Profound peace, spiritual consolation, love of God and love of all things in God, this is the sign that you are on the right path (Pope Francis)
AIM: To enable participants to identify spiritual consolation and its characteristics
Our Intention: Participants will become aware of . . . . .
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Have an initial understanding of the importance of spiritual consolation in relationship to discernment
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Begin to identify the characteristics of spiritual consolation and its movement
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Become alert to the ’fruits’ of spiritual consolation
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Become familiar with the Ignatian guidelines of spiritual consolation (Wk 1, Rules 3, 10 and 11)
PROGRAMME:
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Welcome and Stilling
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Reflect and share on last Session
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Introduction – Context on discernment
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Individual Prayer with Journal
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BREAK
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Characteristics of being Close to/in Harmony with God
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The Fruits of the Spiritual Consolation
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Ignatius Guidelines on Spiritual Consolation
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Closure
Focus on one (or more) experiences in which you were aware of God’s closeness.
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Recall the experience, noticing key elements about it.
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Imagine yourself back into it . . . re-live it, noticing the who, what, where, when etc.
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What feelings were around at the time, and as you think about it now?
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Dialogue with God about it, using a colloquy.
a. Fruits of Spiritual Consolation
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How did the experiences affect you? What impact did they have on you? Did they touch your relationship with God, your self-awareness, the way you live? Did they lead to anything?
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Did you treasure them? As you reflected on them this evening, have you had any additional insights?
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How might you treasure them? Why treasure them?
b. Ignatius’ Guidelines on Spiritual Consolation (Summary)
Set 1/3: Spiritual consolation is when a person is aroused by an interior movement in the soul which causes it to catch fire with love for its Creator and God . . .
Set 1/10 When we are in consolation it is good to reflect, to draw strength for future times
Set 1/11 In consolation be humble . . .
c. Discernment of Spirits (1)
d. Consolation
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directs our focus outside and beyond ourselves;
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lifts our hearts so that we can see the joys and sorrows of other people;
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binds us more closely to our human community;
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generates new inspiration and ideas;
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restores balance and refreshes our inner vision;
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shows us where God is active in our lives and where he is leading us;
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releases new energy in us.
Rule/Guideline 3: Identifying Spiritual Consolation
Spiritual Consolation is when a person is aroused by an interior movement in the soul which causes it to catch fire with love for its Creator and God.
Note:
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An interior movement in the soul… is about what’s going on inside of us, in our head, in our emotions or felt in our body. So it could be thoughts, imaginings, emotions, inclinations, desires, feelings, repulsions, or attractions.
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It is consolation when these movements in our soul lead us to experience a deep connectedness to God, perhaps a vivid sense of love for God or being loved by God, a great desire or zeal to offer oneself to God in love, or beginning to see everything and everyone in the context of God’s love.
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Sometimes there is deep spiritual consolation in tears, even in feeling sad, tears of release when we know God’s forgiveness, tears when we connect with the passion and death of the innocent Jesus, tears when are able to see the suffering and pain in the world as God sees it.
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Consolation can be a lively desire to see God’s love and justice in the world, when our life of faith, hope and love is so strengthened and emboldened that the joy of serving God is foremost in our life. Ignatius calls consolation any increase of hope, faith and charity. He also calls it “Interior joy” – which is not the same as feeling good, but perhaps a deep-down peace from just “being in my Father’s house.”
(See below: The difference between Spiritual Consolation and “feeling good”)
Rule/Guideline 10:
What to Do in Consolation
When we are in consolation it is good to reflect, to draw strength for future times.
The key element of this guideline is at least to notice or to pay attention to the times when we are enjoying consolation, and to be thankful. Reflection as to the circumstances or the gifts or the time might also guide us for the future in helping us know what it is that draws us closer to God and what has the opposite effect. A time of consolation can be a time of real strengthening or maturing.
Rule/Guideline 11:
How to receive Consolation
In consolation be humble….
When we are really connected with God, we are not interested in getting praise or compliments or credit for what we are or what we do. It is enough to be close to the Lord. Think of those people we recognize as truly godly, are they not also truly humble?
From Inner Compass: an invitation to Ignatian spirituality by Margaret Silf
It isn’t always obvious that there is a difference between experiencing spiritual consolation and simply feeling good, or between finding oneself in spiritual desolation and simply feeling low. The effects can be very similar, but in fact the source is quite different.
To understand this fundamental difference, we really do need to notice the direction of our attention as we go through the experience. The feel-good factor, as cultivated by politicians in particular, and its counterpart of feeling low, is intrinsically focused on ourselves. Things happen in our own kingdoms that trigger these ups and downs. In national terms, a reduction in taxation, for example, is supposed to lift our hearts. At home, a family row can pitch us into the depths. If we could see the way our feelings are directed, we would notice that they are pointing in toward ourselves and the satisfaction or disruption of our own personal worlds. This is completely natural, of course, and it is part of what makes us human. However, it can very easily, as we know, be deliberately manipulated, or affected by such things as our changing body chemistry or how well we slept last night.
These swings are not at all the same thing as spiritual consolation or desolation.
And the difference seems to lie in the focus of the experience. Spiritual consolation is experienced when our hearts are drawn toward God, even if this happens in circumstances that the world would regard as negative. It is a signal that our hearts, at least for that moment, are beating in harmony with the heart of God. Consolation is the experience of this deep connectedness to God, and it fills our being with a sense of peace and joy. The epicenter of the experience lies in God and not in ourselves.
Recalling the experience of Spiritual Consolation, the groups noticed the following key feelings surrounding the characteristics and description of the feeling/s (to be posted after the Wednesday Session)
Characteristics of being close to/in Harmony with God as Fruits of Spiritual Consolation – Contemplate on the following:
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How did the experiences affect you? What impact did they have on you? Did they touch your relationship with God, your self-awareness, the way you live? Did they lead to anything?
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Did you treasure them? As you reflected on them, have you had any additional insights?
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How might you treasure them? Why treasure them?
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The holy One, is here;
Come bow before him now
With reverence and fear
In him no sin is found
We stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The holy One, is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
With splendour he is crowned:
How awesome is the sight
Our radiant king of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place:
He comes to cleanse and heal,
To minister his grace –
No work too hard for him.
In faith receive from him.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place.
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Complete any unfinished parts of what we did in the session.
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Read Barry’s article, Does God Communicate with Me?
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Read the following ‘call’ passages in scripture and consider: What features of consolation are present in these “calls”?
Jeremiah 4: 1-10 (Call of Jeremiah)
Isaiah 6: 1-13 (Call of Isaiah)
LINK: S13 Does God Communicate with Me?