Ignatian Discernment w/ Mary

as Franciscan said the immaculate our only desire is to spread love and Devotion to the Blessed Mother and one of the best ways to do that is to do so in light of the great spiritual Masters nobody has articulated these rules of discernment like this great spiritual Master St Ignatius of Leola but real quickly in his life St Ignatius of Leola was a very worldly man he had great Ambitions for Knighthood and during a war he got hit by a cannon on his leg so as he was recovering to pass the time he was trying to find books on chivery but Divine Providence had it that in that house there were only two types of books the gospels the lives of the Saints there was no iPhone oh boy so to pass the time he read The Life of Christ and the lives of the Saints and in his interior length thoughts started to come why can't I do what St Francis did St Dominic but also worldly thoughts of worldly ambition so there was a tug of war and eventually he went to the Statue of our Lady and he surrendered his worldly Ambitions to serve God completely and he actually gives his sword to Our Lady you saw that statue and we actually have a sword that's a big sword you don't mess with sining it's just prior to his conversion okay it's a humongous sword and for him in his spiritual journey he slowly articulates these rules and guidelines of discernment what is the serment of spirits he says this rules for becoming aware and understanding to some extent the different movements which are caused in the soul the good to receive them and the bad to reject them and these rules are more proper for the first week first of all it is being aware it is understanding and thirdly it's taking the proper action so being aware of the spiritual movements in our hearts and our thoughts understanding work with them until we understand what is of God in our lady and what is not of God and our lady and the end game is to act accordingly accepting what is of God and our lady and putting that into practice while rejecting what is not of God and what is not of our Lady the end game is always doing the will of our Lady remember there are Fallen Angels who are trying to influence you to not do the will of our lady because they want you to be where they are in Helm but there is also the Victorious Queen who crushes the head of the serpent who wants you to be where she is in heaven here's a question wouldn't it be helpful there are certain guidelines to help us discern these movements we actually we have again 40 rules guidelines concrete guidelines to discern this okay we're going to engage the text now this is a classic that for our purposes I'm just going to introduce you to these rules but this is something you can always go back to we're just going to look at the foundational rules and then specific rules that I don't want you to ever ever forget let's start with the first rule one of the most famous conversions after that of St Paul is that of St Augustin this is the image just before his conversion under the Fig Tree if you read his confession is he will actually be able to to see what was going on in his heart for our purposes it's important to put it into context so before this whole time he was leading a very disordered life but Grace was slowly working in his soul our lady was giving him those actual Graces now he gets to this point where he has to make a decision to convert or not to convert to remain in a state of sin and we have the grace to be able to Peak into his heart because he actually wrote it in the confessions and see what was going on so listen to what he says in my youth I burn to fill myself with evil things I dare to run wild and different in dark ways a passion doctor of the church everybody this was the nature of my sickness I was in torment twisted and turned in my chain I hoped that my chain might be broken once for all because it was only a small thing that held me now he was almost there but something was holding him back and you Lord never CE to watch over my secret heart in your Stern Mercy you lash me with the twin scourges of fear and shame in case I should give way once more in my heart I kept saying let it be now let it be now and merely by saying this I was on the point of making the resolution I was on the point of making it but did not succeed almost I was held back my mere Trifles all my old attachments they plucked at my Garment of flesh and whispered are you going to leave us we shall never be with you again forever and ever you will never be allowed to do this thing or that forever more these voices seem to reach me from behind plucking at my back trying to make me turn my head when I wanted to go Tong of War notice that the first two rules consists of the person or the Soul's fundamental spiritual orientation there are only two directions in the spiritual life towards God and our lady and away from sin or toward sin and away from God and our lady now why are these rules important these first two rules because according to the fundamental direction of the soul the different spirits the fallen angels are lady they their tactics will differ okay here's the first rule in persons who are going from mortal sin to mortal sin the enemy is ordinarily accustomed to propose parent Pleasures to them leading them to imagine sensual Delights and Pleasures in order to hold them more and more and make them grow in their vices and sins in these persons the good spirit so for our purposes our lady uses a contrary method stinging stinging and biting their consciences through the rational power of moral judgment let's unpack that real quick so you see for those persons who are moving from mortal