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Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits
Satan is always at work breeding sadness and anxiety while providing obstacles that prevent souls from making spiritual progress. In this concise yet powerful book, author Dan Burke presents the venerable, time-tested wisdom of Catholic mystics to help you understand the influence of the Enemy on your mind and heart, and the tactics you need to combat him.With St. Ignatius as his guide, Burke presents here an indispensable, authoritative manual for engaging in daily battle with the Adversary—combat that is both inevitable and winnable. Burke will help you recognize the ebbs and flows of consolation and desolation, and distinguish between the voices of God and of Satan. Best of all, you'll come to see the spiritual life not as a science to be learned, but as an intuitive art to be practiced as you move with increasing success from habitual sin to sanctity.The battle for our souls is unavoidable. The saints won theirs by learning how to be spiritual warriors and by recognizing that we become stronger through battle and grow weaker from avoidance. With this book as your guide, you'll grow in strength and contentment as you to take captive every negative thought and make it obedient to ChristSt. Ignatius's revelations exposing how the Devil seeks to influence usThe Paradigm of Ascent and the Five Steps to SanctityThe three ways you can discern “Good Spirits” from “Bad Spirits”The three principal causes of desolation—and what you must do when it afflicts your soulProven methods for moving away from sin and toward self-giving love of God and neighbor.
99 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2020
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January 18, 2020
If you only read one Catholic book this year outside your bible, make it this volume. I am very serious in that statement, and do not make it lightly. Last year I read almost 400 books, 194 were non-fiction, and almost 185 were Catholic books. And This book Is a book that I honestly believe every Catholic, every Christian should read, and will benefit from reading. A few years ago, I read Into the Deep, by Burke. When I finished it, I researched his other titles and planned to get around to reading them. This book has reinforced that desire. When I finish reading a book I usually give it away if it is a physical book, and if an eBook remove it from my devices. I did not do that this time. I know I will reread this book. Likely very soon. I guarantee that this book will have a deep and lasting impact on your life.
The chapters in this volume are:
Foreword, by Fr. William Watson, S.J., D.Min.
Preface (and a Promise)
Introduction: Out of the Darkness
Counterfeit Remedies
An Invitation to Healing
Foundations for Discernment and Navigating the Path of Peace
The Voice of the Devil — The Voice of God
Rules for Discernment of Spirits
Rule #1: For Those Moving from Mortal Sin to Mortal Sin
Rule #2: For Those Moving from Good to Better
Rule #3: What Is Consolation Exactly?
Rule #4: What Exactly Is Desolation?
Rule #5: What Is the Most Important Decision I Can Make When in Desolation?
Rule #6: What Changes Should I Make When in Desolation?
Rule #7: How Can I Adjust My Thinking While in Desolation in Order to Better Overcome It?
Rule #8: How Can I Better Persevere When I Am in Desolation?
Rule #9: What Are the Causes of Desolation?
Rule #10: How Should I Act or Prepare When I Am in Consolation?
Rule #11: How Can Humility Help Me Deal with the Ebb and Flow of Consolation and Desolation?
Rule #12: Understanding and Dealing with the Aggression and Threats of the Enemy
Rule #13: The Power of Exposing the Enemy’s Efforts
Rule #14: How to Strengthen Yourself against Spiritual Attack
What’s Next?
Recommended Resources for Continued Spiritual Growth
This book from the beginning of the forward to the end of the support resources is an incredible read. Over the last 30 years I have read many books on Spiritual Warfare. And this is honestly one of the best. I have come away with a new focus. With tools to deal better with things in life when they pop up, and a renewed experience of the daily examine. The book alone will be life changing but Dan has offered access to online resources to take this knowledge much deeper and to sustain the enthusiasm of the book and really install deep growth.
A few years ago I was challenged to create a Top Ten Catholic Books List, If I had read this book prior to creating that list it would have taken 6th place. And it has been added to the list of books I would include today.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Dan Burke. A
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
The chapters in this volume are:
Foreword, by Fr. William Watson, S.J., D.Min.
Preface (and a Promise)
Introduction: Out of the Darkness
Counterfeit Remedies
An Invitation to Healing
Foundations for Discernment and Navigating the Path of Peace
The Voice of the Devil — The Voice of God
Rules for Discernment of Spirits
Rule #1: For Those Moving from Mortal Sin to Mortal Sin
Rule #2: For Those Moving from Good to Better
Rule #3: What Is Consolation Exactly?
Rule #4: What Exactly Is Desolation?
Rule #5: What Is the Most Important Decision I Can Make When in Desolation?
Rule #6: What Changes Should I Make When in Desolation?
