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| Ignatius at Manresa (1991) by Montserrat Gudiol |
CONSOLATION AND DESOLATION
A basic principle of the discernment of spirits according to Ignatian spirituality is to distinguish between consolation and desolation. What exactly consolation and desolation consist in is understood principally through one’s personal experience of the spirits. Theory by itself cannot fully explain them.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola defines consolation thus:
“I call it consolation when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord; and when it can in consequence love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but in the Creator of them all.
“Likewise, when it sheds tears that move to love of its Lord, whether out of sorrow for one’s sins, or for the Passion of Christ our Lord, or because of other things directly connected with His service and praise.
“Finally, I call consolation every increase of hope, faith and charity, and all interior joy which calls and attracts to heavenly things and to the salvation of one’s soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its Creator and Lord.”
—“Rules
for Perceiving in Some Manner the Different Movements Which Are Caused in the
Soul: Third Rule,” Spiritual Exercises, 316
Note: Citation is from the first set of 14 rules in the Spiritual Exercises.
He defines desolation this way:
“I call desolation all the contrary of the third rule, such as darkness of soul, disturbance in it, movement to things low and earthly, the unquiet of different agitations and temptations, moving to want of confidence, without hope, without love, when one finds oneself all lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from his Creator and Lord. Because, as consolation is contrary to desolation, in the same way the thoughts which come from consolation are contrary to the thoughts which come from desolation.”
—“Rules
for Perceiving in Some Manner the Different Movements Which Are Caused in the
Soul: Fourth Rule,” Spiritual Exercises, 317
Not especially easy to understand his definitions, at least in my personal experience.
Many commentaries are available, fortunately, that explain consolation and desolation rather well. See below. Boldface mine.
begin It’s easy to misunderstand the Ignatian principles of consolation and desolation. Ignatius introduces these concepts as means to discern the spirits, the movements of God in my life. We often use these terms casually, referring to simple “highs and lows” of our day, or moments of happiness and sadness. While those daily realities and emotions are important to pay attention to, consolation and desolation, in Ignatian terms, are different and much more nuanced.
Ignatius defines consolation as “when some interior movement in the soul is caused, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord.” He defines desolation as the opposite—as the soul being disturbed and agitated, “without hope, without love, when one finds oneself all lazy, tepid, sad, and as if separated from his Creator and Lord.” What’s important to note is that both consolation and desolation have to do with one’s relationship with God. There is a spiritual orientation. end
https://godinallthings.com/2019/10/14/consolation-desolation/
—Andy Otto, “Consolation and Desolation,” God in All Things, October 14, 2019
A key principle of Ignatian discernment of the spirits is that one must know how to distinguish between true and false consolation. False consolation is desolation, according to Saint Ignatius, but it isn’t always easy to recognize it as such. He says:
“It is proper to the evil Angel, who forms himself under the appearance of an angel of light, to enter with the devout soul and go out with himself: that is to say, to bring good and holy thoughts, conformable to such just soul, and then little by little he aims at coming out drawing the soul to his covert deceits and perverse intentions.”
—“Rules
for the Same Effect with Greater Discernment of Spirits: Fourth Rule,” Spiritual Exercises, 332
Note: Citation is from the second set of 8 rules in the Spiritual Exercises.
In the fourth rule cited above Saint Ignatius alludes to Saint Paul, “Even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
How does one discern correctly? Again, there are many helpful commentaries readily available.
“Be aware of your feelings, and use your head! The first step is to reflect on the experience or decision and ask, ‘How do I feel about this?’, whereas the second part looks forward, asking, ‘Where is this bringing me?’ and, ‘What is the likely outcome or fruit?’ Exploring these questions, we can tune in more to what God wants, be more attuned instruments for God in the world, and, ultimately, make better decisions.”
—Brendan McManus, SJ, “Two Hints for Recognizing the Two Ignatian Movements of Consolation and Desolation,” IgnatianSpirituality.com
“Consider two sets of questions:
“What is it that brings life, what encourages you?
“What are the things/experiences that deaden you or discourage you?”
