The Memorare

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. 

Amen

Discerning the Spirit of God

There is a general rule in life that applies fairly consistently across the board.  The rule is that you generally see only what you are looking for.  If you are looking for the bad, you will find it easily enough.  Likewise, if you are looking for the good, for beauty, for truth, that is what you will see when it is present. 

The spirit we adopt (and there is a real choice here) determines in great part the way in which we move through life.  We all know people we would describe as having a generous spirit, a kind and charitable spirit, a spirit of joy and enthusiasm, and a spirit of faith.  We likewise know people whose spirits are heavy and negative and who can’t seem to find good in anything.  We all know who we gravitate to and who we prefer to be around when given a choice.

The critical spirit manifests in negativity, which often expresses itself in obsessively looking for things to judge, and condemn in others.  The condemnation is often expressed in indignation, contempt, cursing, and all manner of expression that is the opposite of blessing. 

Unfortunately, our culture is rife with people who have been taken over by a critical spirit.  There is no room for redemption.  If you did something 30 years ago, repented, and made all the proper amends, it does not matter.  You will be held accountable again and painted into the box of your past with no way out.  This is the ultimate end of a critical spirit, and thousands of lives are ruined by it, both professionally and personally.

Today, there is a real struggle to have a discerning spirit that does not degenerate into a critical spirit.  For many reasons, the critical spirit today is so prevalent that it invades everything.  We are formed by education and by the culture to find fault and, worse yet, to be personally offended by everything.  The fruit this produces can utterly divide and destroy the unity within families, communities, and even whole countries.   

The roots of this kind of spirit clearly come from hell. But in the end, the Scriptures tell us that “the accuser of our brothers will be cast out.” -Rev. 12:10 In its place, the Spirit of God will reign, and the glory of God will be made manifest. Accusation is a sure sign of ungodly activity. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, even when He convicts us of the truth of something we need to repent of, moves in peace and encouragement. He is our great Advocate, our Consoler, our Comforter, our Sanctifier. His actions bring us to unity with God and with one another. The critical spirit does the opposite. It drives us away from God and from each other, into the abysmal, blinding misery of our own false importance, and ultimately into an isolation that kills the soul.

What to do?  If you receive a camera as a gift, with the encouragement to take beautiful pictures, you will find yourself starting to look for beauty.  And consequently, you will begin to see beauty where you never saw it before.  This will, without a doubt, increase your joy.  If you set out to look for the goodness of the Father in others and practice searching for it, you will begin to see it where you never saw it before. You will be far less likely to judge.  Again an increase in joy and love for life will result.

This is a spirit we desperately need today because sometimes all it takes is for one person to really see beyond all the negatives. It is amazing what one smile, one blessing, and one positive comment can do. The spirit with which you approach another person can heal many an invisible suffering and do wonders to reset the course of a life that perhaps has gone off the rails.

Take some time to think about the spirit with which you live your life and ask the Lord to help you cultivate the kind of spirit that will prepare you one day to see the glory of God face to face because you have already worked to see it in its hidden revelations here in time.

1.  What is the difference between right judgment and accusation? What distinguishes one from the other?

2. How have you experienced the glory of God here in this life?  

3. How would you characterize your own spirit?  What have others said about you?  How do you see yourself?

4. What gift of your spirit do you think God wants you to leave with the people you interact with?

Please join us the second Monday of each month. We look forward to spending time with you. Peace and Blessings.