Discernment
The root of the word “discernment” is the Latin word discerno, meaning to sever or separate. It’s essentially the ability to separate what’s important from what’s irrelevant or misleading. One of the complaints sometimes heard about it is that the word “discernment” doesn’t have much real content, that it amounts to little more than common sense enlightened by faith. St. Ignatius Loyola, whose ideas about discernment we will follow closely in this book, thought otherwise. He used the word to mean both keenness of insight and skill in discriminating. It’s first seeing, then interpreting what is perceived. He thought that the ability to discern the spirits was one of the most important skills that a Christian can have.

dis·cern·ment
/dəˈsərnmənt
noun
 1. The ability to judge well.
2. (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding. “without providing for a time of healing and discernment, there will be no hope of living through this present moment without a shattering of our common life”