sin to mortal sin the enemy as St ignatious tells us is ordinarily accustomed to do what propose apparent Pleasures leading them to imagine sensual Delight is going to be good don't worry about it don't worry about it it's going to be great and the end game is to trap them in sin and what the same same igna telling us for those who persons going from mortal sin to mortal sin Our Ladies method is contrary stinging and biting their consciences see this is the mercy of God this is the only way to wake them up and get them out of their disordered Life by stinging their conscience thises this happen today still absolutely here's an example ABY Johnson if you read her book she actually describes the moments of her conversion remember she was doing the ultrasound guided abortion as I took the ultrasound probe in hand and adjusted the settings on the machine I argued with myself notice the tug of war here I don't want to be here I don't want to take part in an abortion no wrong attitude I needed to psych myself up for this task I took a deep breath and tried to tune it to the music from the radio playing softly in the background it's a good learning experience I've never seen an ultrasounded guided abortion before I told myself you see the tug of war that's going on right maybe this will help me when I counsel women I learned firsthand about this safer procedure besides it will be over in a few minutes I could not have imagined how the next 10 minutes would shake the foundation of my values and change the course of my life what happened her conscience was stung that is a Grace from our lady let's look at the second rule in persons who are going on intensely purifying their sins and rising from good to better in the service of God our Lord the method is contrary to the first rule for then it is proper to the evil spirit to bite sadden and place obstacles disquieting with false reasons so that the person may not go forward and it is proper for our lady to give courage and strength consolation tears inspir a and quiet easing and taking away all obstacles so that the person may go forward in doing good so you see here that for persons who are now moving towards God through our lady and away from sin notice the tactics of the different Spirits St ous tells us for those intensely purifying themselves from sin and going from good to better the enemy now bites sadin places obstacles disques with false reasons you can't do it are you sure here's an example here's a person who is going from good to better St Juan Diego you remember when our lady told him go to the bishop with this message the very first time he went the bishop was very skeptical so he was completely discouraged to the point where he told our lady I beg you my lady queen and my little girl to send one of those Nobles who are held in esteem and respected with the message so that it will be believed for I'm a man of no importance you're sending me to a place that I'm not used to spending my time my little virgin my lady forgive me if I grieve you and you are angry with me who is disining with false reasons placing obstacles saddening and what does our lady do listen to me my youngest son know for sure that I do not lack servants and Messengers to whom I can give the task of carrying out my words who will carry out my will but it is necessary that you clead my cause and with your help and through your mediation that my will be fulfilled you see our lady now gives courage and strength consults inspires and then she takes away all obstacles you see then that's exactly what happened to St Juan Diego so the first two rules consist of the person's and the Soul's fundamental Direction and spiritual orientation the first consists of when a person moves away from Jesus and Mary and goes moves towards sin and the second is when a person moves towards Jesus and Mary and again that's very important because according to the fundamental spiritual orientation the tactics differ rule number three and number four consists of the two basic movements in the interior life consolation desolation consolation desolation this is very important because we need to expect both spiritual constellation and spiritual desolation that in itself is not a problem the problem is not being aware not understanding and hence not taking the proper action let's look at rule number three St IGN says the third is spiritual consolation I call it consolation when some interior movement is caused in the soul through which the soul comes to be inflamed with love of its creator and Lord and consequently when it can love no created thing on the face of the Earth in itself but only 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 ordered to his service and praise finally I call consolation every increase of hope faith and charity and all interior joy that calls and attracts to Heavenly things and to Salvation of one's Soul quieting it and giving it peace in his creator and Lord wow let me just unpack that real quick so the first thing that we need to do is to first of all distinguish spiritual consolation from non-spiritual consolation as St Ignatius points out spiritual constellation is always directly associated with the life of Faith with our spiritual life non-spiritual constellation is can have psychological factors or bodily factors feel great at a Texas breakfast today that was great a lot of consolation non-spiritual consolation so first of all we need to distinguish these two at the same time we need to o be aware that they often overlap here's an example Her Sister Pauline so she's the one on the top right she recounts this episode in the life of St trance okay Des sending the steps