—Ali Newell, “Spiritual Discernment – what gives life /what discourages,” The University of Edinburgh, May 26, 2020
Consolation is life-giving. Desolation is life-draining.
Scripture is naturally an excellent source of criteria for distinguishing consolation from desolation.
Genuine consolation shows the good fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are inspirations and affections of this type:
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. …Those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:12-16)
Desolation, in contrast, manifests as impulses and temptations in this direction:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming [upon the disobedient]. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:5-10)
The fruits of desolation are evil.
Margaret Silf, a respected and popular writer about Ignatian spirituality, offers us two helpfully contrastive lists.
Consolation
Desolation
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/consolation-and-desolation-2/
—Vinita Hampton Wright, “Consolation and Desolation,” IgnatianSpirituality.com
Possibly what is most problematic about the discernment of the spirits is learning how to distinguish between true consolation and false consolation. The latter, the saints tell us, duplicate the former to the point of near identity.
Fruits are cited as a definitive criterion for correctly discerning the spirits, according to the teaching of Jesus himself:
“By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18)
Fruits have been cited by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as one among the positive criteria for judging, at least with probability, the authenticity of presumed apparitions or revelations:
“Healthy devotion and abundant and constant spiritual fruit (for example, spirit of prayer, conversion, testimonies of charity, etc.).”
—Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Norms Regarding the Manner of Proceeding in the Discernment of Presumed Apparitions or Revelations, February 25, 1978
However, the drawback—it is a major one—of using fruits as a touchstone for correctly discerning the spirits is that fruits are not always immediately manifest.
Declares the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 25, 1978 document:
“These criteria, be they positive or negative, are not peremptory but rather indicative, and they should be applied cumulatively or with some mutual convergence.”
A notable case is the Garabandal apparitions, which took place from 1961 to 1965. To this day the pope has not published an official judgment, and the case remains open-ended.
begin With respect to the Holy See, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did not issue or publish any statement in its name, addressed to the entire Catholic world, on the events of Garabandal. It has never publicly or officially expressed its opinion on these contemporary apparitions in Spain. However, the Secretary of the Congregation has sent two letters to Bishops of Santander and another more recently to Archbishop Hannan of New Orleans. But they are not formal statements directed to the Catholic world in the name of the Congregation, nor do they possess the authority assigned to such official statements.
In these letters sent to the persons mentioned, the Congregation never included a positive statement expressing agreement with the judgment of the bishops of Santander. These letters have praised the various bishops of Santander for the prudence and pastoral zeal they displayed in overseeing the apparitions of Garabandal, but they gave no explicit agreement to the verdict of the bishops of Santander, which refused to admit the divine origin of Garabandal.
Therefore, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has jealously guarded silence about its views on the events of Garabandal. Even the strong support it has given to the bishops of Santander is far from being an opinion on the character of those facts. As long as it does not assume responsibility for the investigation, the Congregation can only support the work of the diocese – which, however, does not imply concordance with the diocese on doctrinal matter.
Interestingly enough, the constant pressure placed on the Congregation by the diocese of Santander in those years to obtain a declaration that would close the case of Garabandal – pressure documented in correspondence published between the two entities – never obtained the desired statement, neither from the Cardinal nor from the Pope.
Thus, officially speaking on both a diocesan level and in terms of the Vatican, “the case remains open,” gathering new information.
Visiting clergy can celebrate Mass in the local church.
Technically speaking, the case of the apparitions of Garabandal cannot be closed until two great prophecies are fulfilled: (1) The Warning and (2) The Miracle. end
https://www.garabandal.it/en/documentation/the-church-s-position
—“Documentation: Statements from the Bishops of Santander,” Garabandal
There are open cases in the Roman Catholic Church which span many generations and even—believe it or not—several centuries. They have not been definitively settled because the criterion of fruits cannot be finally resolved.
In most everyday cases it isn’t reasonable or practical to wait for years or sometimes even just minutes to arrive at an actionable judgment about the influence of the spirits.
On the other hand, we can come to a morally certain judgment just by looking closely at the concomitant fruits of the movement of the spirits.
