Inspiring Ignatian Quote #16
Well, great! As if the decision/discernment process isn’t difficult enough?!?! This is precisely why it is so important to have a Spiritual Director or guide to help you with these matters which can be very confusing. Only with practice, patience and persistence, can one truly know and recognize the voice of the One they need to listen to. It requires becoming aware of how you react to certain situations and what are lingering feelings, thoughts, emotions . . . all factors in helping you decide who is prompting you.
When I was young I remember being taught to imagine that we had a little angel sitting on one shoulder and a little devil on the other. The angel always led us to do good, while the devil tempted us to do bad. Things seemed much more black/white back then . . . and, you had role models who did just that . . . modeled for you what was good and what was bad and what were the consequences of both actions. Life lessons were learned the hard way, more often than not. It became apparent which was the voice that was continually getting us into trouble and which voice was leading us to rewarding behavior. Unfortunately, many of us lack good role models . . . elders who model good. And, that is very sad.
Many who were raised with good modeling, found out that life isn’t always fair to the ‘goody-two-shoes’ and that by little white lies and/or lies of omission, things didn’t seem so bad? So, that in turn, is what they have taught subsequent generations. In these days, it’s hard to see that there are any civil consequences to evil behavior and that can be very challenging!
A bit of a read into C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” can be a real eye-opener. While it was banned while I was growing up, I’m grateful the church came to its senses and realized how vital this book is for every human being on the planet. I suggest it should be required reading for anyone old enough to read, beyond the age of reason!
In this book, ‘Uncle Screwtape’ (a senior devil) describes his method of training his young nephew, Wormwood, to become a devil. Through letters to Wormwood, Screwtape offers advice to help his young apprentice learn to lead humans (patients) astray. He refers to God, as the Enemy (which is one reason the church likely had issues with it until they actually read it through and saw the clever wisdom!!!) But, Lewis really captures the insidiousness and deceptiveness of the Evil One, the true Enemy! One might wonder how in the world we are truly not torn in half for the sheer madness of it all. Good versus Evil is a real and daily battle. But, thankfully St. Ignatius gives us the weapons to fight the battle, the good fight, and how to do good by making good choices! Beware of self-doubt. Try to recognize it’s source . . . Good or Evil and respond appropriately.