leading into the garden she saw Little White Hen under a tree terance protecting her little chicks under her wings some were peeping out from under terz stopped looking at them thoughtfully after after a while I made a sign that we should go inside I noticed her eyes were filled with tears and I said you're crying she put her hand over her eyes and I cried and cried even more I can't explain it just now I'm too deeply touched that evening in her cell she told me the following and there was a Heavenly expression on her face this what St JZ said I cried when I thought how God used this image in order to teach us his tenderness toward us all through my life this is what he has done for me he's hitting me under his wings earlier in the day when I was leaving you I was crying when going upstairs I was unable to control myself any longer and I hasten to our cell my heart get the cell was overflowing with love and gratitude you see here how God uses non-spiritual constellation and then elevates it to spiritual consolation she saw those little checks and then immediately her thought went to God and how God protected her in her life and she was spiritually consoled and moved to the point of Tears for Spiritual consolation there are different intensities so they can be very gentle or very strong and also the duration can be brief or very long so this is very personal right so St TZ was moved by little chicks she's a woman for men don't not move anybody God needs to use something else to move us toward spiritual consolation is very personal you see our lady knows her children well and gives her gives them spiritual consolation in their personal capacity uh very important so that's the third rule the fourth is of the other movement spiritual desolation I call desolation all the contrary of the third rule such as darkness of Soul disturbance in it movement to low and Earthly things disqui from various agitations and temptations moving to lack of confidence without hope without love finding oneself totally slothful tepid sad and as if separated from one's Creator and Lord for just as consolation is contrary to desolation in the same way the thoughts that came from Constellation Are contrary to the thoughts that came from desolation so again even for Spiritual desolation we need to First distinguish spiritual desolation from non-spiritual desolation non-spiritual desolation can have bodily factors or psychological factors right when you're sick often you don't feel well out when there psychological problems so too the same thing spiritual desolation is directly Associated to your spiritual life first need to distinguish them and at the same time we need to be aware that they can often and do often overlap here's an example three children of FMA when our ladies started to appear to these three children they had the interior certainty that this was something from heaven but then certain things started to be certain things in their home was agitated here's what sister Lucy actually said I began then to have doubts as to whether these manifestations might be from the devil who was seeking by these means to Make Me Lose My Soul as I heard people say that the devil always brings conflict and disorder I began to think that truly ever since I had started seeing these things our home was no longer the same for joy and peace had fled what anguish I felt whenever the enemy of our soul inflicts us with spiritual desolation often times it interprets our spiritual past you remember when you did that you remember that sin in your past it predicts our spiritual future you're what are you trying to do you trying to get closer to our lady you'll never make it for rosaries too much can't do that it presents itself as our spiritual identity you'll never make it it gives us a sense of shame it also a sense of isolation you're the only one experiencing this and then there's an irreparable damage you'll never make it you will never ever be healed from this you see how spiritual desolation is very serious because it is a heaviness of heart that brings tries to bring us down to paralyze us completely again we need to be aware of this because we need to expect spiritual desolation but not the problem the problem is not being aware not understanding that is part of the spiritual spiritual life and hence not taking the proper action rejecting it completely so just like spiritual consolation spiritual desolation also has different intensities it can be very gentle it can be very strong it can last very briefly it can last a very long time to recap the first two rules consisted of the person's fundamental spiritual orientation that's important to understand because the tactics of the the spirits differ according to the orientation and then the third and fourth rule consists of the two interior movements in the soul spiritual consolation spiritual desolation St Ignatius says God one of them consolation God gives the other he permits why so we can grow because in our lady we are already Victorious so he puts the devil to shame he permits those spiritual desolations so through our lady in Union with her we can overcome that and crush the head of the serpent in his pride so the first four rules are the foundation rules that help us be aware and understand the following rules after that is now to take the proper action since we don't have time we're just going to look at those rules that I don't want you to forget okay here's the first one the fifth rule in time of desolation never make a change but be firm and constant in the proposals and determination in which one was the day preceding such desolation or in the determination in which one