By KAITLIN KLEIN
WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
In the Aug. 5 issue of The Message, I wrote an introduction to Saint Ignatius of Loyola's discernment of spirits and his first set of 14 rules of discernment. In Father Timothy Gallagher's book “The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living,” he emphasizes the necessity of becoming aware of movements in our hearts, as this is "the gateway to all discernment." Father Gallagher, an expert in Ignatian spirituality, asks, "Do we ever consciously stop to become aware of what is stirring spiritually within? This is a major question in the spiritual life, and it cannot be emphasized too much" (p. 17). After we realize the existence of spiritual movements and take time to pay attention to them, we move to understand them. That step leads to taking action (accept or reject). In his rules, Ignatius guides us in "firmly accepting what is of God and equally firmly rejecting what is not" (p. 25). (Note: all quotes hereafter are directly from Ignatius's Text of the Rules.)
The first two rules summarize general ways God and the enemy act, depending on the direction of a person's life. The first rule states that if one is going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy encourages pursuit of pleasure and makes sins appear "good." The good spirit does the opposite: "sting and bit[e] their consciences through their rational power of moral judgment).” The second rule summarizes that, if one is trying to serve God, the evil spirit will "bite, sadden, and place obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, so that the person may not go forward." The good spirit brings strength, consolation, and encourages the person to "go forward in doing good."
With this groundwork in mind, the next 12 rules assume that a person is doing his or her best to move toward God, who will provide consolations as suggested in the second rule. The third rule describes consolation. When the heart is "inflamed with love," when tears are present, when faith, hope and charity increase, and when joy abounds, the Lord is gifting consolation and peace. Rule four describes spiritual desolation with several words and phrases that are "contrary to the third rule," including experiences of darkness of soul, lack of confidence, hopelessness, sadness and being without love.
After these first four rules, which give a basic foundation for discernment of spirits, Ignatius moves into guidelines for the third step – take action (accept or reject). They are rich in wisdom, detailed in instruction, and easy to understand. Implementing them only takes time and will. Father Gallaher's book has been immensely helpful for me because he breaks down and explains each phrase of each rule. I feel like I soak in the ideas slowly, and can work toward moving closer to the Lord. I recommend his book, and his thoughts and reflections on how to use Ignatius' wisdom to journey forward in the spiritual life.