The Theory of Discernment, Lectio and Seven Ceaseless Prayer Practices
After fifty years of monastic life, prayer, and spiritual direction, Sr. Meg Funk knows what it means to listen to the Holy Spirit with the ear of one’s heart. Drawing from material in Discernment Matters, Sr. Meg probes the spiritual practice of discernment as revealed in the early monastic tradition. She defines discernment as “our relationship with the Holy Spirit who is at work in us” and suggests that with divine assistance, we can begin to learn how to listen with the ear of the heart. In her time with us, Sr. Meg will explore the eight afflictive thoughts which hinder discernment, present seven practices of ceaseless prayer, and outline five steps to making a decision.
Sr. Meg Funk is a Benedictine nun of Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana. Her published works include five books in the Matters Series, a group of books on The Practice of the Spiritual Life, and include Thoughts Matter (1999), Tools Matter (2004), Humility Matters (2005), and Lectio Matters (2010). Her most recent volume in the Matters Series, Discernment Matters: Listening With the Ear of the Heart, came out in 2013. With that book, Sr. Meg completes one of the most comprehensive presentations of today’s spiritual life, demonstrating why this inner work is both necessary and such a joy.
Sr. Meg is an advocate of interreligious dialogue. From 1994 to 2004, she was Executive Director of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue Board, which coordinates the organization to foster inter-religious and inter-monastic dialogue.