was in the preceding consolation because as in consolation the good spirit our lady guides and counsels us more so in Desolation the bad Spirit the devil with whose counsels we cannot find the way to right decision now often times he's very dense saying ignacious lots of words well basically what he's trying to say is this in times of spiritual desolation never make a change to any spiritual proposal that you had in place before the Desolation began here's an example do you know who this is blessed B Longo great Saint great blessed okay in his life to cut a long story short as he grew up he he fell into uh the ult okay he was very anti became anti-catholic and there was a certain point where we actually became a satanic priest whoa but our lady and her Holy Rosary save his life so after his conversion his reversion to the faith do you think the devil will easily just let him go absolutely not so there was a certain point after he is converted where he experienced deep spiritual desolation here's what he says one day in the fields around Pompei I recalled my former condition as the priest of Satan I thought that perhaps as the priesthood of Christ is for eternity so also the prood of Satan is for all eternity so despite my repentance I thought I am still consecrated to Satan and I'm still his slave and property as he awaits me in hell as I pondered over my condition I experienced a deep sense of Despair and almost committed suicide intense spiritual desolation and what saved him the words of our Lady one who propagate propagates my rosary shall be saved our lady and her Rosary saved his life he made the proposal to spread her rosary and in time of desolation he remembered his proposal and he continued and never made a change and because of that he did great things for our lady and for the church he actually built a whole beautiful Shrine if you go to Pompei this is dedicated to Our Lady of the Ros you got to go you got to go this is look at that look at that beautiful never changed your spiritual proposal in times of spiritual desolation so in the fifth rule you're asking fundamentally when you are in prayer am I in time of spiritual desolation am I thinking of changing a spiritual proposal that was in place before the Desolation began if the answer is yes to both questions you know where that's coming from the enemy of your soul so it's important to be aware that yes there's spiritual consolation spiritual desolation but there's also tranquil time we're not always in the highs or in the lows but for this rule once you identify that you are in spiritual desolation the action is in time of desolation never ever make a change here's the sixth rule if we're never to make a change in time of desolation the sixth rule is about how we change ourselves in relation to the spiritual desolation itself so what do we need to do here's what s says although in Desolation we should not change our first proposals it is very advantageous to change ourselves intensely against the Desolation itself and he gives us four concrete means as by insist more upon prayer meditation upon much examination and upon extending ourselves in some suitable way of penance in the Catholic spiritual tradition there is a very important fundamental distinction between spiritual desolation and passive purifications spiritual desolation always comes from the evil one and hence needs to always be rejected the passive purifications is the Grace from God where he shares his cross with us and since that is from God we need to accept it and carry our cross the four means remember that he gives us is prayer meditation much examination and suitable acts of penance if you want to just simplify it if you want to use one concrete mean just pray the rosary intensify your prayer of the Rosary because because it's prayer meditation much examination and a suitable Act of penance it is not always pleasing When you pray the rosary but it's a suitable Act of penance now here's an example imagine this guy at work terrible terrible day his boss was just yelling at him non-spiritual desolation it's a bad day this guy proposed that when he gets home home he will pray the rosary 6 p.m. but now throughout his day he had this terrible day he's in non-spiritual Desolation he gets home and then the devil uses that non-spiritual desolation and brings him to spiritual desolation what happens 6 p.m. rolls around and he stops praying his Rosary he change his proposal and instead what does he do he gets on the computer click click click boom pornography impurity sinfulness from non-spiritual desolation to spiritual desolation to sin in times of spiritual desolation never never make a change to your spiritual proposal on the contrary intensify never be passive intensify your rosaries here's someone was in a lot of spiritual desolation and what did he do prayed the rosary look at that picture he's like why are you even bothering me I'm praying the rosary right now he won the spiritual battle through the most holy rosary rules 1 to4 foundational rules 5 to4 taking the proper action the end game is to do the will of our lady here's another uh division so from Rules 5 to 11 right so taking the action proper action it's s Ignus teaches us how to act in spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation in the last rules rules number 12 and 14 he teaches us how to act during temptations that it's very important because the devil only has two tactics it's either Temptation or spiritual desolation what's the difference the basic difference is spiritual desolation is always unpleasant it's a heaviness of heart that tries to bring us down temptation is very pleasing to