St. Ignatius' Story of Discernment

Discernment Between Two Goods

St. Ignatius' Story

Most of our decisions occur here—the choice between two goods.

There were only two books for him to read:

Ignatius, born 1491,

came from a wealthy Basque family in Spain.

The choice is not always clear when we have

two choices that are good.

Our question of discernment at this point becomes, “What is my greater ‘yes’?”

In a battle in Pamplona, Spain, in 1521,

a cannonball struck his leg causing serious injury.

Lives

of the Saints

The Life of

Christ

St. Ignatius'

Story of

Discernment

He was a soldier and a known womanizer.

Reading these books had a profound impact on his life.

The next right step may be

deciding to enter discernment.

Ignatius' recovery at his sister's castle was long and intense.

Often,

discernment involves asking, “What is next right step?”

Over time, answering this question over and over again,

we will come to know the larger question we are pondering.

For example ...

Or deciding to

gather information.

Or deciding to talk to

someone about the choices.

This retreat offers you opportunities

to be with God and to reflect on what the

“next right step” that God is inviting you to!

Ignatius' Discernment

Basic Principles of Discernment

Discernment of Spirits

Ignatius began to notice the difference within him as he allowed himself to daydream about his life.

God talks to us through feelings and emotions,

just as God spoke to

St. Ignatius in different ways when he dreamed about being a solider or following Christ.

When Ignatius daydreamed about being a soldier and pursuing women,

he noticed that his feelings of excitement and joy were short-lived.

Consolation

Desolation

The feelings that occur that are opposite of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Do I feel a decrease of faith, hope

and love?

The feelings that occur that match the fruits of the Holy Spirit:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, gentleness, faithfulness.

Do I feel an increase of faith, hope

and love?

St. Ignatius’ experience

is where the idea of the Discernment of Spirits comes from.

We will talk more in depth about the movements of the spirit within

our lives later

during this retreat,

but briefly…

St. Ignatius noticed that when he thought about remaining in a solider and continuing his life as he was, the feelings of contentment and peace were

short-lived.

St. Ignatius noticed that these fruits of the spirit stayed with him for a long time when he prayed about committing his life to Christ.

St. Ignatius refined this idea of discernment over the years of his life and he captured rules of discernment in the text of the Spiritual Exercises.

However, when Ignatius daydreamed about committing his life to Christ, going to Jerusalem, and living as the saints lived,

he noticed that the feelings of peace and joy lasted much longer.

The first set of rules

of discernment invites

a person to ask,

“Is my life oriented fully towards God or towards someone, or something, else?”

"When he thought of worldly matters, he found much delight; but after growing weary and dismissing them, he found that he was dry and unhappy. But when he thought of going barefoot to Jerusalem and eating nothing but herbs and of imitating the saints...he not only found consolation in these thoughts, but even after they had left him he remained happy and joyful." (A Pilgrim’s Journey: The Autobiography of St. Ignatius, p. 48)

The second set of rules of discernment occurs after a person has fully examined his or her life to determine if they are living a life

of faith or not.

These rules are about making a decision and choosing between two good options.