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The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living PDF

303 Pages·2005·1.4 MB·English
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Advance Praise for Timothy Gallagher’s The Discernment of Spirits “In Gallagher’s faith-filled presentation of the rules for discernment, the bare and laconic quality of Ignatius’s language disappears. In its place there emerges the life-giving character of the rules which enable individuals to have a deeper understanding of their spiritual experience and to respond more wisely to it.” —Gill K. Goulding, I.B.V.M., Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Spirituality, Regis College, Jesuit Graduate School of Theology, University of Toronto “I recommend Discernment of Spirits. It is a thorough, solid contribution to the literature on discernment of spirits. The author shows a profound understanding of Ignatius’s rules for discernment and uses good examples to illustrate them.” —William A. Barry, S.J. Renewed interest in Ignatian spirituality and mysticism—especially his focus on the discernment of spirits —awakened around the time of the Second Vatican Council. One can find detailed and ponderous studies on these rules—of great aid to scholars but not to the average person. One also finds popular, superficial studies that do justice neither to Ignatius, nor to his rules, nor to those reading such studies. Father Timothy Gallagher’s pellucid prose, meticulous reading of the rules, skillful exposition of the material, helpful illustrative quotations, and apposite use of examples has gone a long way to remedy this situation. His book presents the “First Week” rules for the discernment of spirit in a relatively complete way, yet simply enough in terms of style and content so that Christians with little background in this area will be able to absorb the material…. By providing a sound understanding of Ignatian principles and applying them in a skillful way to daily life, Father Gallagher meets the pressing needs of retreat directors, retreatants, students of spiritual theology, and others interested in deepening their spiritual lives. I know of no comparable volume that proves so helpful. —Harvey D. Egan, S.J., Professor of Systematic and Mystical Theology, Boston College (from the book’s foreword) The Crossroad Publishing Company 16 Penn Plaza — 481 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1550 New York, NY 10001 Copyright © 2005 by Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company. Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Permissions continued on p. ix. This book is set in 10/12 Sabon. The display type is Tiepolo Book. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data Gallagher, Timothy M. The discernment of spirits : an Ignatian guide for everyday living / Timothy M. Gallagher. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8245-2291-5 (alk. paper) 1. Spiritual life—Catholic Church. 2. Ignatius, of Loyola, Saint, 1491-1556. I. Title. BX2350.G35 2005 248.4’82—dc22 2005018976 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 09 08 07 06 05 Contents Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction At the Heart of the Spiritual Life Ignatius of Loyola A Personal Word The Purpose of This Book The Text of the Rules Prologue: What Is Discernment of Spirits? “Until One Time His Eyes Were Opened a Little” The Title of the Rules A Threefold Paradigm “Be Aware” The Courage to Be Spiritually Aware A Specifically Spiritual Awareness “Understand” “Take Action (Accept/Reject)” The Movements of the Heart 1 When a Person Moves Away from God (Rule 1) An Experience of Spiritual Liberation Two Fundamental Directions of Life The Person Moving Away from God The “Enemy” of Our Spiritual Progress The Action of the Enemy: Strengthening the Pull Away from God The Good Spirit The Action of the Good Spirit: Weakening the Pull Away from God 2 When a Person Moves toward God (Rule 2) “Rising from Good to Better” The Action of the Enemy: Weakening the Movement toward God A “Biting” That Unsettles Sadness Obstacles “False Reasons” That Disquiet The Action of the Good Spirit: Strengthening the Movement toward God Courage and Strength Consolations and Tears Inspirations A Strengthening “Quiet” of Heart “Taking Away All Obstacles” 3 Spiritual Consolation (rule 3) A Perceptible Experience of God’s Love A Specifically Spiritual Consolation Forms of Spiritual Consolation “When the Soul Comes to Be Inflamed with Love of Its Creator and Lord” “And, Consequently When It Can Love No Created Thing on the Face of the Earth in Itself, But Only in the Creator of Them All” “When It Sheds Tears That Move to Love of Its Lord” “Finally, I Call Consolation Every Increase of Hope, Faith, and Charity” “And All Interior Joy That Calls and Attracts to Heavenly Things” 4 Spiritual Desolation (Rule 4) The Time of Trial A Specifically Spiritual Desolation Forms of Spiritual Desolation “Darkness of Soul” “Disturbance in It” “Movement to Low and Earthly Things” “Disquiet from Various