Discernment

Question 1

What does the acronym “SHIP” stand for?

Answer 1

Spiritual, Human, Intellectual, Pastoral

Question 2

How does Acts 6:3 describe the first deacons?

Answer 2

“Seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and wisdom”

Question 3

Who was the first Christian martyr?

Answer 3

St. Stephen, a deacon and a great defender of the faith

Question 4

Which of the first seven deacons was the first martyr of the Christian faith?

Answer 4

St. Stephen, known as a great defender of the faith (Acts 6:8 - Acts 7:60)

Question 5

Who were the first seven deacons written about in Acts 6:5?

Answer 5

St. Stephen the protomartyr (the first Christian martyr), St. Philip the Evangelist, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.

Question 6

Why is St. Philip known as “the evangelist”?

Answer 6

St. Philip was a key figure in the Church’s early mission to the Gentiles. He is also remembered for his dramatic baptism of the Ethiopian queen’s attendant (Acts 8: 27-39)

Question 7

To what service is the deacon called?

Answer 7

“In persona Christi servi” - In the person of Christ the servant

Question 8

Who do deacons serve?

Answer 8

Deacons serve the bishop in his service of the people of God

Question 9

What must always be at the heart of the deacon’s life and ministry?

Answer 9

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ

Question 10

How does Pastoral ministry differ from humanitarian aid?

Answer 10

Pastoral ministry originates in and is sustained by interior intimacy with the servant mysteries of Christ

Question 11

A deacon can either be a bridge to Christ or an obstacle. What seven competencies in human skills and virtues are of great importance?

Answer 11

Moral character, education, emotional maturity, communication skills, prudence, humility, and professional demeanor

Question 12

Men who are attracted to the diaconate must be men who…

Answer 12

Desire to encounter the Lord, receive his love as their way of being, carry his capacity to listen for pain in the human heart, and know where relief for that pain can be found within the church

Question 13

From where does the desire of a deacon to assist the needy come from?

Answer 13

This desire to assist the needy flows from the deacon’s inherent intimacy with Christ the Servant

Question 14

What is the centeral question of discernment?

Answer 14

Do I want to be a man who is living Christ’s own servant mysteries?

Question 15

What is the aim of diaconal discernment?

Answer 15

The aim of diaconal discernment is to assist men to remove what hinders cooperation with the Holy Spirit, and to cultivate the virtues that are most favorable to His inspirations

Question 16

What is the sum of diaconal discernment?

Answer 16

Noticing and yielding to only the movements of the Spirit in the soul

Question 17

What assists in diaconal discernment to notice the movements of the Spirit in the soul?

Answer 17

Prayer, spiritual reading, receiving the sacraments, the practice of virtues, and conversation with spiritual leaders

Question 18

What is the largest obstacle to knowing the will of God?

Answer 18

Our personal sin

Question 19

What is considered the “hard part” of formation?

Answer 19

It is one’s availability to receive God

Question 20

What is spiritual direction?

Answer 20

Spiritual direction is the art of listening to the affective movements of a person’s heart and assisting that person in relating these movements to the indwelling Trinity

Question 21

What are the five components of Lectio Divina?

Answer 21

C - Contemplation
R - Reading
A - Action
M - Meditation
P - Prayer

Question 22

What are the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary?

Answer 22

The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Jesus, the Presentation, and the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

Question 23

What are the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary?

Question 24

What are the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary?