Discernment of Spirits

1. Discernment of Spirits The information in this presentation has been taken from sources: 1. Green, Thomas. (1984) Weeds Among the Wheat Discernment: where prayer & Action Meet. Indiana: Ave Maria Press. 2. Aumann, Jordan. (1980). Spiritual Theology. London: Wheaton & Co Ltd, Exeter. 3. Au, Wilkie. “Holistic Discernment.” Spiritual Direction volume 11, No. 1 (February 2005)

3. What would you respond if Ashley’s parents ask for your advice? Ashley has been in bed from the day she was born because her brain was damaged. That means she could not talk, move or respond. At the age of 13, her parents asked a doctor to treat Ashley so that her body would no longer develop. The reason for this treatment is for the good of their girl. If her body weight was not too heavy, the parents would care for Ashley easier.

4. What spirit, good or evil, is affecting these people in the following descriptions? What are your reasons for saying one or the other? • Anna thinks of her sins and of Christ’s sufferings. She is saddened; she weeps; she feels depressed; she thinks, “What’s the use of trying? I am no good.” • John attends a liturgy during which there is beautiful music and eloquent preaching and he experiences real warmth among the people who are there. • Sally goes to the college chapel for noon mass. The reading for the day is from Galatians 5:16-24. The homilist centers on 5:22: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness.” Peace and joy, say the homilist, are the signs of the Holy Spirit. He quotes also from noted spiritual writers who make this point with emphasis and relates it to the teaching of St. Ignatius Loyola on Discernment of spirits. Sally has for some time now felt very dry when she prays and has been feeling down on herself. She is sad because God seems absent from her life. What the homilist said convinced her that the Holy Spirit cannot be present and active in her life; that she must have turn away from God. She feels very discouraged about ever being a really good Christian.

5. WHAT IS DISCERMENT? Discernment means to sift through, distinguish, separate and divide interior movements that result from God’s personal involvement. Developing a discerning heart is about sifting through interior movements so we can choose those that bring us deeper union with God and reject those that draw us away. Sr. Maureen Conroy, R.S.M. Discernment is the movement from absurdity (from the Latin surdus, meaning deaf) to obedient faith (from the Lantin ob-audire, meaning to hear). Wilkie Au

6. Biblical Stories of Discernment The story of the call of Samuel (1 Sam 3:1-14) God calls Samuel, but he did not familiar with God’s voice. Eli (Samuel’s spiritual director) assisted him to detect better the voice of God and to respond with openness and trust. The story of the three magi searching for God (Mt 2:1-12) God’s lead can come in a variety of forms. They experienced God’s presence in their hearts, in their companionship, in a star, and in a dream.

7. The “threefold darkness” that a mature person challenged to choose and to act • God is illimitable Mystery. • Many other mysterious voices competing for our attention with the Lord’s. • Our own lack of self-knowledge. (This is the greatest obstacle to real discernment)

8. Who is God for me? Is God a watchmaker who made me, left the shop and had no direct involvement? If this was my watchmaker-God, discernment would be neither meaningful nor possible. It is my responsibility now to take care the watch-me. Is God a puppeteer who holds the strings and manipulates person and events the way a puppet master controls his puppets? If this was my puppeteer-God, discernment is unnecessary. I am not free and no need to discover what is expected of me. When God is seen as “Abba” who desires a personal relationship with his sons and daughters, discernment becomes prominent.

9. The Climate of Our Discernment 1/ The “Discerning” Dimension: a. For the unbeliever or a negligible believer, the choice has to depend on - reason (weighing the pros and cons for each alternative) - or intuition (emotion and instinctual attachments) b. For the committed believer, the question “what should I do?” becomes “What is God’s will for me in this situation? What does the Lord really want?” This is really the question of discernment! 2/ Three Crucial Presuppositions of Discernment: • A desire to do God’s will • Openness to God • A knowledge of God (there are mysterious voices) 3/ The Essential Qualities of Heart of the Discerner: • Humble • Charitable • Courageous (ex: story of bying necktie)

10. What question should this family ask if they really want to discern God’s will for them to go to mission?

11. GENERAL SIGNS OF THE VARIOUS SPIRITS(Jordan Aumann, OP Theology of Spirituality, chapter 14)

12. Holistic Discernmentvalues both inner and outer authorities External authority: The teaching of tradition and the viewpoints of others in the faith community. • A choice has to be good for me. Ex: marriage, single or religious life. • A choice must lawful within our Holy Mother hierarchical church and not bad oppose to Her. (St. Ignatius, SE # 170) Ex: abortion or not. • The unchangeable best choice has been made sincerely and freely cannot be undone or discerned again. But let him perfect himself as much as possible in the one he has made. Ex: marriages, priesthood, or religious. *note: “if changeable choices have been improperly made (not sincerely and with due order), it will be profitable to make a choice in a proper way.”(SE #174)Ex: marriage annulment.

