Discernment of Spirits Retreat:
14 Rules of St. Ignatius
Videos each day will be added here if you missed a day:
Friday Day 5
Thursday Day 4
Wednesday Day 3
Tuesday Day 2
Monday Day 1
St. Ignatius' 14 Rules of Discernment (his actual rules)
Fr. Timothy Gallagher's way of simplifying the rules
Examen prayer: (Google Images has great and various examples of this.)
Step 1: Transition: Become aware of God's love for you and presence with you...take a few deep breathes
Step 2: Gratitude: Bring to mind all that you are grateful for goods and challenges of this day. Being alive is a gift...all is a gift and helps us grow.
Step 3: Petition: Invite the Holy Spirit to help you review your day and learn of its insights...asking for the grace to make a good examen with the Lord in this moment.
Step 4: Review: With the Lord, I begin making an examen of my day...reviewing the spiritual stirrings of the heart, all that gave me life, joy, peace, energy, hopefulness, consolation, as well as all that gave me lack of peace, anxiety, fear, distress, heaviness, hopelessness, etc. What was God doing and showing me in all of this? Revisit the most vivid moments of spiritual movement, examining the beginning, middle, and end of the moments. What were the fruits good or bad of decisions that I made from some of the experiences.
Step 5: Forgiveness: Asking God to forgive the moments of which I noticed that I failed to say 'yes' to his promptings, following other promptings of the heart that weren't of God and that led me away from His Will.
Step 6: Renewal: Looking forward to the next day or next opportunity to make choices better with the spiritual knowledge I've gained from this Examen, I prepare for making better choices towards God's will.
Step 7: Thankfulness: A final prayer of gratitude for all that God has shown me through this Examen. I thank him for the insight and also the Love of which he's shown me in this time of prayer with him.
Kid & Teen Version of the Examen: TeachingCatholicKids.com / Becky Eldredge Examen for Teens
Lectio Divina (Meditation on the Scriptures, letting God have time to speak to you through his Word.)
Fr. Timothy Gallagher Website where you can find all of his books
Discerning Hearts Website for more Ignatian Discernment resources
Avila Institute for more formation in these spiritual practices.
St. Francis Retreat Center- Spiritual Direction Program
Creighton University Spiritual Direction Program
Discerning the Will of God Retreat with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Sept 25-27th
Don't forget the basic process of Spiritual discernment: #1 Be Aware, #2 Understand, #3 Act (accept/reject)