Today, let’s look a bit more deeply into a supernatural gift:
170. Certainly, spiritual discernment does not exclude existential, psychological, sociological or moral insights drawn from the human sciences. At the same time, it transcends them.
Use reason, but don’t be enslaved to it. It’s a starting point, not the sole measure.
We must also move beyond Church guidelines. These too are a beginning, a blueprint. Not the final product:
Nor are the Church’s sound norms sufficient. We should always remember that discernment is a grace. Even though it includes reason and prudence, it goes beyond them, for it seeks a glimpse of that unique and mysterious plan that God has for each of us, which takes shape amid so many varied situations and limitations.
When Pope Francis mentions discernment, it might begin with an individual’s personal mission. But authentic discernment always connects a person to a greater plan:
It involves more than my temporal well-being, my satisfaction at having accomplished something useful, or even my desire for peace of mind. It has to do with the meaning of my life before the Father who knows and loves me, with the real purpose of my life, which nobody knows better than he. Ultimately, discernment leads to the wellspring of undying life: to know the Father, the only true God, and the one whom he has sent, Jesus Christ (cf. John 17:3). It requires no special abilities, nor is it only for the more intelligent or better educated. The Father readily reveals himself to the lowly (cf. Matthew 11:25).
You can check the full document Gaudete et Exsultate on the Vatican website.
Catholic Sensibility 