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Back to Podcast EpisodesDWG8 – Two Modes of Discernment – The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Two Modes of Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues his teaching on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s three modes of discernment, focusing here on the first and second modes. The first mode is a clarity beyond doubting, in which a person receives an unmistakable certainty about God’s will that cannot be shaken. This is illustrated through vocation stories. Such clarity may arise suddenly or gradually, but remains stable over time. It’s important in confirming this kind of clarity with a wise spiritual guide, especially when the decision involves major life commitments, so that discernment is not carried out in isolation.
When such unmistakable clarity does not occur, St. Ignatius proposes a second mode of discernment, which unfolds through attention to spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation. Father Gallagher explains consolation as interior movements of joy, peace, love of God, and renewed faith, hope, and charity, often accompanied by a sense of God’s closeness. Desolation, by contrast, involves heaviness, confusion, discouragement, and a pull away from spiritual life. Over time, by noticing consistent patterns—how consolation draws the heart toward one option and desolation pushes against it—a person can gain sufficient clarity about God’s direction. Father Gallagher illustrates this with St. Ignatius’s own discernment about poverty in the Jesuits, showing how repeated experiences of consolation consistently pointed him toward one choice, forming the basis of a sound decision.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
- Where in my life have I experienced a clarity that seemed steady and peaceful, and how did I respond to it?
- Am I currently facing a decision that invites me to seek God’s will through prayer, the sacraments, and wise counsel?
- How do I recognize moments of spiritual consolation in my daily prayer and ordinary activities?
- What patterns of heaviness, discouragement, or confusion have I noticed that may indicate spiritual desolation?
- When I experience interior joy and peace, which choices seem to draw my heart more deeply toward God?
- How do I typically react during times of spiritual dryness, and do those reactions help or hinder my openness to God?
- In what ways might keeping track of consolation and desolation over time bring greater clarity to an important decision?
- Who is a spiritually wise person I can turn to for guidance when discerning significant choices in my life?
Published on 1 week, 3 days ago