13. Inner authority: (body-spirit unity of the person) Thoughts and fears, fantasies and feelings, dreams and drives, bodily sensations and intuitions. Ex: I should not marry him because I am sweat each time talking to him. Notes on feelings: (by Wilkie Au) - “A society dominated by science and technology often mistrust feelings and touts a coldly dispassionate approach as the only intelligent way to decide.” - “Ignoring feelings simply makes them go underground and operate outside of reasonable control, undermining the decisions in which they were given no say. At the opposite extreme, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we allow our feelings to drown out the other voices in the inner wisdom circle. Either case-refusing to give feelings their say or letting feelings dominate-makes for poor discernment.”

14. Holistic discernment requires cultivating a quiet inner center, a receptive space, where we can tune into our inner voices and the voice of God. In other words, this person must pray.

15. Ignatius’ Three Time of Making an Election 1st Time: “God so moves and attracts the will that a devout soul without hesitation, or the possibility of hesitation, follows what has been manifested to it.” (SE #175) Ex: the vocation of Saint Paul and St. Mathew. This person peak religious experience can spring suddenly upon the person without any antecedent cause, like a forceful flash of insight, removing any further need for deciding. 2nd Time: this occurs when individuals must rely on their affective states of consolation or desolation to detect the influence of God regarding the decision to be made. (SE #176) Ex: feeling at peace with the decision. However, can we trust this kind of feeling always? 3rd Time: decision-making highlights the process of reasoning. (SE # 77-87) “Picturing oneself on one’s death bed and recalling one’s purpose for existing (to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to be saved” SE #23), the person is asked to decide which decision one would most likely be able to ratify when facing death?”

16. Spiritual Consolation: a complexus of positive feelings that encourages, supports, and confirms a prospective decision as being “right.” (SE # 316) Spiritual Desolation: a complexus of negative feelings that discourages, questions, calls into doubt a prospective decision, suggesting that it is not “right.” (SE # 317) Affectivities: Consolation and Desolation

17. “A soul who goes from one mortal sin to another” (#314) 1. Choice: against God and self-love. 2. “Consolation”: the evil spirit purposes sensual delight and gratifications to keep the soul in his vices and increase the number of sins. 3. “Desolation”: God arouses the sting of conscience and fill the soul with remorse; BUT GOD NEVER DISCOURAGE THE SOUL. “A soul who is progressing to greater perfection” (#315) 1. Choice: choose God and his service. 2. Consolation: the action of the good angel is delicate, gentle and delightful as a drop of water penetrating a sponge. 3. Desolation: the action of the evil spirit upon this souls is violent, noisy and disturbing as drop of water falling upon a stone. * Desolation has the pattern: Feeling guilty, then angry, and then depress. Two distinct and contrasting states of soul

18. Guidelines for Desolation #318 Don’t CHANGE a good direction decision. #319 Don’t make NEW decision; but try to insist more - on prayer, - upon meditation and - on much examination of oneself. #320 exercise FAITH in God’s abiding presence, care, love. # 321 PATIENCE. Desolation will pass. Consolation will come again. Work against desolation. Reasons for Desolation #322 One’s own fault?/ Trial allowed by God?/ Experience of poverty?

19. Guidelines for Desolation #323 Savor the consolation against the time when desolation returns. #324 GROW in gratitude & humility.

20. Three Images of the Ways the evil spirit works, using tactics of … #325 A spoil child (wants his/her own way) , therefore BE FIRM. #326 A false lover (cautioning secrecy)… BE OPEN. SEEK COUNSEL. #327 A shrewd commander (enemy looks for weaknesses or complacent strength and pride) therefore acknowledge needs. Cry “HELP!”

21. The Ambiguity of Consolation For souls whose fundamental option is for God, desolation is never his voice. But consolation does not always come from God. The evil spirit is the father of lies. He imitates the Lord’s way of speaking and acting. Ex: “You should love the poor!” and then the devout soul would cook to feed the whole world, but his/her spouse and children starve to death at home.

22. Discernment of consolation 1. Consolation “without any previous cause” is the only one type of consolation which the devil cannot simulate. Ex: at peace in the midst of the pain. 2. Consolation with Preceding Cause: we need to discern the voice in making decision. Ex: if I like to serve, the evil spirit encourage this love in order to foster pride or to cause me to neglect my family. Note: observe the whole course of our thoughts: if the beginning and middle and end… are wholly good and directed to what is entirely right, it is a sign that they are from the good angel.