the Fallen human nature but whether it's spiritual desolation or Temptation the end game is always not doing the will of our Lady and trapping you in sin okay so we'll just look at one rule for how to act during Temptation it's another one I don't want you to forget likewise he conducts himself as a false lover so he's talking about the enemy of our soul in wishing to remain secret and not be revealed for dissolute man who speaking with evil intention makes dishonorable advances to a daughter of a good father or to a wife of a good husband wishes his words and Persuasions to be secret and the contrary displeases him very much when the daughter reveals to her father or to the wife to her husband his false words and depraved intention because he easily Perce that he will not be able to succeed with the undertaking begun okay here's the important part in the same way when the enemy of human nature brings his ws and Persuasions to the just Soul he wishes and desires that they be received and kept in secret don't tell anybody but when one reveals them to one's good Confessor or to another spiritual person who knows his deceits and malicious designs it weighs on him very much because he perceives that he will not be able to succeed with the malicious undertaking he has begun since this manifest deceits have been revealed let's unpack that really briefly and we'll look at three elements from that rule first of all the signs secondly the persons and third the content so how do we know that we are being tempted in this way secondly who are the persons that we need to go to thirdly what is the content that we need to reveal to those persons when we are aware and understand that we are being tempted in this way here's an example stz everybody knows that the only thing St terz wanted to do with her whole life was to enter Carmel she moved Heaven and Earth to be able to enter Carmel she prayed sacrificed that she actually went to PO Le 13 begging him please let me enter this is her only desire this was her only desire now when she's a novice and she's in Retreat on Retreat just before her profession she starts doubting her vocation maybe this is not my vocation maybe I am being deceived I'm deceiving myself now imagine if St terz was not aware did not understand and did not take the proper action will we still have the same trance but here's here what St Tes did she actually went to her Superior and she revealed that Temptation and this is what happened fortunately she saw things much clearer than I did and she completely reassured me the act of humility I had just performed put the devil to flight since he had perhaps thought that I would not dare admit admit my Temptation my doubts left me completely as soon as I finished speaking so what happened was the superior was in choir so they were praying the office and St TZ asked her to come out you don't do that you know normally especially in those signs and then she revealed her doubts to her Superior and what did the superior do she simply laughed you ter you don't have a vocation and then she said the moment she revealed this to her competent Superior the devil was put to flight because of her act of humility so the signs are number one spiritual trouble of the heart when certain Temptations or newly found doubts surfaces into our own life some trouble of the heart and at the same same time a resistance to speaking with the appropriate spiritual persons oh they don't have time oh they w't understand me they they can't figure this out when those two things are Sim simultaneously present we know who that's from the enemy of human nature St ignia says we need to go to one's good Confessor or to another spiritual person go to someone that knows your soul well this is why spiritual direction is so very important and frequent confession is so very important because those spiritual pastors the pastors know your soul well and when you reveal these things to the appropriate spiritual person whether you're your Confessor or your spiritual director they have the grace of state to be able to guide you this is our lady guides you through these uh these competent spiritual persons and what do we reveal to these competent and appropriate spiritual persons same tells us the Ws and Persuasions of the devil deceits and malicious designs malicious undertakings of the enemy manifest deceits don't hold back anything let that your spiritual director know everything that is troubling your heart so the last rule that we're looking at is in time of spiritual trouble never do not keep silent tell your spiritual director or your Confessor okay so let's wrap this up with a recap the first two rules tactics of the two Spirits the fundamental spiritual orientation of the soul is important to be aware of because again the tactics of the different Spirits the devil and our lady differ according to the spiritual direction of the Soul then there are the two basic spiritual movements again the sermon of spirits is very concrete because it helps us be aware understand and take the proper action in doing the will of God and rejecting the deceits the spiritual desolation and The Temptations of the devil deepen your spiritual life not only to know these things but to take the proper action to do the will of God because when you do the will of our Lady you will be victorious when we Ponder these things in our heart in Union with our lady in Union with her Immaculate Heart we too will participate in that Triumph amen

Channel: GabiAfterHours

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Id: 6-P1SPKBka0

Length: 39min 19sec (2359 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 29 2023