Preparing Oneself to Recognize Good Spirits

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple.  Of all of the babies being brought to the Temple that day, how would Simeon know which one was Jesus, the Messiah? Babies all look alike, do they not?  His guide was the Holy Spirit!  He could not go wrong in recognizing which baby was the Holy One of God.  You and I are guided by the same Holy Spirit, who points out who is/is not of God, which is/which is not the path to our God.  The difficulty comes from the fact that we have both good spirits and bad spirits at work within and around us.  The angels who rebelled against God—bad spirits-- prowl this world, seeking persons to lead astray.   Good angels, good spirits, also roam this world and direct us toward God’s way, put God’s thoughts within us, warn us of danger, of that which denigrates us or lies to us. Simeon practiced listening to good spirits, the Holy Spirit, guiding him.  We, too, can learn how to discern good from bad spirits. God has equipped us with the same openness to the Holy Spirit. In prayer, in solitude, we learn to listen. One way to develop the ability to hear God’s voice and become still in prayer is to practice centering prayer. What is that? Centering prayer is focusing on a word that still us, such as “Jesus,” “God,” “Love,” “Peace.”   When our thoughts stray, come back to the word  we have chosen, such as the name of “Jesus” to re-enter the stillness.  We will be training ourselves to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice.