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Jacinta: Hello and welcome to two hearts true healing! I am Jacinta Wick and with me is Angela Stansell. Last article we talked about what desolation is and compared it to depression, and this article we talk about desolation again and how to handle it and walk through it. We also talk about dryness versus desolation. Angela, can you tell us the next rule?
Angela: Here we go, the fifth Ignatian rule of discernment: “In time of desolation never to make a change; but to be firm and constant in the resolutions and determination in which one was the day preceding such desolation, or in the determination in which he was in the preceding consolation. Because, as in consolation it is rather the good spirit who guides and counsels us, so in desolation it is the bad, with whose counsels we cannot take a course to decide rightly.”
There are two parts of this rule, overall: Number one, the guideline of not making a change, and number two, the reason for it. We’ll get into what Ignatius means by not making a change, then dissect one of his own experiences of desolation as the Father General of the Jesuits. After that we’ll talk about the reasoning behind this rule. One more thing before we move forward– Know that spiritual desolation can last for any length of time.
On page seventy-five of The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living, author Fr. Timothy Gallagher describes what not to change: Don’t change things that have “direct pertinence to our life of faith and pursuit of God’s will.” He goes on to clarify this, referencing vignettes from earlier in the book. He says that while in spiritual consolation “they resolved upon certain steps in their spiritual life.” These could be prayer habits, new ways of pursuing holiness, carrying out God’s will by serving others, etc. These are the things we need to hold fast to.
Please, remember to reach a point of understanding before taking action. The steps are to first be aware of these spiritual happenings, then use Rules 3 and 4 to understand, then act. If you misunderstand your desolation as spiritual when it’s not, you could end up hanging on to something that’s bad for you, like a schedule that’s unnecessarily detrimental to your health, a routine that doesn’t serve your family well, or a friendship that is a near occasion of sin, to name a few.
When in spiritual desolation, we are tempted to make the change of giving up in some way. God allows this to strengthen us.
How do we know if our desolation is spiritual? Sometimes we may need to continue longer in step one, “be aware,” before we can reach step two of understanding. This can be uncomfortable. Sometimes we need to be patient and continue noticing what fruit is borne in us internally.
I’ll share a personal example: I was in such a situation the other day, where I could not decide if my actions should be directed towards physical and mental health or spiritual things. At one point, I was reminded of a prayer by Thomas Merton; some call it The Prayer of Unknowing. Part of it says “the desire to please” God “does in fact please Him”. I chose in that moment to trust in God’s goodness. I gave it some more time and was eventually able to see what route to take. If we continue on patiently until God gives us the grace to know whether it is spiritual desolation, we will reach a point of clear discernment and can then resolve to keep going without changing whatever spiritually related goal we have. After we take action (step three) and reject the bad spirit, we often feel God’s peace, and continue pursuing Him more freely.
You might be asking– Really? Never? If you know you are in desolation, and you know it’s spiritual desolation, YES. Never.
From Fr. Gallagher’s Discernment of Spirits, page 78, he says “it is enough for them [the persons discerning] to know that they are in spiritual desolation and all doubts regarding making such spiritual changes are resolved. Such changes should not be made.” So. This situation might not be comfortable, but we can at least move forward with certainty, and our energies are better spent. Make no change. Keep going. Later, on page 79 Fr. Gallagher goes on: “Spiritual desolation…is the ‘time of the lie’ and its ‘wisdom’ is never to be followed.” We want to continue running the race!
Don’t change your spiritual commitment; do work to change the spiritual desolation. Once in spiritual consolation again, then the issue can be dealt with. In a sense, we want to solve these things in the light. If desolation is “the time of the lie”, then consolation can be seen as the time of the truth. Now, before you take that and run with it, remember that we as humans are weak! In later rules, we will discuss the cautions Ignatius has for those in consolation, where virtue of course is still needed.
Let’s move on to Ignatius’ own experience of spiritual desolation in his Spiritual Diary. This desolation comes about after he decides to take forty days to determine how the Jesuits were to live out their vow of poverty. He decides to celebrate Mass each of these forty days. By the final day, he believes he has received an answer from God, and seeks a spiritual consolation to confirm this. While celebrating this Mass, Ignatius does not experience the consolation he was hoping for. He finishes the Mass and returns to his room. This is what he says:
When the Mass was finished, and afterward in my room, I found myself totally alone and without help of any kind, without power to relish any of my mediators [He’s talking about those he would ask for intercession, such as Mary.] and any of the Divine Persons, but so remote and so separated from them, as if I had never felt anything of them, or never would feel anything again.
So here we have multiple forms of desolation as were laid out in Rule 4. There are present attempts to falsely define past and future experiences. There is an overall negative mindset. There is that word “never.” Fr. Gallagher says on p. 81 “Spiritual desolation claims power over the past and the future; it shows us a past without God and a future remorselessly bound in lasting desolation.”
Again from his Spiritual Diary Ignatius states:
If he [the Enemy] sees that we are weak and much humbled by these harmful thoughts, he goes on to suggest that we are entirely forgotten by God our Lord, and leads us to think that we are quite separated from Him and that all that we have done and all that we desire to do is entirely worthless.
So it’s easy to see here how a person who is experiencing depression, one kind of non-spiritual desolation, can slip right into spiritual desolation. And this rule is pertaining to those who are, as far as they are able to know, in a state of grace and desiring to grow in holiness. It can be a temptation to willingly accept these ideas and make them our own. It can be a temptation to choose despair, which is a grave matter. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2091: “By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to His justice – for the Lord is faithful to His promises – and to his mercy.”
Struggling to discern God’s will and struggling to trust that God’s love is unconditional, that He is always near us, isn’t exactly the same as actually believing that there is no longer hope for salvation, but the two are related, and I think this deserves strong caution. It’s like a teenager who angrily runs away from home– Obviously the analogy only goes so far because parents are not perfect like God is. If we turn away from God’s loving care, we might think we’re doing alright for a while, but every parent knows the dangers and confusion that an adolescent can come across. “I’m in control. I can decide for myself who is trustworthy.” How many teenagers in this situation literally meet the fate of human trafficking? This is like the spiritual fate our loving Father wants to protect us from– that of miserable bondage to evil and, ultimately, hell. Rest assured He will always come and find us. But just know the importance of rejecting these temptations.
In his Spiritual Diary, Ignatius goes on to say:
Rather, thoughts came to me sometimes against Jesus, sometimes against another Person, being so confused with different thoughts, such as to leave the house and rent a room so as to avoid the noise, or to attempt a fast, or to begin the masses all over again, or to put the altar on a higher floor. In nothing could I find peace since I desired to finish at a time when my soul was in consolation and completely at rest.
So the thoughts that come from this spiritual desolation are essentially to physically abandon the order that he is leading, to make a change of prayer routine, and to make a location change for Mass. Most of us listening are probably not religious but married or single. How many in non-spiritual or spiritual desolation are tempted to leave someone to “keep the peace”? Or to leave their faith and find a different religious affiliation that better suits what they want to hear? Or to restlessly get lost in details that are under their control rather than patiently submitting to God’s timing with the larger things going on? Be steadfast. Don’t change these things. Learn how to change the desolation.
The last bit before I turn it over to Jacinta– the reason for the rule. In consolation, the good spirit guides us. It is then that we will know, as we accept such counsel, when and how to continue or make a change. In desolation, however, the bad spirit imposes counsel. In a sense, it’s better to stay put. If we’re lost, following an untrustworthy guide will cause us to become more lost. We instead should follow Rules 5 through 9 until God provides us with His consolation and counsel. I really like Christopher West’s analogy. He’s a speaker and author on Theology of the Body. He compares the fast food meal of sexual permissiveness to the wedding banquet of Heaven. Similarly, listening to the Enemy while we pursue consolation is the fast food that will ultimately make us sick. Patiently waiting for God’s direction is always worth it.
A metaphor Fr. Gallagher uses is that of a warped mirror. In desolation, reality is reflected somewhat, but in a distorted way. On page 84 he says “at times, [Rule 5] will be the one light that shines in the confusing darkness, revealing clearly the call of the Lord to unchanging fidelity in time of spiritual desolation.”
Jacinta: So if we are indeed in spiritual desolation then no change ever is a hard and fast rule that must be followed. When did we last have peace and what was the outcome? Should we change in times of unpeace? First arrive at the conclusion by practicing awareness. Is this true spiritual desolation? If the answer is “yes” to that question, do not change. What changes perhaps is our perception, but great harm is done when we try to make a change and listen to the enemy’s proposals and try to make a change when our awareness is clouded.
If the answer lies in a true PHYSICAL non-spiritual desolation, then a change needs to be made, or greater harm is done. We can make that call through doubling prayer and then spiritual counsel through a pastor or counseling or spiritual direction, a trusted friend, or a doctor if it is a physical need. Like if in depression, starting medication for example and tending to the physical needs of sleep and good nutrition and exercise while waiting for improvement. Or if in an abusive situation, removing yourself and tending to your physical needs and letting others help you while waiting for light on how to attend to the emotional part.
Waiting is a key piece. But there is active waiting and passive waiting, and wounding occurs when misapplied. Take for example someone who is in harm’s way or is in danger of being put in harm’s way. Would we sit by or do something? It is similar in the spiritual life. If we are being tempted by the enemy, would it make sense to accept that proposal? No, we would do the opposite. But we are still doing while we wait for peace. Do the right thing and act in the way that helps in persevering by doing it. But in a way you can handle. Start small when you are introducing things to your routine. And only add more when you are strong enough and called to and successful. Maintain what you have, waiting for a peaceful consolation again before assessing if an overall change needs to be made. You may have physical dryness and not spiritual desolation. Something needs to be done about physical things. Dryness is often physical and not spiritual.
If you are experiencing non-spiritual desolation, such as feeling suicidal or out of touch with reality, feeling unsafe, struggling with addiction, or are in need of medical attention, it won’t go away on its own. God wants us to be brave with Him and take action with the free will and tools He has given us. Taking action against what makes our bodies or minds unhealthy isn’t giving up. It’s caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit that you are, and it is admirable.
I now want to take you to a place that distinguishes dryness versus desolation. They are very similar. But desolation is temptation to change a course from temptation or natural bad feelings and dryness just means an absence of usual feelings, an unrest (not agitation), which happens for various reasons some physical (which need change) like lack of instruction or negligence or of an action that is not consistent with the teaching of Christ…and others that are a consequence of very great growth or change. Meaning like a change beyond our control. These could be, childbirth, a new job, an illness, an unforeseen act, or after a very deep experience of God. It means many different things. We all have human struggle. The awareness of the spiritual and the physical is very important. Not all dryness is desolation, but desolation can be a form of dryness. Spiritual dryness is desolation only when it is paired with discouragement where it is the opposite of the consoling tears in rule three. An aridity. It is a lack of the fulfilling kind of tears (there are many kinds of tears to note that are not spiritual.) But it’s also deeper (even if only minor or major) in the sense that dryness and desolation can be a place of holiness. It's where we encounter suffering. Dryness is a form of desire.
It’s a prayer of desire and an act of union with Christ’s suffering. We all have daily moments where this happens. Where we can have the little way of St. Therese in ordinary life and making an offering of it. It’s a waning energy. Temptation does happen in dryness, and here is where St. Ignatius is helpful. It can instill hope with understanding. It’s all the more important to know the way through it. The change necessary in dryness is not the same as aforesaid desolation. (Like a busy mom with young children having to adjust to her schedule and find other creative ways and do what she can.) Please see the resources for a great podcast where Fr. Timothy Galager speaks further on this for part of your homework.
Dryness can also be an indication of something different than desolation but a place of vulnerability. Desolation can happen here if we don’t know how to encounter it. If I am feeling dry, it could be an indication that something is up in my heart. Something needs to be addressed or altered a little. It is a call to simplify or correct. In prayer, especially after a deep experience I might experience dryness because there is more there that needs to be examined with our Lord. Maybe I am weary because of an emotional experience or wound or fear or grief and it’s okay to take pause/break here and just rest in the Lord for more clarity and dialogue. It is important to bring these drynesses to your pastor and spiritual director because they can help you observe the reasons. It will generally diminish when addressed. It could also be a call to detach from feelings and an indication God is very close to you calling for a deeper maturity. Think of St. Mother Theresa being dry for years and still having stability and joy, which seems like a contradiction. What was her response? Still serving in love and joy. Think of St. Roch when he was sick with the plague or in the prison when he should have been rightful governor…what was his response? Prayer and accepting what God brought him..a physical dog. (He is more little known and as I was learning about him was struck by his heroic response to dryness.)
I am going to take you now to an example in the gospels for you to pray and ponder through so you can see the difference between dryness and desolation. Let’s go to Matthew 3:13-17 first. Hmm. The baptism of the Lord? You might be asking. How does this apply? I can’t think of a better person who might be experiencing dryness like the prophet John the Baptist. He knew he was the precursor to the Messiah, but He didn’t know all the particulars. He knew from the womb Jesus was special but he didn’t know the exact how tos. He embodied the dryness of Israel in waiting. Israel had a lot of false expectations (negligence). He was to be the voice and action in the desert, a symbol of a deeper reality. Let’s look at John’s response to Jesus coming to him, and we can pull out a pattern:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and behold, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus invites John to let go of expectations and follow the path laid out to fulfill righteousness. It is natural that Jesus allows John’s questioning because it is one of humility and not lack of trust. It’s a “Really, this is how? It doesn’t make sense but okay…” This is a surrender of his will to what is being asked of him. He consents and then baptizes Jesus. After this action, what happens? The heavens open, and the spirit comes. We don't always recognize that in dryness and desolation the invitation is still there and being strengthened through our action. Consolations will come again, and we must keep the little portions given in our mind for when God outpours more awareness and affirmation. (This is the overall message of Ps 16 which we will explore later.) We still act. How? Helping the physical side when necessary and maintaining the spiritual life given us. Keeping steadfast and still walking ahead. We will explore more steps in other episodes. This is just the first step.
Let’s go to another passage where we see this pattern (Invitation, Question, Consent, Action) again. Mark 4:35-41. In this passage Jesus says to His disciples “Let’s go to the other side.” They get in the boat and other boats are following. A whole little entourage. A great storm breaks out and what happens? Questioning. But the wrong kind, driven by anxiety and lack of faith. This lack of faith shows that they do not believe that even though Jesus is with them they can and will get to the outcome intended even though there are great obstacles. Jesus supplies an answer of power and action that brings a wonder and fear of God and a consent for a different response at a later time. Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea, and instantly there is calm. It’s like He is saying, “See! I am the one in control here. You didn’t believe me that I have the power to do all things. Even if you don’t readily see it by your understanding.”
See my point? It is all in the heart. We can consent with humility or with listening to the other voice of anxiety and agitation. How we will accept God’s invitation is entirely up to us. It is not up to us how life will hand us things. What is up to us is our response in faith. Jesus will be with you, and He will bring calm and peace. Sometimes literally he will change the situation and other times only just our awareness like with John the Baptist who saw the dove and heard the voice but it wasn’t given to everyone. And he still suffered after this because he was martyred for holding onto the truth of his existence and God’s. He was imprisoned and beheaded for speaking the truth given to him on account of Herodias’ jealousy. The entourage of boats all experienced calm of the physical kind, and their spiritual eyes were also opened to the fact that God has the power to change courses. We need to trust that no matter what the obstacles are, we will get through, even if it seems Jesus is sleeping. We need to let him sleep, if you will, and see the outcome of our consent and response to God’s action. It’s a cooperation of both.
I want to close with the following quote that shows the depths of God’s heart and the struggle of those who love Him and are trying to follow His path:
I never found anyone so religious and devout as not to have sometimes a subtraction of grace, or feel a diminution of fervor. No saint was ever so highly rapt and illuminated as not to be tempted sooner or later. For he is not worthy of the high contemplation of God who has not, for God’s sake, been exercised with some tribulation. For temptation going before is usually a sign of ensuing consolation. For heavenly comfort is promised to such as have been proved by temptation. To him that overcometh, saith our Lord, I will give to eat of the tree of life.—Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ p. 65
Angela, before we end, can you talk about our new initiative of prayer and prayer@twoheartstruehealing.com?
Angela: Absolutely. You can email us at prayer@twoheartstruehealing.com any time. We’d love to walk with you in prayer– to pray for you, with you, for your loved ones. God tells us that if two agree and ask for something in prayer, it will be done, and we’re going to joyfully take Him up on that. In the coming weeks we’ll also be doing an hour-long prayer livestream; check our Facebook page and Substack or our website for upcoming details on that. We’ll be offering up a selection of prayers centered around hope for those experiencing darkness and for those supporting them. If that sounds helpful to you, we’d love for you to join us. As always, if you have any feedback for our Two Hearts True Healing podcast episodes, blog articles, or overall ministry, you can email us at twoheartstruehealing@outlook.com or use our feedback form on our website. You can hop on there and check out some of our merchandise including the My Father’s Heart Bible Study. Lastly, over Christmastime we’ll be taking a break from Ignatian discernment to bring you two special episodes. On December 20th we will be airing an interview with Hannah Saeger, author of the children’s book God Made Me Good, and on January 3rd an episode titled Out of the Mouths of Babes where we’ll hear what children want us to know about God. May God bless you and remember: God is good all the time; all the time God is good!
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Hello! I am a writer and podcaster looking to make a difference in the world of faith and mental health. I believe in the power of God’s love and wish to help bring you closer to Him. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom of three beautiful girls. We enjoy the adventure of homeschooling and living on our small homestead in the country. Other things we enjoy together are the great outdoors and hanging out with friends and family. We are active in our parish and community. www.twoheartstruehealing.com
