Posts tagged as:

consolation

Discernment and Liking Something

by Jim Manney

Matthew Spotts, SJ, didn’t particularly “like” his four-month stint working on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, yet he thought it was what God wanted him to do. He writes, “discernment, is far, far more complicated than figuring out what makes us happy on a superficial level, figuring what we ‘like.’” Liking or [...]

{ 0 comments }

The Long Ride

by Tim Muldoon

I do some of my best thinking and praying while running or biking.  This morning I considered how biking hills is not a bad analogy to the discernment of consolation and desolation in the spiritual life.  Here’s the idea. Coming to the beginning of a long upward climb can be a daunting experience.  You see [...]

{ 1 comment }

Slumps and Winning Streaks

by Jim Manney

Psychologists study a phenomenon called “disregard of regression toward the mean.” This is our tendency to expect that extreme performance will continue. It’s a common mistake. I’ve had a string of good days lately. Writing comes easily, ideas flow, I’ve had a lot of fun with my family and friends. I feel great. Meanwhile, my [...]

{ 1 comment }

Consolation, Desolation, and Feelings

by Jim Manney

Consolation and desolation are key ideas in Ignatian discernment, and they are not easy to understand.  Abbot Joseph has a good post about the nuances. Even for those who are serious about the spiritual life, it is good to make the distinction between subjective feelings and objective reality when trying to discern one’s spiritual state [...]

{ 1 comment }

Best Ignatian Songs: Ripple

by Jim Manney

This week’s song selection is “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead.  It was recommended by John Montag, SJ, who wrote on the Ignatian Spirituality Facebook page that the chorus of the song aptly describes “consolation without cause.” “Consolation without cause” is a sense of peace and joy that suddenly appears without a reason.  Most of our [...]

{ 0 comments }