Slides from an all-day retreat for the Benedictine Oblates of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota. Using the tools of Ignatian discernment, but adapting them to Benedictine spirituality. http://duluthoblates.org

1. Discernment as
a Way of Life
Sister Edith Bogue
Duluth Benedictine Oblates
14 April 2018

2. Horarium
• Check-in
• Opening Prayer
• Discernment: what is it?
• Discernment of Spirits
• Dialogue
• Lunch – the day’s manual labor
• Prepare for lunch
• Lunch
• Clean-up
• Discernment of actions
• Dialogue
• Closing Prayer

3. Help me today to realize that you will be speaking to me
through the events of the day, through people,
through things, and through creation.
Give me ears, eyes and heart to perceive you,
however veiled your presence may be.
Give me insight to see through
the exterior of things
to the interior truth.
Give me your Spirit of discernment.
O Lord, you know how busy I must be this day.
If I forget you, do not forget me.
Jacob Astley (1579-1652)

4. Discernment:
What is happening?

5. Learning
Discernment
“When I first engaged in this interior
work, I underestimated the effort entailed.
I didn’t take up the edges that words like
“combat” and “athlete” connote. … I
thought those military words were not
necessary… The trick is to be focused and
ready like a warrior or a world-class
athlete, but at the same time be meek and
docile like a fawn at daybreak.”
Margaret Funk, OSB in Discernment Matters, Ch 1.

6. When did
discernment
begin?
• Psalm 119:125
I am your servant; give me discernment,
that I may understand your statutes.
• Job’s dilemma:
Discerning his deeds and God’s will
• John the Baptist:
“Is this the Messiah or do I wait…?”
• Paul in Philippians 1:9-10
“…that your love may abound more and
more in knowledge and depth of
insight, so that you may be able to
discern what is best and may be pure and
blameless for the day of Christ…”

7. Monastic
Tradition
• Central aspect of desert spirituality
• Praying scripture to learn to see with
God’s eyes and perspective
• The Desert Abbas and Ammas, trained
and focused, could “give a word” to those
who sought guidance because they were
able to discern their spiritual issue.
• Cenobitic monasteries continue prayer
and silence, but also the discernment
that comes from living in community.
• The abbot/prioress’ discernment

8. Benedict’s School of the Lord's Service (Prologue 45-50)
•Planful. Intentional.
•Progression so that later
work builds on first.
•Guidance, someone who
has a watchful eye.
•Those who follow the plan
can reach the goal.Photo by Capturing the human heart. on Unsplash

9. Where do we start? By seeing where we are.
• Listen for the call.
("If today you hear…")
• Learn to observe the motions of
your heart, the “stirrings of the
spirit,” within you.
• Keep track of the result, the
outcome: are you drawn closer
to God, or more distant?
Photo by John Baker on Unsplash

10. Discernment
of Spirits

11. St. Ignatius
of Loyola
Studied and gave a set
of guidelines
• “Still there was this difference: that when
he was thinking about that worldly stuff
he would take much delight, but when he
left it aside after getting tired, he felt
dry and discontented.
• But when about not eating except herbs,
and about doing all the other rigours he
was seeing the saints had done, not only
used he to be consoled while in such
thoughts,but he would remain content
and happy even after having left them
aside.
(The pilgrim’s story, nr 8)

12. First process of
Discernment of
Spirits
• Discernment of spirits = discernment of interior
movements. These spirits include:
• thoughts
• imaginings
• emotions
• inclinations
• desires
• feelings
• repulsions
• attractions
• Discernment means being sensitive to these
movements, reflecting on them, understanding
where they come from and where they lead us.
• http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/discernment-of-
spirits/#sthash.BR0e4uez.dpuf

13. Three step
process
1. Be aware of interior movements
2. Understand the source and
direction of those interior
movements
3. Take action to work with or
counteract the source
Timothy Gallagher, Discernment of Spirits, p. 17-26

14. “Consolation”
•directs our focus beyond ourselves
•lifts our hearts so we feel empathy
with other people
•bonds us more closely to our human
community
•generates new inspiration and ideas
•restores balance and refreshes our
wider vision
•releases new energy in us
from The Inner Compass by Margaret Silf

15. “Desolation”
•turns us in on ourselves
•drives us deeper into our own
negative feelings
•cuts us off from community
•makes us want to give up on
•takes over our whole consciousness
•drains us of energy
from The Inner Compass by Margaret Silf

16. Three step
process
1. Be aware of interior movements
2. Understand the source and
direction of those interior
movements
3. Take action to work with or
counteract the source
Timothy Gallagher, Discernment of Spirits, p. 17-26

17. “Good spirit”
•The “good spirit” in an inclusive
sense:
•Angelic beings
•Communion of saints
•Grace
•Tendencies within us that draw
us to God
•Influences in the world that
lead us to God

18. “The Enemy”
The “Enemy” of our spiritual progress is any force working
against God, natural or “diabolical.”
• An angelic being
• The “adversary”
• The “father of lies”
Our tendency to egoism
• Disordered desires
• Our own wounding from life
• The weakness inherent in our humanity
The world around us
• Society
• Culture
The desert abbas and Ignatius tell us that we should
expect resistance from these when we seek to grow close
to God. Lived monastic experience confirms it.