The learned theologian Augustin Poulain writes:
...6. What sentiments of peace, or, on the other hand, of disturbance, are experienced during or after the revelations? Here is the rule as formulated by St. Catherine of Siena and St. Ignatius: “With persons of good will [it is only of such that we are here treating] the action of the good spirit [God or His Angels] is characterized by the production of peace, joy, security, courage; except perhaps at the first moment.” Note the restriction. The Bible often mentions this disturbance at the first moment of the revelation; the Blessed Virgin experienced it when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. The action of the demon produces quite the contrary effect: “With persons of good will he produces, except perhaps at the first moment, disturbance, sorrow, discouragement, perturbation, gloom.” In a word the action of Satan encounters a mysterious resistance of the soul.
Catholic Encyclopedia on PRIVATE REVELATION:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13005a.htm
—Augustin Poulain, “Private Revelations,” The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912)
I wrote, “The above criterion is notable because it addresses a question that has occupied me for years: Is it possible for the evil spirits (by the term ‘spirits,’ we exclude concupiscence) to exactly duplicate the action of the good spirits?
“It is only criterion No. 6 that directly answers this question: No, the evil spirits cannot duplicate the action of the good spirits in its CONCOMITANT EFFECTS. In everything else, I assume, yes.”
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2017/07/what-are-spirits.html
Saint Ignatius of Loyola uses pointed metaphors to describe the “mysterious resistance of the soul” to the action of the evil spirit:
“The seventh: In those who go on from good to better, the good Angel touches such soul sweetly, lightly and gently, like a drop of water which enters into a sponge; and the evil touches it sharply and with noise and disquiet, as when the drop of water falls on the stone.
“And the above-said spirits touch in a contrary way those who go on from bad to worse.
“The reason of this is that the disposition of the soul is contrary or like to the said Angels. Because, when it is contrary, they enter perceptibly with clatter and noise; and when it is like, they enter with silence as into their own home, through the open door.”
—“Rules for the Same Effect with Greater Discernment of Spirits: Seventh Rule,” Spiritual Exercises
The seventh rule cited above implies that it is the soul ill-disposed to progressing in the spiritual life that poorly distinguishes between true consolation and false consolation. They readily mistake false consolation, which mimics the attributes of true consolation, for the influence of the good spirit.
The converse holds true as well. A soul that is making progress in the spiritual life and that lives in habitual friendship with God recognizes with greater facility the counterfeits of the evil spirit. They know and understand the character of the good spirit. They are gifted by the Holy Spirit with the discernment of the spirits.
There are at least four reasons why the ill-disposed soul is feebly capable of distinguishing between true consolation and false consolation.
The soul that is just beginning their conversion of life will be afflicted by inordinate attachments and weakness of will, which are the products of habits of their past life. Consequently, it is relatively easy for the evil spirit to deceive them. Beset by spiritual gluttony, for example, the evil spirit will entice them to indulge in false consolations.
“A great deal can be said on spiritual gluttony, the fourth vice. There are hardly any persons among these beginners, no matter how excellent their conduct, who do not fall into some of the many imperfections of this vice. These imperfections arise because of the delight beginners find in their spiritual exercises.
“…Such individuals are unreasonable and most imperfect. They subordinate submissiveness and obedience (which is a penance of reason and discretion, and consequently a sacrifice more pleasing and acceptable to God) to corporeal penance. But corporeal penance without obedience is no more than a penance of beasts. And like beasts, they are motivated in these penances by an appetite for the pleasure they find in them. Since all extremes are vicious and since by such behavior these persons are doing their own will, they grow in vice rather than in virtue. For through this conduct they at least become spiritually gluttonous and proud, since they do not tread the path of obedience.
“The devil, increasing the delights and appetites of these beginners and thereby stirring up this gluttony in them, so impels many of them that when they are unable to avoid obedience they either add to, change, or modify what was commanded. Any obedience in this matter is distasteful to them. Some reach such a point that the mere obligation of obedience to perform their spiritual exercises makes them lose all desire and devotion. Their only yearning and satisfaction is to do what they feel inclined to do, whereas it would be better in all likelihood for them not to do this at all.”
