In Weeds Among the Wheat, Thomas Green achieves an uncommon blend-a serious book for popular use, a popular book for serious reading. With wisdom and common sense he engages the topic of discernment and shows that it is a function o[ an individual's personal relationship with God. "It is where prayer meets action. The more deeply we know the Lord, the easier it will be to 'read his face,' and sense what he desires us to do." He draws on his experience as a spiritual director, on scripture, and on his study of the writings of Ignatius of Loyola, to provide a clear understanding of the meaning (the what) and the art (the how) of Christian discernment.
To answer the What, he explores the scriptures-the prophets, John, Paul and Jesus-to provide a sense of its biblical meaning.. To answer the How, he turns to Ignatius' "Discernment of Spirits" in the classic Spiritual Exercises, He then seeks to detect and explore the various species of "weeds" which grow alongside and intertwined with the good wheat in our lives. Some can be uprooted, others must be left until the Lord of the harvest sees fit to uproot them.
"Discernment, like prayer," explains the author, "is an art, It is learned by doing, not just by reading about it." Because the book has grown out of his teaching on the subject, he has included a series of practicum questions to assist the reader in understanding the art of Christian discernment. Weeds Among the Wheat is an invaluable tool for religious, clergy and laity alike, who are all called in their individual and communal lives to discern more and more what God's will is in very concrete circumstances. Those facing major decisions in their lives will find special assistance and blessing in this extraordinary book. An Epilogue takes the main themes of the text and applies them for use by a community seeking God's will.