19. Finding the Thoughts
The ancient monks of the desert prayed intently, and
watched the course of their prayer life.
They found that, long before an action that moved
away from God, a thought was the seed. They
determined to learn the patterns.
The THOUGHTS are “afflictive” – if allowed to
continue, they take over and lead to misery and
eventually sin.

20. Journal
Reflect
Pray

21. Discernment
of Spirits

22. Three step
process
1. Be aware of interior movements
2. Understand the source and
direction of those interior
movements
3. Take action to work with or
counteract the source
Timothy Gallagher, Discernment of Spirits, p. 17-26

23. Learning
Discernment
“Thoughts are the heart of
discernment. We can sort them
according to content (8 deadly
thoughts) … by seeing the stage of
their rising and clustering … by
looking at their sources, directions
and ‘spirits’ … according to
frequency and persistence.”
Margaret Funk, OSB in Discernment Matters, Ch 1.

24. What actions do
we take?
• Rule 5: When in desolation, do not change a
decision that was made while in consolation, and
do not make any new decisions.
= Benedictine STABILITY
• Rule 6: When in desolation, fight against what is
causing the signs of desolation. You can intensify
prayer, do works of charity or examine yourself
to discover what inside is responding to the
Enemy.
= Benedictine HUMILITY
• Rule 8: Patience helps us bear the frustrations or
dryness of desolation. Remember that God will
offer consolation, & take action as in rule 6
= Benedictine STABILITY and OBEDIENCE
See handout

25. LUNCH PREP
•The daily manual labor
•Slice tomatoes
•Wash and prep lettuce
•Set out meats, cheeses for serving
•Put chips etc into bowls
•Set out cupcakes for desert
•Set out plates, cutlery, napkins
•Put chickpea salad (spicy) into
serving bowl
•When all is ready, pray Grace

26. CLEAN UP
•The daily manual labor
•Put leftover food back into its
containers or wrap
•Put any waste into trash
•Wash dishes
•Dry dishes
•Put dishes away
•Wipe tables
•When all is finished, smile

27. Discernment
of Choices

28. Preparation
for Choices
•Draws on the discernment of spirits
•First, be aware of your movement
and your state.
•We already know that choosing
while in desolation is unwise; seek
to move out of the desolation first.
•Discernment of choices can use the
same three steps, but in a
different way

29. Three steps + One
1. Be aware of the options. State
each of them clearly and with
specificity.
2. Understand the options.
• Gather information as needed.
• Consider consequences and side effects
• Explore feelings and relationships
• Try to remain balanced between them
• Seek input from trusted others.
3. Make a choice for one
4. Notice the results of making that
choice in your emotions, actions,
and spiritual life. Verify or question.

30. “Is there anything more
painful than realizing
you did not know the
right questions to ask at
the only time on earth
you would have the
opportunity to do so.”
Alice Walker:
The way Forward is with a Broken Heart.

31. Look at choices
to understand
not only the
external reality
but the feelings
and movement it
elicits in your
own heart.

32. Journal / Reflection

33. Faults, Errors, Correction
• The process of understanding
the thoughts includes the
willingness to manifest them.
• When the thoughts are
revealed, the distractor loses
power, and the person can
be healed.
• Spiritual direction and
confession are both modern-
day aspects of this practice.
33

34. “Is there something
about sharing the secret
of one’s heart with
another person...which
liberates in a way that
solitary confession in
prayer does not?”
Stewart, Columba, The Desert Fathers on
Radical Self-Honesty in Vox Benedictina: A
Journal of Translations from Monastic Sources
8/1 (1991):

35. DANGER:
SPIRITUAL
BYPASSING
Spiritual bypassing is the use of spiritual
practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with our
painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and
developmental needs.
“We have an astonishing ability to fool
ourselves, and an equally astonishing ability to
cut through what’s in the way of seeing more
clearly... However unwittingly or unconsciously,
we invite in circumstances that bring our
dissatisfaction to such a peak ... that something
has to give, providing us with whatever rough
grace is needed.”
– Robert Augustus Masters

36. Manifestation of Thoughts
• We may lack awareness &
vocabulary for our inner lives
– we rarely talk about them.
• We may have trouble trusting
others, or there may not be a
trustworthy person.
• We may be afraid of being
challenged to change.
• We may fear losing the respect
of the other person.

37. Love and Loving
After ascending all these steps of
humility, one will arrive at that
perfect love of God that casts out
fear. Through this love, all that
was once performed with dread,
will now be observed without
effort, as though naturally, from
habit ... out of love for Christ.
RB 7.67-68

38. • The anchor of self-love and self-
will has been removed.
• The obstacles of difficulties with
others have been removed.
• Acceptance brings openness to
God’s love.

39. There is a wicked
zeal of bitterness
which separates
from God and
leads to hell
There is a good
zeal which
separates from evil
and leads to God
and eternal life.
RB 72.1-2

40. "Prefer nothing
whatever to Christ,
and may he bring
us all together into
everlasting life"

41. “Finally, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable, if
there is any excellence and if
there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these
things.”
Philippians 4:8

42. MIDDAY PRAYER

43. Discernment as
a Way of Life
Sister Edith Bogue
Duluth Benedictine Oblates
14 April 2018