Discernment Matters: Listening with the Ear of the Heart

by Mary Margaret Funk OSB, Dom Armand Veilleux OCSO (Afterword)

After fifty years of monastic life, prayer, and spiritual direction, Meg Funk knows what it means to listen with the ear of one's heart to the Holy Spirit. In Discernment Matters , she shares what she has learned. This book is a resource for those who want to learn and practice discernment as taught by the early monastic tradition. It includes an accessible summary of teachings about discernment from monastic traditions of late antiquity, consideration of important tools for making decisions today, and practical examples from the lives of St. Benedict and St. Patrick, as well as from the experience of monastics today. With this fifth volume of the Matters Series, Funk completes one of the most comprehensive presentations of the spiritual life available today, demonstrating why this inner work is both necessary and such a joy. Mary Margaret Funk is a Benedictine nun of Our Lady of Grace Monastery, Beech Grove, Indiana. From 1994 through 2004, she served as executive director of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, which fosters dialogue among monastics of the world's religions. In addition to the volumes of the Matters Series, she is the author of Islam Is…: An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion and Into the A Journey of Loss and Vocation.

Genres: Christianity

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Virginia Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I continually return to it for guidance.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a second time, one year later, and definitely absorbed more of it this time, particularly Funk's emphasis on detrimental thoughts and how they derail people spiritually. In fact, she's written another book in this series called, "Thoughts Matter", but she acknowledges that much of that information is repeated in this book. She recommends identifying and shutting out negative or sinful thinking and implementing different prayer techniques to clear the mind. The average person may not be interested in pursuing such stringent observance of thoughts, but Funk is writing for the reader who wants to practice as monastics do. Ultimately, by quieting the mind, one creates more space for "listening" to God and practicing discernment.

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From first reading:
Very practical book first dealing with thoughts and how they afflict people, followed by an overview of different prayer styles and steps one can undertake for prayerful discernment. Centered in Catholic monastic practice and theology. Quick read and thought provoking. Would be good for group discussion.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg Funk's "Matters" series is quite a treasure. ("Tools Matter," "Thoughts Matter," etc.) this book reviews much material from earlier volumes which makes it less helpful in a way but the review is worth having & it makes this book valuable as a stand-alone. The chapters on methods of prayer is the strongest part of this book with the final chapters summarizing the lives of Benedict & Patrick more than commenting on them.