Rule #7: How Can I Adjust My Thinking While in Desolation in Order to Better Overcome It?
Rule #8: How Can I Better Persevere When I Am in Desolation?
Rule #9: What Are the Causes of Desolation?
Rule #10: How Should I Act or Prepare When I Am in Consolation?
Rule #11: How Can Humility Help Me Deal with the Ebb and Flow of Consolation and Desolation?
Rule #12: Understanding and Dealing with the Aggression and Threats of the Enemy
Rule #13: The Power of Exposing the Enemy’s Efforts
Rule #14: How to Strengthen Yourself against Spiritual Attack
What’s Next?
Recommended Resources for Continued Spiritual Growth
This book from the beginning of the forward to the end of the support resources is an incredible read. Over the last 30 years I have read many books on Spiritual Warfare. And this is honestly one of the best. I have come away with a new focus. With tools to deal better with things in life when they pop up, and a renewed experience of the daily examine. The book alone will be life changing but Dan has offered access to online resources to take this knowledge much deeper and to sustain the enthusiasm of the book and really install deep growth.
A few years ago I was challenged to create a Top Ten Catholic Books List, If I had read this book prior to creating that list it would have taken 6th place. And it has been added to the list of books I would include today.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Dan Burke. A
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
December 26, 2023
Dan Burke provided an excellent take on St. Ignatius’s rules for the discernment of spirits. His personal anecdotes and analogies were very compelling and easy to understand. I found this book to be a great resource for reflecting upon past experiences of consolation and desolation and found many of the exhortations to be relatable and reassuring.
The most impactful chapter was “An Invitation to Healing,” as it drew me into praying about areas in my life where I experience a lack of peace and need to allow Christ to revitalize. Additionally, Burke provided a new method for me to conduct my nightly examine which I am looking forward to trying out!
It was quite fortuitous how relevant the contents of this book were to the struggles and enthrallments I am currently experiencing in the spiritual life and I will certainly be reading more of Burke’s work!
The most impactful chapter was “An Invitation to Healing,” as it drew me into praying about areas in my life where I experience a lack of peace and need to allow Christ to revitalize. Additionally, Burke provided a new method for me to conduct my nightly examine which I am looking forward to trying out!
It was quite fortuitous how relevant the contents of this book were to the struggles and enthrallments I am currently experiencing in the spiritual life and I will certainly be reading more of Burke’s work!
July 12, 2020
A quick and easy read which helps people look deeper into their faith and how they are influenced in living it. If you haven't encountered this sort of thinking it is probably revelatory and I do like that it follows St. Ignatius's rules for discernment. I myself enjoyed it as a reminder of the basics ... one that I intend to use for examining my own current spiritual practices. I read it for my book club and it will give us good points for conversation.
July 24, 2023
A really nice review of the Ignatian rules of discernment. Definitely something to always return to during times of spiritual desolation.
January 16, 2021
I would highly recommend this book to anyone bouncing from mortal sin to mortal sin, anyone aspiring to becoming good to great, anyone striving to go from great to saintly, and anyone aspiring to be a future Great Saint.
Dan Burke in this book highlights St. Ignatius of Loyola’s 14 rules for discerning spirits, either the Father or the devil, in a way that is easily understandable and not highly theological like we may read in the Summa Theologica.
This book is very practical and it’s probably one of the first books that I’ve ever highlighted and I highlighted it ALOT. It’s a very entry level book to the discernment of spirits and I hope one day to be able to read Timothy Gallagher’s book on discernment of spirits.
If you’re still reading this review and would like to better your faith life and have a better understanding of the voices of the devil versus the voices of the Father then buy this book immediately, or ask me if you can borrow it!!!!
Dan Burke in this book highlights St. Ignatius of Loyola’s 14 rules for discerning spirits, either the Father or the devil, in a way that is easily understandable and not highly theological like we may read in the Summa Theologica.
This book is very practical and it’s probably one of the first books that I’ve ever highlighted and I highlighted it ALOT. It’s a very entry level book to the discernment of spirits and I hope one day to be able to read Timothy Gallagher’s book on discernment of spirits.
If you’re still reading this review and would like to better your faith life and have a better understanding of the voices of the devil versus the voices of the Father then buy this book immediately, or ask me if you can borrow it!!!!
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January 17, 2020This book is an elegant introduction into the nature and reality of the invisible world in which we also live.
Dan Burke, engages the seemingly complicated structure of Ignatius rules of discernment and explains them with wisdom, clarity and compassion in the spirit of the simplicity of Christ. His ability to relate complex ideas completely and directly is the hallmark of true understanding.