Agitations and Temptations” “Moving to Lack of Confidence, without Hope, without Love” “Finding Oneself Totally Slothful, Tepid, Sad” “And, as if Separated from One’s Creator and Lord” The “Thoughts That Come from” Consolation and Desolation 5 Spiritual Desolation: A Time for Fidelity (Rule 5) Guidelines for Action In Time of Desolation Make No Changes “Never”: A Categorical Norm Ignatius in Desolation The Reason for the Norm 6 Spiritual Desolation: A Time for Initiative (Rule 6) The Changes That We Should Make Spiritual Means for a Spiritual Struggle Prayer Meditation Much Examination “Extending Ourselves in Some Suitable Way of Doing Penance” The Fruit of Spiritual Initiative 7 Spiritual Desolation: A Time for Resistance (Rule 7) The Thinking That Strengthens Our Resolve A Trial The Nature of the Trial The Purpose of the Trial When “You Can’t” Becomes “I Can” “Remembering” and “Forgetting” 8 Spiritual Desolation: A Time for Patience (Rule 8) Endurance in Time of Trial Patience: The Key Virtue in Spiritual Desolation The Thought That Builds Patience Spiritual Consolation and Desolation: A Normal Alternation 9 Why Does God Allow Spiritual Desolation? (Rule 9) “It Is Better for You That I Go” (John 16:7) “There Are Three Principal Causes” Our Faults and the Gift of Conversion A Trial and the Gift of Learning Poverty and the Gift of a Humble Heart An Implicit Norm 10 Spiritual Consolation: A Time to Prepare (Rule 10) Before the Trial Begins “The Two Hours So Enjoyed” The Thinking That Prepares If We Are Not Prepared If We Are Prepared “Taking New Strength for That Time” Prayer of Petition for Strength in Future Spiritual Desolation Meditation on Truths That Will Sustain in Spiritual Desolation Consideration of the Value of Spiritual Desolation for Growth Reflection on Past Personal Growth through Spiritual Desolation Resolution to Make No Changes in Time of Spiritual Desolation Review of These Ignatian Rules Planning for Specific Situations of Spiritual Desolation A Portrait of the Tenth Rule 11 Spiritual Consolation and Spiritual Desolation: Finding Our Balance (Rule 11) Both Spiritual Movements in a Single Rule In Spiritual Consolation: A Humble Heart In Spiritual Desolation: A Trusting Heart Neither Naively “High” Nor Despairingly “Low” Maintaining Spiritual Balance: An Experience 12 Standing Firm in the Beginnings (Rule 12) A New Stage in the Rules The Metaphor of Rule Twelve The Application of the Metaphor The Essential Weakness of the Enemy “He Overcame the Temptation and Remained at Peace” 13 Breaking the Spiritual Silence (Rule 13) Communication and Spiritual Freedom A Crucially Important Guideline “My Doubts Left Me Completely as Soon as I Finished Speaking” “That Was the End of All My Anxiety, All My Hesitation” “With New Hope in Her Heart” 14 Strengthening the Weak Point (Rule 14) An Astutely Directed Attack A Response: Prepare Beforehand An Individual Point of Need Know Thyself! The Fourteenth Rule and the Preceding Rules Conclusion: Setting Captives Free Notes Select Bibliography Index of Names Acknowledgments I am deeply grateful to the many people whose assistance and support have made this book possible. I express my thanks to Fr. William Brown, O.M.V., provincial, for the encouragement that led me to undertake this project and for providing the concrete circumstances that allowed me to write. I am also profoundly grateful to David Beauregard, O.M.V., for his ongoing assistance throughout the writing of this book, to Harvey Egan, S.J., for his reading of the manuscript and for writing the foreword to this book, and to Claire-Marie Hart for her reading, her generous assistance in the writing itself, and for her help in the final preparation of the manuscript. My heartfelt thanks go also to those whose accompanied me in the writing process through their reading, their comments on the manuscript, and their personal support: Rose Blake, Claire Callahan, S.N.D., Susan Dumas, James Gallagher, Gill Goulding, I.B.V.M., Elizabeth Koessler, Ed O’Flaherty, S.J., Gertrude Mahoney, S.N.D., Germana Santos, F.S.P., Ernest Sherstone, O.M.V., and Mary Rose Sullivan. I express my sincere gratitude also to Bernadette Reis, F.S.P., for her highly competent help with technical issues regarding publication, and to Carol McGinness for her invaluable aid with computer skills and in preparing the manuscript for publication. Finally, I am deeply grateful to the many persons from whose teaching, writing, and experience I have learned about Ignatian discernment of spirits over the past thirty years. In particular, I am indebted to Miguel Angel Fiorito, S.J., Daniel Gil, S.J., and Jules Toner, S.J., without whose profound systematic study of the Ignatian rules for discernment this book would not have been possible. Thanks also are expressed to the following publishers for permission to reprint copyrighted material. Excerpts from Angela of Foligno: Complete Works, translated with an introduction by Paul Lachance, O.F.M., from The Classics of Western

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