Finding my walking companion

When we ask ourselves, during our daily Examen of consciousness, where and when we experienced love in its various guises during the day, we discover that we have found God, and vice versa, that God has found us. It’s a bit like saying that God is the dancer and the dance is the gift. You can’t have one without the other. The criterion for judging whether or not we have experienced God is the answer to the question: ‘Where is this experience leading me?’ If my ‘finding God in all things’ is leading me towards generosity and service of others, then I’ve found God and vice versa. This is where Ignatius’s guidelines for the discernment of spirits play a crucial role.

Excerpted from Pathways to a Decision: With Ignatius of Loyola  by Jim Maher SJ (p.50)