By KAITLIN KLEIN
WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
St. Ignatius’ rules of discernment continue with rules 12 and 13. Ignatius’ language changes somewhat as he moves away from highlighting guidelines specifically for spiritual consolation or desolation; but, as Father Gallagher notes in “The Discernment of Spirits,” “he does continue to highlight the enemy’s deceptions with the unchanging purpose of freeing us from the spiritual traps contained therein."
Starting off right with rule 12, an explanation is definitely necessary: "The enemy acts like a woman in being weak when faced with strength and strong when faced with weakness. For, as it is proper to a woman, when she is fighting with some man, to lose heart and to flee when the man confronts her firmly, and, on the contrary, if the man begins to flee, losing heart, the anger, vengeance, and ferocity of the woman grows greatly and know no bounds, in the same way, it is proper to the enemy to weaken and lose heart, fleeing and ceasing his temptations when the person who is exercising himself in spiritual things confronts the temptations of the enemy firmly, doing what is diametrically opposed to them; and, on the contrary, if the person who is exercising himself begins to be afraid and lose heart in suffering the temptations, there is no beast so fierce on the face of the earth as the enemy of human nature in following out his damnable intention with growing malice.”
Phew. Thankfully, Father Gallagher points out that the situation described is unnatural, pitting man against woman in a way God did not intend. The same unnatural character is evident in rules 13 and 14 as well. Some choose to change this metaphor altogether, as it can be problematic in these times; either way, the spiritual application is the same.
The 13th rule: "Likewise he conducts himself as a false lover in wishing to remain secret and not be revealed. For a dissolute man who, speaking with evil intention, makes dishonorable advances to a daughter of a good father or to a wife of a good husband, wishes his words and persuasions to be secret, and the contrary displeases him very much, when the daughter reveals to her father or the wife to her husband his false words and depraved intention, because he easily perceives that he will not be able to succeed with the undertaking begun. In the same way, when the enemy of human nature bring his wiles and persuasions to the just soul, he wishes and desires that they be received and kept in secret; but when one reveals them to one’s good confessor or to another spiritual person, who knows his deceits and malicious designs, it weighs on him very much, because he perceives that he will not be able to succeed with the malicious undertaking he has begun, since his manifest deceits have been revealed.”
The love described here is false and selfish. Father Gallagher emphasizes the importance of the rule, and how freeing it can be when we do not continue to suffer in silence. The enemy wants us to suffer and keep it to ourselves. Ignatius says to communicate with one who “knows (the enemy’s) deceits and malicious designs."
There are many details to these rules that we would benefit from studying and putting into practice. Through them, we now have more tools in our journey to heaven.