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This handy, easy-to-use workbook is chock full of probing questions, real-life stories, and practical tips on how to apply the profound spiritual insights from the Ignatian tradition of patient, prayerful self-examination. Acclaimed interpreter of Saint Ignatius, author Father Gallagher provides clear explanations of the centuries-old Jesuit method of discerning God's will in one's life--and avoiding evil. A practical guide and journaling tool, it includes ample space on every page for notes, reflections, and journaling, all to help readers track their progress toward a closer, more loving union with God.
To navigate the inevitable ups and downs of our spiritual lives, countless souls have found comfort and guidance in St. Ignatius of Loyola���s Rules for Discernment. For the past forty years, popular retreat master and author Fr. Timothy Gallagher has been at the forefront of making St. Ignatius���s Rules understandable and applicable to hundreds of thousands of Catholics seeking greater sensitivity to the "movements��� of th
Satan is always at work breeding sadness and anxiety while providing obstacles that prevent souls from making spiritual progress. In this concise yet powerful book, author Dan Burke presents the venerable, time-tested wisdom of Catholic mystics to help you understand the influence of the Enemy on your mind and heart, and the tactics you need to combat him. With St. Ignatius as his guide, Burke presents here an indispensable, authoritative manual for engaging in daily battle with the Adversary—combat that is both inevitable and winnable. Burke will help you recognize the ebbs and flows of consolation and desolation, and distinguish between the voices of God and of Satan. Best of all, you'll come to see the spiritual life not as a science to be learned, but as an intuitive art to be practiced as you move with increasing success from habitual sin to sanctity. The battle for our souls is unavoidable. The saints won theirs by learning how to be spiritual warriors and by recognizing that we become stronger through battle and grow weaker from avoidance. With this book as your guide, you'll grow in strength and contentment as you learn: How to take captive every negative thought and make it obedient to Christ St. Ignatius's revelations exposing how the Devil seeks to influence us The Paradigm of Ascent and the Five Steps to Sanctity The three ways you can discern “Good Spirits” from “Bad Spirits” The three principal causes of desolation—and what you must do when it afflicts your soul Proven methods for moving away from sin and toward self-giving love of God and neighbor.
Trance states, prophesying, convulsions, fasting, and other physical manifestations were often regarded as signs that a person was seized by spirits. In a book that sets out the prehistory of the early modern European witch craze, Nancy Caciola shows how medieval people decided whom to venerate as a saint infused with the spirit of God and whom to avoid as a demoniac possessed of an unclean spirit. This process of discrimination, known as the discernment of spirits, was central to the religious culture of Western Europe between 1200 and 1500.Since the outward manifestations of benign and malign possession were indistinguishable, a highly ambiguous set of bodily features and behaviors were carefully scrutinized by observers. Attempts to make decisions about individuals who exhibited supernatural powers were complicated by the fact that the most intense exemplars of lay spirituality were women, and the "fragile sex" was deemed especially vulnerable to the snares of the devil. Assessments of women's spirit possessions often oscillated between divine and demonic interpretations. Ultimately, although a few late medieval women visionaries achieved the prestige of canonization, many more were accused of possession by demons.Caciola analyzes a broad array of sources from saints' lives to medical treatises, exorcists' manuals to miracle accounts, to find that observers came to rely on the discernment of bodies rather than seeking to distinguish between divine and demonic possession in purely spiritual terms.
The gift of discerning of spirits is a powerful weapon in the Christian's arsenal! When God calls us into ministry, He equips us. God has called all of us into spiritual warfare and spiritual battle. His Church will be a militant Church, and the "gates of hell shall not prevail against her." The weapons God supplies us with are not carnal or fleshly weapons, but spiritual ones, they are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." We are equipped by God for spiritual warfare through the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. God has said that these are the channels through which His power will flow, the avenues through which His Holy Spirit will operate. Chief among these gifts for the ministry of deliverance is the gift of discerning of spirits. We must rely upon the Holy Spirit for the ministry of deliverance and nothing else, not the arm of the flesh or the voice of demons. Frank Hammond explains the application of this gift to the believer, and provides examples of how it has worked in his own ministry. He concludes with a prayer of impartation for the reader to receive this gift and the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and faith.
