In my last post I touched on the discernment of spirits which is an idea I met on an Ignatian retreat. All a bit greek to some perhaps. There once was a dressy Spanish soldier called Ignatius (1491-1556). He took a cannonball to the leg during a battle and was laid up for an extra long time: he had the physicians reset his leg three times as he wanted to march and dance again. During his long convalescence he could have been binging YouTube and playing Candy Crush but luckily they weren’t invented yet so he asked for some books. He was hoping for tales of chivalry and romance. He was handed the lives of Jesus and the saints. To his surprise he found them readable and inspiring to a higher kind of chivalry and romance. He went on to set up a group we have all heard about, the Jesuits. Many members of the Jesuit order went out all over the world doing heroic work, but they are kindly remembered by most English historians as traitors for assisting Catholics to practice the religion ditched by England’s leaders for the privilege of a divorce. One of the works was preaching retreats based on a text written by St Ignatius.
Part of this text is his “Rules for the Discernment of Spirits” which I found most useful in making my big decision and think could be applied to many other situations. I vulgarise them for you as follows:
1. For those who regularly make morally bad decisions on purpose, the idea of doing the wrong thing is more than comfortable and the idea of doing the right thing is somewhat painful. (Sorry OneRepublic… ).
2. On the other hand for those with a habit of striving to always do the right thing, they may know the good way by the peace and ease that accompanies its idea while the wrong path is darkened with unease and difficulties.
3 and 4 define terms. Spiritual consolation: I think in modern terms this is something more than “being in a good place mentally”, in this place there is interior joy and attraction to doing good. This is a good time to remember our weakness during times of desolation lest we outgrow our hats as is suggested in 11. Spiritual desolation: this is the opposite of consolation, being troubled and inclined to low things. 9 tells us there is only one third of a chance that we feel bad because we were bad. We may be off colour as God is testing our metal or we are gaining a better understanding of ourselves and our limitations.
5. When in desolation we should not make changes but rather keep our resolutions made during times of consolation.
6. When in desolation we should work against it by increasing our spiritual life and checking our naughtiness.
There are some more rules which may be found in The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius if you wish to study them further.
Katherine Wansink Writes 