—Saint John of the Cross, The Dark Night, Book I, Chapter 6
“Inexperience with the spirits”—we learn how to distinguish between good and evil spirits by putting theory into practice, so that the gift of the discernment of spirits is the upshot of growing maturity in the spiritual life.
“Dearth of grace”—holiness is the fruit of our correspondence to grace. Grace and our capacity to receive it together with our receptiveness to cooperate with grace increase as we progress in the spiritual life. Therefore, the gift of the discernment of the spirits advances consistent with the holiness of the individual.
Image of Ignatius at Manresa (1991) by Montserrat Gudiol is used for non-commercial purposes and according to the principles of fair use.
ReplyDeleteSaint Ignatius formulated his principles for the discernment of the spirits while he was on retreat at Manresa. During the remainder of his life he revised them until they took on the finished form we have today.
Gonzalinho
WHICH SPIRIT IS IT?
ReplyDeleteI recall engaging a Protestant in a discussion on social media, this person saying that she didn’t believe in the eternity of hell. Then she says, “I have the Holy Spirit.” I said that if you reject the dogmatic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, I would say that is the work of the evil spirit.
We all have spirits, no doubt. Claims of this sort abound in the Christian world, Roman Catholic or otherwise. Are they the good spirit or the bad spirit? Is it really the Holy Spirit? Sometimes, the discernment of the spirits occupies a major and central role in the spiritual life of the Christian.
Gonzalinho
“EQUAL-MINDEDNESS”
ReplyDeleteA critical condition for discerning correctly is “spiritual detachment.” Spiritual attachment is an inordinate attachment to creatures, desiring them for our own self-serving purposes, so that spiritual detachment is its opposite—the desire for creatures and use of creation for the ends for which they have been created, the service and love of God.
As a general rule there is always a mixture of the two, so that the influence of spiritual detachment and the compulsion of its opposite, spiritual attachment, is a matter of degree.
Someone who is inordinately attached to creatures will naturally have difficulty in discerning correctly, because they will be drawn to make choices out of weakness of will and for their own self-serving purposes.
Spiritual detachment has been described as “Ignatian indifference.” A better term, in my view, is what Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. calls “equal-mindedness.”
“When it comes to dealing with good, legitimate options, I can either make a decision by the seat of my pants, or I can really seek to determine what God is asking of me. …If we want to do what God wills, then we can be open to any possibility, because God our Lord made everything good, including riches, poverty, or a relatively simple lifestyle. God can work through people with wealth (many saints were kings and queens) or through very poor people (St. Francis of Assisi and many other saints). These various possibilities are good in themselves, and therefore they are ways to become holy and to give glory to God who made them. How do we choose among these good options?
“If God can use everything and everything is good, then an essential starting point of being able to discern God’s will is the gift of being ‘equal-minded.’ St. Ignatius of Loyola called this gift being ‘indifferent,’ but some modern people interpret this term as not caring about the choices. Better is the term ‘equal-minded,’ which implies that I am happy to take either this option or that option. Neither option matters to me except insofar as one gives greater glory to God than the other. Seeking to give greater glory to God is one of the most important principles of discerning God’s will for my life.”
—Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, How to Listen When God Is Speaking: A Guide for Modern-Day Catholics (2011), pages 72-73
Basically, Father Pacwa expounds “The First Principle and Foundation” of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola:
“God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and by doing this, to save their souls.
“God created all other things on the face of the earth to help fulfill this purpose.
“From this it follows that we are to use the things of this world only to the extent that they help us to this end, and we ought to rid ourselves of the things of this world to the extent that they get in the way of this end.
“For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things as much as we are able, so that we do not necessarily want health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, a long rather than a short life, and so in all the rest, so that we ultimately desire and choose only what is most conducive for us to the end for which God created us.”
Father Pacwa further explains:
“Obstacles to being equal-minded arise when we cling to things and become attached to them, which is the opposite of being equal-minded. We have various reasons for these attachments, most of which depend on the inclinations of our personalities. …I allow attachments to the good things of the earth to cloud my ability to see and hear the voice of God the Creator. I may not necessarily choose to do evil by pursuing a certain profession or by working to buy a particularly beautiful house in a prestigious neighborhood, but neither will I be able to discern whether this is God’s will for me. My attachments hinder my ability to listen to God.”