2021 Illumination Book Awards, Gold Medal: Theology With decades of experience in spiritual direction, Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, knows how impactful the Ignatian discernment of spirits can be. With few practical resources available to help make these principles relevant to spiritual seekers, Thibodeaux crafted his own, which is now made available here in Ignatian Discernment of Spirits for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Care: Going Deeper. This rich resource meets the needs of spiritual directors and counselors by offering fresh insight into discernment through innovative approaches and applications for varied spiritual experiences and challenges. In Ignatian Discernment of Spirits, Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, provides ◗◗ A practical crash course on Ignatian discernment of spirits ◗◗ 12 innovative ideas about discernment, culled from his decades of experience as a Jesuit and a spiritual director ◗◗ A hands-on approach to discernment that accompanies people who are experiencing various spiritual states or movements ◗◗ An easy-to-use resource section that includes Scripture relating to the discernment of spirits
Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere? You may have the spiritual gift of discernment. The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance in prayer, and when ministering freedom to individuals. And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing. If you can relate to this, in this powerful 121-page booklet you will learn some straightforward principles to help you grow in your gift of discernment, overcome fear and spiritual attack, and exercise your gift in church life. In 'Unlocking the Gift of Discernment', you will discover: —Signs that you may have a discernment gift —How the highest use of discernment is to perceive what the Holy Spirit is doing —Ways that you can develop your gift —Keys to exercising the gift of discernment in church life —How to protect yourself from the negative effects than many discerners experience —How to overcome spiritual attack —And much more! In ‘Unlocking Your Gift Of Discernment,’ Helen shares practical insights that she has learned from her personal journey as a discerner and a prayer leader. This book is a powerful and essential tool to help you grow and use your gift of discernment. Chapter List: 1. Introducing the Spiritual Gift of Discernment 2. Signs You may have the Gift of Discernment 3. Your Heart as a Discerner 4. How to Grow Your Gift of Discernment 5. Ministry Areas that Benefit from the Discernment Gift 6. Tips on Exercising Discernment in Church Life 7. Focus on the Spirit, Feed on God's Word 8. Freedom from Fear of Evil 9. Protection for the Discerner 10. How to Overcome Spiritual Attack 11. Encounter God's Glory
"[Anderson] succeeds in neatly fitting together selected pieces of the history of discernment of spirits to provide a valuable, readable description of the contours of its evolution in the late Middle Ages." -- Debra L. Stoudt, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, The Medieval Review Late medieval Christians lived in a world of visions, but they knew that not all visions came from God: angels, demons, illness, nature, or passion could also inspire an apparent divine visitation. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the involvement of visionaries in everything from reform movements to military campaigns to papal schisms raised the political and spiritual stakes of determining whether or not a vision was truly from God. In response, a diverse group of medieval thinkers - including men and women, clergy and laity, visionaries and theologians - gradually began to transform the loose patristic readings of Pauline discretio spirituum into a system with the potential to distinguish between true and false visions and between genuine and delusional visionaries. Wendy Love Anderson chronicles the historical, political, and spiritual struggles behind the flowering of late medieval mysticism and what came to be seen as the Christian doctrine of discernment of spirits.
Christian worship in North America has undergone great change in recent years. But change always brings uncertainty -- at times even division -- about what constitutes "authentic worship." This important book reviews a wide variety of current perspectives and offers a fresh outlook on the contemporary practice of Christian worship. In order to provide the widest, most insightful discussion on present-day worship practices yet assembled, the authors gathered a team of church musicians, ministers, worship leaders, and educators from eight church traditions. Discerning the Spirits is the fruit of their work. Shaped by the wisdom of men and women like Marva Dawn, Justo Gonzalez, C. Michael Hawn, and John Witvliet, this book broadens today's "worship wars" into a bigger, richer discussion that moves from arguments over musical tastes to good thinking about the overall purpose of worship in relation to church life and God himself. Sidebar articles and quotes are meant to draw readers and study groups into dialogue on these issues. Whether one plays a leadership role in church worship or is simply grappling with questions about it, Discerning the Spirits is a must-read.