Jacinta: Hello and welcome to two hearts true healing. I am your host Jacinta Wick and with me is co-host Angela Stansell. This is season 4 The Battleground of the mind and the 14 rules of Saint Ignatius Rule 14. Strongholds the Achilles heel. We are nearing the end of our discussion on the rules of Saint Ignatius. The last three rules we have been discussing in depth the tactics of the enemy in metaphor. This episode we will talk about one last attempt of the enemy to overpower us. The weakest point…Angela can you read for us the rule?
Angela: Rule 14: “Likewise he conducts himself as a leader, intent upon conquering and robbing what he desires. For, just as a captain and leader of an army in the field, pitching his camp and exploring the fortifications and defenses of a stronghold, attacks it at the weakest point, in the same way the enemy of human nature, roving about, looks in turn at all our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and attempts to take us.”
In physics, an object is only as strong as its weakest point. An object is only as strong as its weakest point. This all comes down to the old adage “Know thyself,” because the enemy does too. I said to one of my kids the other day, “God knows more about you than you know about yourself, but the devil can too.” The facial response said something like, “I don’t think I like that.”
So, today I’m going to cover what demons can and can’t do, why it’s important to consider and prepare for what they will do, and how to prepare.
If you live a lifestyle that’s “without” rather than “within”, sort of skimming the surface and not reflecting or praying much, this makes spiritual battle really difficult for you and really easy for the enemy. While heaven can hear our mental prayers, which are those thoughts that we intend for spiritual communication, demons cannot read our thoughts. However, these are not beings with which you’d want to try your hand at poker. While they don’t know the exact state of your soul and they can only guess what you’re thinking, they’re very intuitive. They have thousands of years of experience reading human behavior, and they have nothing better to do. They can deduce what’s going on inside of you fairly accurately.
I don’t say this to incite fear– God has the whole world in His hands– but just to encourage you to take responsibility for your interior life through the use of your own free will. God cannot force you to put in the time and effort to know yourself, know your enemy, or take appropriate action. And the whole reason we want to take action isn’t merely to avoid Hell but to be free to embrace our Father in heaven and to encourage others to do the same.
He attacks our weak points (the enemy) and so we can prepare wisely, reducing the damage done and even avoiding it completely. Ignatius implies in this rule that we need to strengthen our weak points. This is a way of living, a refining step in discernment of spirits, not a “one-and-done” event. It’s one way to illustrate how we are “working out our own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). I don’t mean to encourage scruples– just a humility that doesn’t assume salvation and a patience that accepts “the long haul.” The door to Heaven is opened at Baptism, and we spend the rest of our lives deciding daily if we will walk through it.
This goes back to rule 13 a bit where we need to talk to the right sort of spiritual person for counsel. Someone who understands the tactics of the enemy can usually also help you look at the theological, cardinal, and moral virtues, learn about your weaknesses, and suggest different things to help with them. St. Paul says, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” How? God allows these attacks so that we do something about the places where we lack virtue. He is always waiting to extend His graces to us, but much of the time He waits until we see that we need them and ask for them.
He’s not a vending machine, impersonally helping us to everlasting life. No. Heaven is where we experience the Beatific Vision, where we stand before the face of God in a completed and perfected state. We are made for an eternal relationship, and the things we need to do to get there are done through and in relationship as well. So we examine where we lack virtue, ask for that virtue, accept that grace, and practice and employ that virtue. We seek to walk in the light of God, loving and serving Him and neighbor. Along the way we will meet times of desolation and temptation, but those are purposeful, because they help us see what our next step of training is as soldiers of Christ. We’re “running the race” with Heaven cheering us on, and we’re running alongside our Christian brothers and sisters in fellowship, helping and being helped.
This season, we’ve been walking through the Ignatian rules for discernment with a book written by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, titled Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living. In his chapter on rule 14, he has a few examples of people who are working on identifying and strengthening their spiritual weaknesses, because the things that bring about desolation are different from one person to the next.
One example deals with a person who has a tendency to overwork herself. Fr. Gallagher doesn’t necessarily focus on naming a virtue that is lacking, but rather on taking time to reflect and pray so as to uncover the pattern that leads to, in this case, being overworked to the point of spiritual desolation. We’ve mentioned this in other episodes– while Christianity is truly a radical lifestyle, we only embrace an extreme if we’ve discerned it is willed by God. I often tell my kids, especially when they’re really young: “Too much is not good.” It’s true here.
