He often expresses his desire for greater formation in discernment - a concept that may seem obscure without an understanding its importance to the Pope's Jesuit formation.

"When a Jesuit says 'discernment,' they're employing a term that has a very rich spiritual tradition within the Society of Jesus, so you can presume a lot in that," Fr. Brian Reedy, SJ, told CNA in an interview.

Fr. Reedy is a US Navy Reserve chaplain and is pursuing a doctorate in philosophical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He holds a licentiate in theology from Boston College.

He explained that discernment is something St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, emphasized profoundly in his Spiritual Exercises, which form the "backbone" of Jesuit spirituality.

In fact, St. Ignatius twice in the spiritual exercises has an extended discourse on how to carry out discernment properly: what it means, what its limitations are, and the rules that govern it.

"One of the things that's very interesting about discernment is that while it does have a very polyvalent meaning, you can usually presume that when a Jesuit uses the term, when they launch it, it has these rules at least playing the background in their mind," Reedy said.

So when it comes to Jesuits and discernment, what are the governing rules, and how can we use them to understand Pope Francis?

Rules of Ignatian discernment

One of the first things to keep in mind when it comes to discernment is St. Ignatius' distinction between categories of people, Fr. Reedy said, explaining there are different rules for people take the faith seriously, and those who do not.

"If you are somebody who is living a life where God is not really on the scene and the teachings of the Church aren't really important you have one set of rules. But the reverse situation for somebody who does take their faith life very seriously and God is at least sought after … then we have a completely different set of rules," he said. Continue reading

Sources

• Catholic News Agency article by Elise Harris
• Image: Catholic News World

Veterinarian, scientist, and doctor are also frequently mentioned.

Asking questions about why you're here and what will make you happy is too often neglected. When planning for the future, there can be significant pressure to obtain the highest paying job or get into the most prestigious school.

The result is that we forget to examine why we want to pursue these options in the first place and never ask the most important questions.

Will being a lawyer make me happy, or should I be a stay-at-home father instead?

Is it worth it to go to Yale if the love of my life, the person I hope to marry, cannot go there with me and our relationship comes to an end?

Failing to consider our purpose in life isn't a new problem. As a young man 500 years ago, St. Ignatius of Loyola never took the time to consider his future.

Instead, he spent his time chasing women and obsessing over fancy clothes. He also loved the bravado of shiny swords and military exploits.

Eventually his way of life caught up with him when he was seriously injured by a cannonball during a battle. While in bed healing, he had time to think about his life and discover his purpose: to begin a new religious order. From that moment on he was a different man.

In hopes that it would help guide others, Ignatius wrote down some of the steps he took to discover his purpose in life. Here is some of his advice based on a chapter titled "Making a Good Election," from his book of Spiritual Exercises. Continue reading

Sources

• Aleteia article by Fr. Michael Rennier, who graduated from Yale Divinity School and lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and 5 children.
• Image: Jesuits