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Back to Podcast EpisodesSD3 – Insights into Rules 10 through 14 – Spiritual Desolation: Be Aware, Understand, Take Action with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Insights into Rules 10 through 14 – Spiritual Desolation: Be Aware, Understand, Take Action with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor explore St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Rules 10–14. Fr. Gallagher explains how times of consolation are opportunities not only to rejoice in God’s grace but also to gather strength for inevitable periods of desolation, much like Joseph storing grain for famine. Rule 11 invites humility in consolation and trust in God’s power during desolation, helping us avoid overconfidence when prayer feels easy or despair when it feels dry. Such experiences, though painful, can become occasions for deeper prayer and growth. Desolation itself is never from God but permitted in His providence so that, with grace, we may resist discouragement and grow in freedom.
The later rules shift toward understanding temptation. Rule 12 counsels resisting temptation immediately, before it grows overwhelming, while Rule 13 warns against secrecy and highlights the freedom that comes from sharing struggles with a wise confessor or spiritual companion. Rule 14 addresses our most vulnerable points, urging self-knowledge so that weakness can become strength through grace. Fr. Gallagher ties this teaching to a broader message of Christian hope, drawing on Scripture, St. John Paul II, and even Tolkien to show that God’s redemption always surpasses evil. We need to seek accompaniment, cultivate awareness of God’s presence in daily life, and live with humility and trust, becoming agents of renewal through the quiet witness of a discerning life.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
- In a season of consolation, how can I “store grain” for the next famine through concrete habits of prayer and virtue?
- Where might I be overextending myself when things feel easy, and what humble limit would keep me steady?
- When desolation returns, what is one truth about God I will cling to first?
- What small, practical action can I take today that contradicts a tempting thought at its very beginning?
- Which recurring fear or shame do I still keep hidden, and whom could I safely tell this week (confessor or trusted guide)?
- What is the weakest point in my “castle walls,” and what grace-building practice will I place there?
- How has the Lord recently shown me His nearness, and how will I remember it when prayer feels dry?
- When I notice spiritual heaviness, what change in routine will I avoid making until light returns?
- How will I practice the daily Examen to notice God’s movements and the enemy’s suggestions?
- What hope from Scripture can I memorize now to pray in dark hours?