How can believers who desire to consecrate their lives to God decide on whether to take the path of service or that of monasticism?

Discernment requires purity of heart. St. Basil believes that the secret behind the purity of the believer’s heart is his keenness to grow himself spiritually through the practice of spiritual stillness and silence. He says, “silence is the beginning of purifying the soul.”

Silence is necessary for the believer, especially when making a correct decision about consecration. If someone feels called to the priesthood or longs for monasticism, he needs to submit himself to the Holy Spirit and take his time — in silence — to make a decision in accordance with God’s will. St. Basil the Great says, “When the mind is not engaged by

1706 Dayton Hartman, Lies Pastors Believe: 7 Ways to Elevate Yourself, Subvert the Gospel, and Undermine the Church (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017): pp. 20–22.

1707 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Cor . 2.8. See also his De incomprehensibili 3.6; De prophetarum obscuritaite , 2.5, Homilies on Ephesians 3.5; and Homilies on John , 78.4.

1708 St. John Chrysostom, 2 Tim., Homily 2.2–3; Jo. Homily 87.4.

1709 St. John Chrysostom, John, Matt., Homilies 26.6; 76.6. See also De Virginitate 24 in De virginitate and De non iterando coniugio , trans., Sally Ann Shore (Ph.D. Thesis, Catholic University of America, 1980).

external affairs, nor diffused through the senses over the whole world, it retires within itself. Then, it ascends spontaneously to the consideration of God.”¹⁷¹⁰