5th Week of Easter (A) : Saturday 13th May 2023

In this reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke makes two rather intriguing and unexplained remarks: “they had been prevented by the Spirit of the Lord” and “the spirit of Jesus would not allow them.” After recounting the man’s vision from Macedonia, Luke speaks in a clearer, but undeveloped way: “concluding that God had called us.”

These remarks probably refer to some form of the “discernment of spirits”. In his First Letter (1 Jn. 4:1), St John urges us to “discern the spirits to see if they come from God.” In his letters, St Paul frequently speaks of the Holy Spirit and charismatic gifts in such a way as to imply the need of discernment. The Old Testament speaks of the need to discern between true and false prophets.

In general, the discernment of spirits implies a spiritual maturity, allowing one to evaluate all the interior thoughts, inclinations, tendencies and impulses, which fill our hearts and minds and draw us to greater good, a more liberating love of God, a concerned and caring love of our brothers and sisters, or to the opposite of all that God would desire for us and expect from us.

Lord, grant us the grace to be attentive to Your guidance so that we may do Your will in all things.