Much of the power of the book comes from the Author’s heartfelt sharing of his personal struggles and how the grace of these Ignatius tools allowed him to survive and persevere through handicaps and adversity, while embracing spiritual growth as he has progressed along the Salvivic path that the love of God has ordered for him, and for all of us.
I highly recommend this book; it is a grace for all who read it.
Dan Burke, engages the seemingly complicated structure of Ignatius rules of discernment and explains them with wisdom, clarity and compassion in the spirit of the simplicity of Christ. His ability to relate complex ideas completely and directly is the hallmark of true understanding.
Much of the power of the book comes from the Author’s heartfelt sharing of his personal struggles and how the grace of these Ignatius tools allowed him to survive and persevere through handicaps and adversity, while embracing spiritual growth as he has progressed along the Salvivic path that the love of God has ordered for him, and for all of us.
I highly recommend this book; it is a grace for all who read it.
April 3, 2023
Highly recommend for all Catholics! Great insight into the discernment of spirits by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Dan Burke really breaks down each rule into very easy to understand terms. If you have ever struggled with discernment and/or understanding periods of desolation and consolation and how to approach them, this is the book for you! I also recommend doing this with a group of people and discussing it! I did this with my missionary sisters and it was super helpful and insightful, not to mention uplifting!
June 28, 2025
Reading this book helped me to gain spiritual insights and practices that will help me grow closer to Christ.
However, Burke gives too many personal examples and the reference section reads more like an advertisement for his organization than a true reference list.
I am.glad I read this book.
However, Burke gives too many personal examples and the reference section reads more like an advertisement for his organization than a true reference list.
I am.glad I read this book.
March 4, 2020
Here is a direct quote from pg. 24: "The Rosary, as revealed by our Blessed Mother, is necessary both for our salvation and that of the world."
This has never been the teaching of the Catholic Church, which instead has consistently taught that faith and baptism are necessary for salvation.
This has never been the teaching of the Catholic Church, which instead has consistently taught that faith and baptism are necessary for salvation.
December 14, 2022
This is the second Dan Burke book I've read, and I'm noticing a pattern of not necessarily getting what I want, but definitely getting what I need. This is not a lofty theological treatise, nor an introduction to demonology. This is a simple and easy-to-digest guide with highly practical and applicable advice, as well as wonderful anecdotes from Burke's own life. And I already anticipate it's going to warrant a few more read-throughs.
May 2, 2025
Great summary on the 14 rules of discernment by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Dan Burke gives some great examples in his own life that help apply these rules to practical circumstances. I recommend this read.
August 14, 2020
A wonderful introduction to the Discernment of Spirits! It was practical and walked the reader through step by step. I will be rereading this book for sure!
February 10, 2020
A very nice succinct book that I need to read at least once every year to get myself adjusted back on track with daily examens. I loved the simplicity that he gives to the rules as I tend to make them harder or overthink them and thus steer myself away from them.
June 7, 2023
Eye-opening to the spiritual world.
January 15, 2020
Having taken Dan Burke’s Discernment of Spirits course at the Avila Institute and experienced the life-changing effect of learning and implementing St. Ignatius’s rules, I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking peace, healing, and spiritual growth.
Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits gives an introduction to steps for growing closer to God, while teaching how to identify and overcome the obstacles the enemy uses to impede our progress on the path to union with God.
The book is brief and easy to read, and Dan gives personal examples of his own healings as encouragement for those readers who struggle through the wounds of their past to see the way to joy and peace. Dan’s book reminds us that Jesus is always with us, ready to heal us, and Dan shows us what we can do to receive that healing.
Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits gives an introduction to steps for growing closer to God, while teaching how to identify and overcome the obstacles the enemy uses to impede our progress on the path to union with God.
The book is brief and easy to read, and Dan gives personal examples of his own healings as encouragement for those readers who struggle through the wounds of their past to see the way to joy and peace. Dan’s book reminds us that Jesus is always with us, ready to heal us, and Dan shows us what we can do to receive that healing.
January 18, 2020
This book is an elegant introduction into the nature and reality of the invisible world in which we also live.
Dan Burke, engages the seemingly complicated structure of Ignatius rules of discernment and explains them with wisdom, clarity and compassion in the spirit of the simplicity of Christ. This ability to relate complex ideas completely and directly is the hallmark of true understanding.
Much of the power of the book comes from the Author’s heartfelt sharing of his personal struggles and how the grace of these Ignatius tools allowed him to survive and persevere through handicaps and adversity while embracing spiritual growth as he has progressed along the salvific path that the love of God has ordered for him and for all of us.
I highly recommend this book; it is a grace for all who read it.
