Discerning God’s Will in the New Year

The New Year is a great time to start over and begin again. With Bishop Simon Peter having designated this upcoming year as a year of Liturgical Renewal, it feels like the right time to consider how we can start again in our personal lives, opening our hearts more fully to the Lord.

We know there will be a lot of “noise” between now, New Year’s, and the end of the Christmas season: constant ads, self-help advice, and a thousand opinions about “the best way” to become a new you (hello, magazine covers!). But when it comes to starting again, where exactly do we… well, where do we start? How do we discern what decisions we should make?

The world will offer all sorts of methods for trying to help. Some of those methods might even be helpful. But as Catholics, we’ve been given a great gift: a time-tested way of noticing the movements in our hearts and souls so we can sort out when something is drawing us towards God, and when something is drawing us away from God.

I’m talking, of course, about St. Ignatius of Loyola, the famous Spanish saint and founder of the Jesuits. Ignatius developed an extremely practical set of ‘rules’—guidelines that help us clarify our decisions so that, as far as possible, we can make spiritually sound choices that correspond to God’s will for our lives.

After St. Ignatius of Loyola started the Jesuits, many people were coming to him to make retreats. Often, they were wrestling with life’s big questions: Should I become a priest? Should I enter religious life? What is God asking of me? To assist them, Ignatius composed what we now know as The Spiritual Exercises, which contain his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits—short, clear statements that help us notice when something is coming from the Holy Spirit, from our own spirit, or from the enemy.

Ignatius’ retreat attendees were often discerning significant life decisions. But his rules can also help us with ordinary life decisions, like starting new habits, setting goals, or considering how the Lord is inviting us to grow this year in our spiritual life.

There are many different rules that Ignatius articulated, but for the sake of this New Year’s reflection, let’s focus on only two of them: one that helps us set goals, and another that helps us persevere towards goals.

Sponge or rock?

In one of the most famous rules, Ignatius gives us an image of a sponge and a rock:
In souls that are progressing to greater perfection, the action of the good angel is delicate, gentle, delightful. It may be compared to a drop of water penetrating a sponge.
The action of the evil spirit upon such souls is violent, noisy, and disturbing. It may be compared to a drop of water falling upon a stone (Spiritual Exercises, no. 335).

For those who are sincerely trying to grow closer to God, movements from the good spirit tend to have a certain “feel” to them: quiet, gentle, and peaceful—just like a drop of water dripping into a sponge. Movements from the evil spirit, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. They tend to feel harsh, loud, and agitating, like a drop of water that smacks against a rock.

As you think about possible goals for the New Year, it can be helpful to keep the images of the sponge and the rock in mind. When you bring an idea to prayer, does it land like the drop of water on the sponge—quietly, gently, calmly? Or does it feel more like the drop of water hitting a rock—harsh, jarring, stirring up confusion instead of trust?

If a new goal “lands” like the drop of water on a sponge, that may be a sign that you’re on the right track. If it feels more like the water on the rock, that is a good reason to pause, ask the Lord for light, and perhaps seek out counsel. Pay attention not only to the quality of the idea, but also to the spiritual movement that it produces in you.

Rule #5: Never make a change in a time of desolation

Once we’ve begun moving in a direction, the challenge will be to keep at it! As we know all too well, New Year’s goals can be finicky: easy to start and hard to maintain.

This is where Ignatius provides another ultra practical and helpful guideline: “Rule #5.” In that rule, he writes that we should never make a change in a time of desolation, which is marked by interior heaviness, dry prayer, or discouragement that pull us away from God. Instead, St. Ignatius advises, we should be “firm and constant” in the resolutions we made while we were in “consolation”—that is, when we were at peace, our head was clear, and we felt clearly drawn towards God.

Prayerfully Setting Goals

If and when you sit down to set some goals for this upcoming year, think to yourself, sponge or rock? And when you do decide to make a change, set a new goal, or move in a new direction, remember rule #5 when the temptation arises to quit: never make a change in a time of desolation!

As we celebrate the remainder of the Christmas season and look toward 2026, take some quiet time to pray at home, in Church, or perhaps in adoration: Lord, where are You inviting me to grow? What goals would draw me closer to You? Pay attention to the movements you feel when you consider an idea (sponge or rock), and once the calendar turns, remember, never make a change in a time of desolation.

Don’t discern alone

If you are discerning major life decisions, such as a vocation, a job change, or a serious relationship, the Church strongly encourages you not to discern alone. Trained spiritual directors familiar with Ignatian Spirituality, as well as your local parish priest, can provide valuable direction when it comes to making those big decisions.

There is so much more wisdom to glean from St. Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality. If you would like to learn more about Ignatian spirituality and the Rules for Discernment, a very accessible resource is IgnatianSpirituality.com, a Jesuit ministry of Loyola Press.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year—and don’t forget to pray and ask God what He desires for you in your life throughout 2026 and beyond!

Important note: Ignatius’ rules are spiritual tools, not a substitute for professional help. If you are experiencing serious or prolonged depression, anxiety, or other mental health struggles, the Church encourages you to seek assistance from qualified professionals, alongside prayer and the sacraments.