Episode Details

Episode 1 – Introduction – The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to a Greater Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

In this opening episode of The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, Fr. Timothy Gallagher reviews the foundation of the First Week Rules. He returns to the basic pattern of discernment: be aware, understand, and take action. He also revisits spiritual consolation and desolation, along with the practical rules that help us receive what is of God and reject the discouraging lies of the enemy.

Fr. Gallagher then turns to a new and more subtle challenge. In the life of St. Ignatius, genuine spiritual consolation and good, holy thoughts sometimes appeared at the wrong time. At Manresa, consoling spiritual illuminations interfered with needed sleep. Later, in Barcelona, similar consolations distracted Ignatius from the Latin studies required for priesthood.

These experiences opened Ignatius to a deeper level of discernment. A thought can be good in itself and still lead in the wrong direction. The Second Week Rules help us look not only at the apparent goodness of a spiritual movement, but also at where it leads and what its consequences will be. This episode prepares the way for the eight rules that guide this greater discernment.

Discerning Hearts Questions for Reflection and Study

Personal Reflection

1. How well can you recognize spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation in your own experience?
2. When a thought or spiritual experience seems good, do you also consider where it is leading you?
3. Can you recall a time when something good distracted you from something God was actually asking of you?
4. What do Ignatius’s experiences with sleep and his Latin studies teach you about looking at the consequences of spiritual movements?
5. How might the practice of being aware, understanding, and taking action deepen your discernment?