FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS
By Robyn Wunder
Director of the Spiritual Exercises Ministry with Jesuit and Ignatian Spirituality Australia (JISA)
It was such a joy to experience the immense wisdom of Fr Javier Melloni SJ, current director of Cova de Sant Ignasi Retreat Centre in Manresa, Spain, when he joined us online recently to share about discernment. The webinar was hosted by JISA, The Arrupe Program and Companions in the Giving of the Spiritual Exercises.
I expected to hear wise words about discernment, and I wasn’t disappointed. What I didn’t expect was how much I would feel it — in my breath, in my chest, even in the shift of my posture as I listened. This was another invitation to notice how God stirs in my body.
Javier began by reminding us that discernment is not about fixing problems or choosing between good and bad. It is about sacred listening – attending to reality as it unfolds within and around us. As he spoke, I found myself sitting taller, noticing the weight of my body on the chair; the simplicity of his words gave me permission to be present in my skin.
He explained the distinction between sensations, emotions, feelings and thoughts … Beneath thoughts lie feelings, beneath feelings lie emotions, and at the base are bodily sensations — the first and most immediate response to life. Sensations are our first bodily reactions — a tightening of the stomach, a deep sigh, a sense of warmth or contraction. Emotions follow, shaped by our story and history, such as joy, sadness, rage, or disgust. These then develop into more complex feelings, then thoughts come last, giving words and frameworks. True discernment invites us to move downward through these layers, beyond mental analysis, to listen to the wisdom of our body and the emotions rooted in it.
So often, especially when I’m tired, I begin with my thoughts and try to reason my way to clarity. In this session I was reminded that discernment begins lower, deeper, in those subtle somatic movements, that I can so easily overlook, especially in my busy life.
I noticed how my body shifted when Javier spoke about consolation — the movement towards life, expansion, freedom and desolation — the contraction, heaviness, or draining away of energy. These are not abstract ideas for me, they are lived, felt experiences. As I write this now, I recall with gratitude so many moments in prayer when my shoulders open and my breathing eases — signs of God’s gentle yes that bypasses my head and speaks directly through my body.
Communal discernment, too, has a bodily dimension. Javier invited us to see the group, not as many competing voices, but as one body seeking alignment. He spoke of the need to listen not only to what is said but the tone, silences, and breath of the group. As I sat with others on our Zoom call, I could sense this shared rhythm, the subtle movements that can occur when hearts and bodies gradually become attuned…
What stayed with me most was Javier’s portrayal of our co-creativity with God, how we respond moment by moment to the life that stirs within us. Discernment is not about straining to see that distant signpost but softening enough to notice the pulse of grace already moving through my senses, my body, and my relationships.
As the webinar drew to a close, I felt both lighter and more grounded. Discernment is a path walked with my whole being — ears, eyes, taste buds, nostrils, heart, breath, and body — listening deeply for God’s Spirit within me.
To enquire about discernment for yourself or your teams, contact JISA on 1300 EXAMEN (1300 392 636) or info@jisa.org.au and we can tailor a program for you.
Banner artwork by Ignasi Flores (Jesuit.Media / General Curia Communications Office)