Discernment of Spirits - Part V

St. Ignatius Loyola gave a great gift to the Church through his practical teachings on the spiritual life, and it intersect with our daily responsibilities. Through this series, we have been looking at his 14 rules or principles for the discernment of spirits and how they can help guide us through the difficulties of parish renewal. Whenever we are working to renew our parish, reach the lost or build systems and structures to promote spiritual growth for parishioners, we will face opposition and forces that work to stop us. That opposition will often be experienced through voices that tempt us to quit or stop our work or doubt our progress. If we listen to those voices, they can eventually take us out. At the same time, the voice of God will encourage us and offer consolation. We must learn to discern the different voices, determine who is speaking to us and then act accordingly.

This week, we are looking at the seventh and eighth rules of discernment. All the rules of Ignatian discernment are connected and lead to one another, but it is especially to understand that these rules flow from rules five and six. Like rules five and six, they deal with how to deal with desolation or times when we feel discouraged. If at the moment you are not discouraged with parish work and the progress of making changes, eventually you will be. So it is important to keep these rules in the back of your mind for future use. If you are feeling discouraged, then I hope you will get some good advice today that will help you not only go to the next level in your leadership but help you grow there.

Here's the seventh rule:

The seventh rule: Let him who is in desolation consider how the Lord has left him in trial in his natural powers, in order to resist the different agitations and temptations of the enemy; since he can with the Divine help, which always remains to him, though he does not clearly perceive it: because the Lord has taken from him his great fervor, great love and intense grace, leaving him, however, grace enough for eternal salvation.

Rule five said don’t let desolation keep you from moving in God’s direction. Don’t quit your ministry or a project when you feel down about it. Rule six gave a strategy to intensify your efforts when you are feeling down. Sometimes, as a result, the Enemy will back down when we intensify our efforts, and we will overcome the desolation. You intensify your efforts, and you will quiet the critics. You will double down on your efforts and see something move forward, and you will get your momentum back on a project. But sometimes doubling your efforts won’t stop the desolation. You will still feel down about your ministry and work. The desolation lingers.

Now what do you do?

St. Ignatius gives another strategy. He says start to think about it from God’s perspective. God has allowed you to feel down and not helped you feel better because he is working to strengthen your resolve and your faith in him. God has not left you on your own, but it feels that way. It is a test by God to strengthen your resolve. Sometimes God allows us to experience desolation and the power of the enemy to strengthen our resolve.

This past summer, on vacation, I went out for a run with my wife Mia. I don’t enjoy running as much as I used to but needed to prepare for a Mud Run I was doing with my son Gus later in the summer. The beginning of the run was tough as my body was loosening up. It was tough, even though I had the wind at my back. We then turned to run back towards our house, and I hit a wall of wind. At first, I wanted to quit, but I began seeing the wind as an obstacle to be overcome. I took it as a challenge to overcome the wind and put my head down, and kept running. That’s what we do when we face the headwinds of discouragement and desolation. Put your head down and keep running. Keep taking each step with patient perseverance towards your goal. It is helping you to grow your character so you can take on even greater responsibilities and accomplish greater work for the kingdom.

As Timothy Gallagher says in his book "The Discernment of Spirits": An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living.

Ignatius advised persons in spiritual desolation to consider that such desolation is a trial permitted by the Lord for their spiritual growth; by resisting, they become increasingly able to resist. This consideration serves to hearten them and to fortify their strength in resisting spiritual desolation.

As you keep taking your steps, know that God is still working. As I was writing this, the words of the song Waymaker came to mind, “Even when I can’t see it your working; even when I don’t feel it your working; you never stop, you never stop working.” Ignatius says that even we don’t feel his grace and presence, God is still at work in our lives and in our ministry. If we patiently persevere, we will eventually see his grace at work. Think on this thought when you feel discouraged about your work in ministry. This then leads to rule eight:

The eighth rule: Let him who is in desolation labor to be in patience, which is contrary to the vexations which come to him: and let him think that he will soon be consoled, employing against the desolation the devices, as is said in the sixth Rule.

Another thought to remember is that the desolation is limited. When you are unable to make progress in your ministry, when you are unable to get momentum towards building small groups, increasing generosity, finding leaders or attracting volunteers, know that it is only for a time. Know that in due time God will send you the consolation you need. When we feel desolate, we start to think that feeling will never go away. When we get stuck and can’t make progress, we can think that’s where we will be forever. Keep working, and eventually the desolation in your spirit will lift, and you will again see momentum.

We all want to go to the next level in our work and ministry. Desolation is a key way that God helps us to grow our character and resolve so we can get there.

Rooting for you,
Tom

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer for discernment

Holy Spirit, you, light of our understanding,
gentle breath that guides our decisions,
grant me the grace to listen attentively to your voice
and to discern the hidden paths of my heart,
so that I may grasp what truly matters to you,
and free my heart from its troubles.

I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause,
to become aware of the way I act,
of the feelings that dwell within me,
and of the thoughts that overwhelm me
which, so often, I fail to notice.

I long for my choices
to lead me to the joy of the Gospel.
Even if I must go through moments of doubt and fatigue,
even if I must struggle, reflect, search, and begin again…
Because, at the end of the journey,
your consolation is the fruit of the right decision.

Grant me a deeper understanding of what moves me,
so that I may reject what draws me away from Christ,
and love him and serve him more fully.

Amen.