Dan Burke, engages the seemingly complicated structure of Ignatius rules of discernment and explains them with wisdom, clarity and compassion in the spirit of the simplicity of Christ. This ability to relate complex ideas completely and directly is the hallmark of true understanding.
Much of the power of the book comes from the Author’s heartfelt sharing of his personal struggles and how the grace of these Ignatius tools allowed him to survive and persevere through handicaps and adversity while embracing spiritual growth as he has progressed along the salvific path that the love of God has ordered for him and for all of us.
I highly recommend this book; it is a grace for all who read it.
February 13, 2020
Dan Burke has written a great little book that will introduce you to (or refresh you) on the Spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. The basic rules are very important and if we do not practice discernment we can wander away from the things we really need to do to grow closer to the Lord. I am glad I grabbed this book as I know I needed a jump start. The book has many resources so that after you read it, you can continue on your journey with some help from some friends.
March 15, 2021
Concise and understandable, a great entry into discernment of spirits for the newcomer and intermediate alike. While lacking the depth of Fr. Gallagher's books on the subject, the accessibility is a strength and will lead to my recommendation in the future before entering into the seas of Gallagher.
July 10, 2022
A good primer on discernment of spirits before engaging in denser material on the topic. An easy way to get started on practical ways to move toward sainthood.
December 16, 2024
“Holy Spirit, lead me to the wisdom today that unlocks the path to God‘s will for me in the large and small choices of my life so that in all my thoughts, words, and deeds, I might give glory to God.” If you pray this, you have consciously chosen to live a life of discernment.
Learning the tools and rules of discernment minimize the wounds of early life.
What seems to be light can actually be fool’s gold, and what feels like darkness can be true gold.
Years of immersion in the shallow end of the pool does not teach someone to swim, no matter how much time they have spent in the water.
Whenever events surface that cause anxiety, they are an invitation from God to healing. They are similar to the warning lights on the dashboard of a car.
Why was my spiritual health dashboard light continuously on? Because the Lord was inviting me to be healed.
Transformed. The same word we uses to describe the change of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Metamorphosis. My mind can be healed and changed from something that torments me to something that is beautiful and free.
For the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10
Strongholds are fortresses and military centres of strength occupied or controlled by the enemy. The way to win the war is to avail yourself of the power of God to destroy the lies that the enemy has shown in your mind. Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.
Thoughts that are obedient to Christ must be thoughts that are true, and thoughts that are disobedient to Christ must be those that are false or chaotic, that caused anxiety, fear, and disruption of mind and heart.
Every time Jesus was tempted by Satan in Matthew‘s gospel he responded with scripture. The devil offered a temptation, a lie, and Jesus responded with the truth.
Lord, please heal me and help me escape these lies that lead me to despair.
It seemed to me that if I could take every thought captive, I would be so resilient that nothing in life, not even the worst of circumstances, could rob me of joy in peace. He did work this miracle in me, one thought captive at a time, one lie redeemed and replaced by the truth at a time.
How and where we focus our minds can impact the experienced presence of God with us, and related to that effort, our peace.
Recognize that God is at work in every moment and in every circumstance of life.
The first foundational truth is that we must have an authentic yes in our heart to God to begin and complete the journey of healing. In heaven, it is not enough to merely know about God or even to practice our faith, we must know him intimately. We still must constantly recognize our need for God and for the conversion of life that draws us ever more closely to him.
The second foundational element is the most important support for our yes of the heart: the Eucharist and regular confession.
Too often we underestimate the power of the sacrament of reconciliation. Wwe might think of it, merely as a remedy for sin, which is vital and true, but it is also a great grace to strengthen us against falling into sin. The sacrament of penance both provides forgiveness of sins and strengthens us in our efforts to fight sin.
The third foundational element to authentic and effective discernment is daily prayer. The most powerful daily prayers are twofold: mental prayer, and the rosary. These provide both protection and a kind of shield and nurturing to our yes that allow us to move forward in faith.
The fourth foundational element to our discernment is acesis. That is to exert conscious daily and deliberate effort away from sin and selfishness, and toward self giving to God and our neighbor. It is the practical result of what Jesus meant when he said, “if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Acesis is simply self giving and self denial, saying no to the drawings of our lower nature in order to say yes to giving ourselves completely to God and to those whom he has placed in our care or circle of influence.
A plan of love is simply a set of concrete commitments that we make to God on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The final staff in our foundation is what is known as an examine prayer, or an examination of conscience. What gets measured gets done. I encourage practising the examine in a way that is focussed on God‘s redemptive power and mercy, not our weakness.