—Op. cit., page 75
Gonzalinho
SHORT RULES FOR THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
ReplyDeleteThere is no single rule of discernment that is without exception, according to a Carthusian.
Cf. A Carthusian, The Call of Silent Love, translated by an Anglican solitary (Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1995), page 160
“Fruits” is a definitive criterion, but they do not always immediately manifest.
Cf. Francisco López Rivera, S.J., “Obedience and Discernment,” Review of Ignatian Spirituality (January 2009) 40(120):
http://www.sjweb.info/documents/cis/pdfenglish/200912004en.pdf
Consolation is interior movement towards God and the morally good.
Cf. Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12-16
Desolation is interior movement away from God and toward the morally evil.
Cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-10
Consolation is life-giving. Desolation is life-draining.
Cf. Ali Newell, “Spiritual Discernment – what gives life /what discourages,” The University of Edinburgh, May 26, 2020:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these/spiritual-discernment-what-gives-life-what-disco
Be aware of your feelings, use your head!
Cf. Brendan McManus, SJ, “Two Hints for Recognizing the Two Ignatian Movements of Consolation and Desolation,” IgnatianSpirituality.com:
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/two-hints-for-recognizing-the-two-ignatian-movements-of-consolation-and-desolation/
Ask questions. Gather information.
Cf. Spiritual Exercises, Three Times for Making a Good and Sound Election, Third Time; Second Set of 8 Rules, Fifth Rule
Gonzalinho
The devil has the capacity to affect not only our senses, emotions, and imagination, but also our intellect. See, for example, Saint Teresa of Avila’s account of her experience of the devil’s presence.
ReplyDelete“I have seldom seen him in bodily shape, but I have often seen him without any form, as in the kind of vision I have described, in which no form is seen but the object is known to be there.” (Life of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Chapter 31, 276)
The saint describes what she later terms an “intellectual vision.” See The Interior Castle, Chapter 8, 2.
Gonzalinho
HOW DO YOU DISTINGUISH THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEVIL FROM THAT OF CONCUPISCENCE?
ReplyDeleteThe devil’s influence originates external to the soul while concupiscence, or “the propensity of human nature to sin as a result of original sin,” arises internally, from the “wounded” nature of the human person.
A key criterion for discerning the source of the evil spirit is given in Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 335.
“In those who go on from good to better, the good angel touches the soul sweetly, lightly, and gently, like a drop of water which enters into a sponge. And the evil touches it sharply and with noise and disquiet, as when the drop of water falls on a stone.
“And the above-said spirits touch in a contrary way those who go on from bad to worse.
“The reason of this is that the disposition of the soul is contrary or like to the said Angels. Because, when it is contrary, they enter perceptibly with clatter and noise; and when it is like, they enter with silence as into their own home, through the open door.”
The capacity of the soul to discern the character of the evil spirit depends on their disposition, whether they are moving toward God or away from him, and everything in between.
The soul living a holy life readily recognizes the influence of the devil—he enters “with clatter and noise,” causing disquiet and unease if not actually manifesting his presence overtly. Moreover, the devil’s temptations, in contrast to the impulses of concupiscence, are perceptibly stronger.
The soul habituated to grave sin, on the other hand, does not easily distinguish the influence of the devil from the enticements of their own concupiscence because the two appear to the soul as being alike.
The soul has to depend on the influence of the good spirit—God and his angels—to enlighten them and make them aware of the influence and presence of the evil spirit. It is through the power and inspiration of the good spirit that the soul in this case recognizes the influence of the evil spirit.
Gonzalinho
“the propensity of human nature to sin as a result of original sin” – Catholic Dictionary
DeleteGonzalinho
“People are attacked by evil spirits I think more often than they realize. …We all have the normal temptations, and Satan does that to us, he tempts us, that’s part of our daily lives. But sometimes we get these stronger attacks…there’s something intense about that which is probably demonic.”
