Discernment of Spirits - Part VI

To have the impact God wants us to have takes time. Success in ministry comes from long obedience in the same direction. To go the distance, we need to learn to discern and distinguish the voice and movements of God’s spirit from the voice of the Enemy and evil spirits. St. Ignatius’ rules for spiritual discernment can be a great help in these efforts.

This week, we are looking at the ninth and tenth rules on the discernment of spirits.

The ninth rule: There are three principal reasons why we find ourselves desolate:

• The first is, because of our being tepid, lazy or negligent in our spiritual exercises; and so through our faults, spiritual consolation withdraws from us.
• The second, to try us and see how much we are and how much we let ourselves out in His service and praise without such great pay of consolation and great graces.
• The third, to give us true acquaintance and knowledge, that we may interiorly feel that it is not ours to get or keep great devotion, intense love, tears, or any other spiritual consolation, but that all is the gift and grace of God our Lord, and that we may not build a nest in a thing not ours, raising our intellect into some pride or vainglory, attributing to us devotion or the other things of the spiritual consolation.

The great help about the discernment of spirits is that they constantly encourage and challenge us to step back from our situation and evaluate it. The stepping back helps free us from our emotions and make wise choices. When our parishes are not moving forward or not changing at the rate we would like, we can become desolate and then make foolish decisions. St. Ignatius gives us a check list that can pull us out of the emotional turmoil.

The first checklist is ourselves. Is the parish not moving forward because we have been lazy or not doing what we should be doing? As leaders we are radically in charge and if something is not moving under our authority, we need to take the appropriate action. Maybe we have to motivate someone on our team who dragging their heels. Maybe we need to replace them. Or maybe we need to step up and remind others about the vision or reason for a goal. Maybe we need to take direct action ourselves. St. Ignatius says if you are stuck - look in the mirror first. Then take the action you know you need to take.

The second reason we could be stuck is to build up our character and commitment to parish renewal. It’s fun to lead a parish or a ministry when it has momentum. It’s fun when we are getting volunteers to serve, when weekend attendance keeps going up, and we speak to a full church, it’s fun when we serve in our sweet spot. And as the next rule tells us, we should enjoy it. However, we can become addicted and attached to the success. Though our work in the parish God wants to do a great work in us and grow our character. In fact, as our character grows, the more growth and responsibility God can give us. So when the parish or your ministry area gets stuck, know that God may be doing that to help grow your character and your connection to him to prepare for future growth and ministry success.

The third reason we could be stuck is because God is reminding us that the work of parish renewal cannot be done without his efforts. Maybe a certain effort or goal is stuck because you haven’t put it in God’s hands or turned enough to God in prayer. You have acted, but it’s all been on your own efforts. You haven’t invited the Holy Spirit into it. Or God wants you to lean deeper into him, or he is waiting to move, so you will deepen your understanding that the work of the parish cannot be done without him. In these cases, we increase our prayer personally and as a team. We deepen our prayer, and maybe we add fasting to the mix. We have done all that we can do. Now we need God to do what only he can do.

Now, let’s move to the tenth rule.

The tenth rule: Let him who is in consolation think how he will be in the desolation which will come after, taking new strength for then.

As I mentioned above, there are times when we have momentum as a parish. Everyone responds positively to the weekend homilies. A new member joins the team, fits perfectly and gives a boost to staff morale. Giving increases and is well over projections. You get the volunteers you need to launch the initiative. St. Ignatius tells us to take strength from those times. You can do that by saving the e-mails that thank you for your work. As a parish staff, share those wins and make sure everyone hears about them. Enjoy the wins and the momentum because it won’t last forever. That’s not meant to be a downer, but a reminder to savor when things are going well because it will help you get through the challenging times.

How are you feeling about your work in the parish today? Are you in desolation? Use Ignatius’ checklist to determine your next step. Just stepping back from your work and feelings can help with that feeling of desolation. Then take the step you need to take to regain momentum.

Are you in consolation? Do you feel good about your ministry today? Enjoy it. Savor it. Capture it. Journal about it. Thank God for it. It will give you the strength you need in the future.

Rooting for you,
Tom