Another example from Discernment of Spirits highlights how temperament and virtue are related. The person’s emotional reactivity is easy to exploit. She is just as easily filled with happiness and excitement as she is with discouragement and fear. Every temperament has aspects of it that can be exploited. No one gets off the hook, there. Maybe you’re really good at charging forward and getting things done, but you lack patience when things aren’t going the way you’d like. Maybe you’re super fun-loving and good at cheering people up, but then lack a bit of prudence when it’s time to get something done. Maybe others tell you you’re a great mediator, yet you know there are times when you people-please instead of standing up for what’s right. Or, maybe you feel your emotions very deeply and are capable of great compassion, but you have a really hard time letting go of something that happened decades ago. What I’m pulling from here is the theory of the four humors, choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, and melancholic.
Fr. Gallagher’s next example is a person who, like all the others, genuinely wants to serve God and live well in Christian community, but, as the saying goes, “has a problem with authority”. This person too needs to pray and reflect on where this is coming from and do so with a spiritual person.
Lastly, from p. 181, there is a well-worded description of what coming out of desolation can be like, gaining hindsight. The person says, “What I can see now is that the core of the difficulty was the same old problem– dressed up a bit differently perhaps but still the same– of doubting God’s love for me with all morass of negativity that brings with it.”
He wraps up the chapter with some helpful questions. I think these are good questions especially when preparing for Lent. These start on p. 182, and I’m going to add numbers to them:
- Is there some situation that frequently discourages me? That frequently strips me of my spiritual energy?
- Are there circumstances in which I often become afraid? Become worn out? In which I feel spiritually helpless?
- Is there one recurring way in which I find myself spiritually weakened?
- Does one thing seem to diminish most my energy to love and serve others?
- Is there something that habitually disheartens me in prayer? That causes me to doubt God’s love for me?
- Is there a repeating pattern of these experiences?
I’ll leave you with a quote from p. 183 of the book: “Ignatius teaches very simply and and powerfully that the enemy’s power never was more than a facade; it will crumble before us. With wonder like Paul, we will say: ‘I can do all things in Him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13)…Ignatius’s entire teaching on discernment of spirits is charged with hope. The final three rules once more convey that uplifting and energizing message.”
Jacinta: In our weakest point, we can also find our strongest point. The enemy likes to try and attack us where we can give him the least resistance. This only makes sense. He wants to deface the building in a way that will not be seen or detected or resisted. But this is where God’s power can most assist us. Once we have been made AWARE then we can do something. This military tactic can be applied to the enemy’s defeat.
He likes if we keep quiet. He likes if we don’t resist. And finally he likes when he can catch us unawares. But you know what? He thinks he has us but the moment we apply ourselves he goes, “oh there is a defense here. Nevermind!” And flees. He is very weak and for us the victory has been won if we cooperate with Grace.
Philippians says Put your mind to the things above. And goes on to say…”Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:6-8
This is of course implying a work in progress. Taking each thought captive and directing it to the truth. And then a step farther and living it. We can’t just sit by. We have to plan in time of peace what to do when the hinges start coming off. We circle the wall to find the weak point. We don’t distract ourselves or escape to keep from listening and deaden ourselves but meet our trials head on by seeking truth by filling ourselves with excellence and justice. We have to be gracious to ourselves and to others.
Our first line of defense is keeping to that daily time of prayer and encounter and offering. This scripture mentions three things. Prayer Supplication and Thanksgiving. This trifecta is pretty powerful. St. Ignatius says in earlier rules something pretty similar with prayer being first and fasting and study/examination. This brings a peace out of this world.Sometimes it can get a little exhausting to look at all these trials and get a little too focused on the work/deed versus the person. The why and where and not just the how. Where do we turn our attention then?
To the things above. St. Paul says again in the letter to the Romans, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God;* for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning with labor pains together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because* the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” – Romans 8:18-27
So our weakness can become our strength. That doesn’t mean it will. That depends on our response. Waiting is hard. Suffering hurts. As humans we don’t want it…that’s just the human experience…but can find peace and fulfillment in it. Not by avoiding it. Not by burying it. But embracing it. Facing it squarely by the methods we are learning and putting up a solid attempt at going the opposite direction the enemy suggests to us. Engagement. Surrender to the act of Providence and slow cooperation with grace…We can’t change overnight. We usually marinate slowly. But God can do anything. We just need to open ourselves to His grace and goodness and see with wonder where HE heals. This takes patience, awareness, action, faith, hope, love, and cooperation. Oftentimes it is different than what we expect and all the time He brings goodness.
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Resources:
https://catholicnovenaapp.com/novenas/surrender-novena
You’re Missing God in Plain Sight | LITTLE BY LITTLE | Fr Columba Jordan CFR