Delete—St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, “Pray With Me: If Attacked By Demons,” YouTube video, 2:54 minutes, April 21, 2024
A key attribute, a giveaway, that the source of the evil spirit is the devil and not concupiscence is the intensity of the temptation. A strong temptation is indicative of the devil as the source, and the stronger, the more revealing and obvious.
Gonzalinho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEz7nkHt8qg
Delete—St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, “Pray With Me: If Attacked By Demons,” YouTube video, 2:54 minutes, April 21, 2024
Gonzalinho
The evil spirit, meaning, the devil, influences the imagination and the emotions with an intensity and sometimes even violence that has the character of compulsion. The good spirit, in contrast, gently draws the soul into awareness and understanding of the spiritual communication. The good spirit does not excitedly agitate or darkly accuse but rather gently attracts and if necessary, chides, peaceably, if sometimes sternly.
DeleteGonzalinho
EQUAL-MINDEDNESS OF THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AND THE PERSON BEING DIRECTED
ReplyDeleteThe task of the spiritual director is to guide the person being directed according to the will of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, discernment of the spirits must be exercised on the part of BOTH the person being directed the spiritual director.
A critical condition for discerning correctly is “spiritual detachment.” Spiritual attachment is an inordinate attachment to creatures, desiring them for our own self-serving purposes, so that spiritual detachment is its opposite—the desire for creatures and use of creation for the ends for which they have been created, the service and love of God.
Someone who is inordinately attached to creatures will naturally have difficulty in discerning correctly, because they will be drawn to make choices out of weakness of will and for their own self-serving purposes.
Spiritual detachment has been described as “Ignatian indifference.” A better term, in my view, is what Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. calls “equal-mindedness.”
“When it comes to dealing with good, legitimate options, I can either make a decision by the seat of my pants, or I can really seek to determine what God is asking of me. …If we want to do what God wills, then we can be open to any possibility, because God our Lord made everything good, including riches, poverty, or a relatively simple lifestyle. God can work through people with wealth (many saints were kings and queens) or through very poor people (St. Francis of Assisi and many other saints). These various possibilities are good in themselves, and therefore they are ways to become holy and to give glory to God who made them. How do we choose among these good options?
“If God can use everything and everything is good, then an essential starting point of being able to discern God’s will is the gift of being ‘equal-minded.’ St. Ignatius of Loyola called this gift being ‘indifferent,’ but some modern people interpret this term as not caring about the choices. Better is the term ‘equal-minded,’ which implies that I am happy to take either this option or that option. Neither option matters to me except insofar as one gives greater glory to God than the other. Seeking to give greater glory to God is one of the most important principles of discerning God’s will for my life.”
—Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, How to Listen When God Is Speaking: A Guide for Modern-Day Catholics (2011), pages 72-73
If discernment of the spirits is to be exercised for the spiritual benefit of the person being directed, BOTH the person being directed and the spiritual director have to seek and pursue equal-mindedness in spiritual direction.
Gonzalinho
THE CASE OF OPUS DEI
DeleteOften enough Opus Dei is obstructed in the task of spiritual direction because its primary agenda is not to help people spiritually but to propagate itself. The organization relies on a self-serving distillation of historical Roman Catholic spirituality—something that suits the objective of propagating the organization but that clearly does not address the spiritual needs of many because it is narrow in scope and deficient in understanding.
Spiritual direction in Opus Dei is compromised by its overriding objective—which is not the spiritual good and well-being of the person being directed but rather the propagation of the institution of Opus Dei and the protection of its reputation. This type of spiritual direction has the potential to inflict grave harm and lasting damage on the person being directed because the objective of the spiritual director is not the spiritual welfare of the person being directed but rather the corporate agenda of Opus Dei.
When the spiritual director is principally motivated by the corporate agenda of the organization he represents, he inevitably lacks an attribute necessary for promoting the spiritual benefit of the person being directed: equal-mindedness. The spiritual director is not primarily motivated by the spiritual welfare of the person being directed but rather by the corporate agenda. The two are not necessarily aligned.
