Our Desire Is God’s Desire

In the first signpost, the discernment process led to Jesus’ peace, a peace that touches the very soul.   But to experience this peace, we must wrestle with knowing and understanding God’s will and then surrender our will to God’s plan.

In the second signpost, we come to realize that our deepest desires are what God desires for us. But how can we come to know if God’s desire for us is religious life?  Again, in the spiritual exercises, Ignatius tells us that God places God’s very desire for us in our hearts.  In the call narrative of John’s gospel (John 35-39), Andrew and other disciple begin to tag along with Jesus even though they do not yet know him.  Jesus turns to them and asks, “What are you looking for,” and they respond, “Where do you stay,” and Jesus says, “Come and see.”  As this narrative unfolds, it is notable that Jesus desires the best for Andrew and the other disciple. 

But there are many cultural signs that tell us what we are to become and what makes us happy.  To follow a call to religious life, we must intentionally filter out false signs by seeking Jesus like Andrew and the other disciple.  They lived with the resolve to find “The Lamb of God” through communal living, prayer and reflection.  This discernment process, coupled with the mediation of John the Baptist, who functioned like a spiritual director, enabled the disciples to find their heart’s desire in Jesus.  But the converse could be said as well, that the heart of Jesus’ desire was tapped as well, since in calling forth these disciples, the Reign of God was at hand.  Jesus’ desire for disciples is to experience the saving plan of God.