Gonzalinho
AGERE CONTRA
ReplyDeleteHow does one cultivate and attain equal-mindedness? One way propounded by spiritual writers is agere contra, Latin for “to act against.”
“Agere contra is an Ignatian concept we don’t hear much about, at least not on this blog. The phrase means ‘to act against,’ and refers to acting against behaviors that are not life-giving and hold us back from freedom. Edmund Lo, SJ, writes about agere contra:
“‘We can be attached to patterns of behaviour that seemingly make us feel safer, be they our insecurities, doubts, or unwillingness to be pulled out of our comfort zones. They prevent us from living our lives fully in the way the Lord intends. When we live our lives in Spirit and in Truth, we live in a true freedom. Agere contra helps us to confront those things that hold us back from such freedom; better yet, it helps us to grow into this freedom.’”
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/acting-against/
—dotMagis Editor, “Acting Against,” IgnatianSpirituality.com
“Saint Ignatius knew our human tendencies well. He was a lover of the world and fell easily into lust and vanity. The pulls he felt toward such things he called the ‘evil spirit’. We can tend to stick with what’s comfortable and known. This autopilot can get us into trouble though. Over time Ignatius studied how the evil spirit would tempt him into sin or a disordered life. In his journal he noted ways that he could fight against things that drew him away from God and a good and healthy life. One of his methods is called agere contra – meaning to act against.
“Remember, this is about going against what you would normally tend to do. We recognise that sometimes our human tendencies can be flawed…and that we’re also creatures of habit. Habit can be a good thing, but not if it prevents us from growing as persons loved by God. Ignatius warns against a ‘disordered’ life. Having order does not mean acting as a robot and never straying from your schedule or plan. Having an ordered life means you can let go of certain attachments or unhealthy relationships, you can adapt to new situations, and you remove blockades that prevent you from growing more into your true self. Agere contra is one way to help jar us out of the safe path we’ve always been taking.”
https://godinallthings.com/2012/04/11/agere-contra/
—Andy Otto, “Agere Contra,” God in All Things, April 11, 2012
To be continued
Gonzalinho
AGERE CONTRA
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In principle agere contra is sound but it is also susceptible to being misunderstood and misapplied—in particular, we might interpret God’s will as the opposite of what we desire so that we believe that because we desire it, it is not God’s will.
This attitude in the spiritual life is seriously awry. The correct perspective to assume is that as long as the object of our desire is not evil but rather good, both possibilities exist—that what we desire could be in accord with the will of God but that it could also be at variance.
So how do we determine which one it is? One assured (not infallible) way is to apply the rules of discernment. They may not always be easy or straightforward in application, and sometimes, the correct judgment and the decision that follows upon it are attained only after an extended period of time and great spiritual effort.
Our good desires for something good might indeed be an indication of God’s will for us.
Notably, the following interpretation of Ignatian discernment underscores good desires under the aspect of emotional motivation and emphasizes “emotivism” as a necessary tipping point in discernment.
“There is a set of emotions related to faith and integrated with it, and these Christian emotions are aroused by prayer, worship, spiritual reading, and so on. …The other set of emotions includes those bearing on the possibilities between which one must discern…. These emotions are aroused by carefully and concretely considering as fully as possible what actually would be involved in the options under consideration. (It is assumed that the necessary investigating and information gathering already have been done.) Then one’s Christian-faith emotions are compared with the sets of emotions related to each option—emotions which reflect not only the realities on which they bear but the reality of one’s hidden self. What is involved here is not some sort of objective measurement, but the effort to perceive an inward harmony. If the emotions related to one option plainly harmonize better with one’s Christian-faith emotions, that can be considered the option which pleases one’s Christian self, and one should choose as pleases this self.”
http://twotlj.org/G-2-5-J.html
—Mount Saint Mary’s University, “Living a Christian Life: Chapter 5: Seeking Moral Truth: Moral Judgment and Problem Solving: Question J: How Should One Discern between or among Good Options?” The Way of the Lord Jesus
https://oddsandendsgonzalinhodacosta.blogspot.com/2022/07/discernment-and-conscience.html
Gonzalinho