What have I been able to do, by the grace of God, that is honouring to him and others? How have I failed to honour God and others in my life? Pray and Thanksgiving something like this: thank you, Lord, for revealing my sins to me so that I can be forgiven and strengthened to overcome this sin in the future.
When Ignatius considered what it might be like to become a saint he was drawn to consolation.
To discern is to understand and decide on a course of action regarding inspirations that influence our thoughts, words, and deeds, either toward God, to heaven, or away from him to hell.
Inspirations have three sources: the good spirits, the bad spirits, you.
The process for exercising discernment of spirits: Be aware. Understand. Take action.
If we ever have peace about something that leads us away from the church or to some belief or action that is contrary to the magisterium and tradition, this “peace“ is a false peace from the bad spirit and contrary to the will of God.
The bad spirits are always ready to give you false reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t do the thing God is asking you to do.
The enemy works to influence us through our thoughts. Present anxiety is often an invitation of God to the healing of past wounds.
Consolation increases hope, faith, and charity, with all interior joy that calls and attracts to heavenly things, and to the salvation of one soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its creator and Lord.
Consolation: an interior movement to God toward faith, hope, and love that is caused by the good spirits. When in consolation, I may experience: an increase of hope, or faith, or love or all three. My heart inflamed with love of God and goodness. Shedding of tears for love of God, sorrow for my sin or gratitude. Experiences of interior joy. A clear draw to heavenly things. Quiet and peace in the Lord.
By God‘s grace, we have a catechism that addresses all the most important topics of our faith the more we know our faith, the better our practice of discernment will be.
Desolation: any movement toward our lower nature and inclination, toward doubt, despair, or narcissism is caused by the bad spirits. When in desolation, I might experience: movement to doubt, or despair, or narcissism, or some combination of all three. Movement to low in earthly things, the draws of our lower nature and our census. A decrease in love of God or heavenly things. Darkness of soul and disturbance. A disquiet with agitation and temptations. A lack of confidence or hope or love or any combination of all three. A feeling of being lazy tepid or sad or as if separated from God.
By God‘s grace, it is often true that the moment we make a decision to fight this desolation, we allow God to begin to give us his strength and ability to break out of the darkness.
The present moment: where we are and where God is.
Use your practice of the examine to reveal when you are tempted and to leave the present moment and move into the past or the future.
In consolation, the good spirits guide and council us more, and in desolation, the bad spirits.
Rule 5. When in desolation, don’t change commitments made while in consolation.
Keep the commitment you made when you were in consolation whether you feel like it or not.
We must wait until the fog lifts and we can better interpret the terrain and better decide how we should proceed with clarity
Rather than turning down or reducing our commitment, we need to turn it up.
Pray and ask, why am I experiencing this desolation? This question and the corresponding action falls under admonition to practice meditation and much examination.
Simply resisting the desolation can fall into the same category as praying longer, and practising some kind of sacrifice with the intention of strengthening our will and honouring God in the decisions we make. Just a simple act of self sacrifice for the sake of turning our heart, mind, and will in submission to God‘s greater purposes.
In desolation, we have no fervor, our motivation is diminished. Our desolation has not diminished the love or grace of God, but only our experience of it.
Just because we don’t feel God‘s presence doesn’t mean that God is not present. In fact, his grace and presence may be stronger in this moment then when we felt elated about the person and presence of God.
By God‘s grace, I was blessed with desolation to bring me to the end of myself so that he could further heal and strengthen me. He allowed me to come to this place, so I would cry out to him for healing and strength. I was weary, and at the end of myself, and this ,by God‘s love was exactly where he needed me to be so that I would yield more fully to his will and ways in my life.
Saint Ignatius invites us, in the entirety of the discipline and practice of discernment, to lift our hearts in mind to what God is actually doing in the moment. He invites us to explore how God is using the circumstances we’re in.
As we experience our weakness when God is not empowering us through consolation, we are brought to a place for everything within us that opposes God through pride is militated against and as our great need is exposed to us, we reach out to him in humility.
When in desolation, work to be patient.
It feels like the desolation will never end. This is part of the lie of the enemy. When we gain experience to the perspective offered by the Holy Spirit in Saint Ignatius, we began to recognize the pattern when we are in it, and thereby we have hope because we know the desolation will eventually end. This is what Saint Ignatius is pointing us to when he says we must fight to be patient as an act of the will no matter how we feel.
We must tell ourselves the truth that we will emerge out of desolation, and the consolation will eventually return.
These affirmations of Hope open the door to God‘s comfort that the future will be a place where there is less pain and suffering.
Causes for desolation: to try us and reveal where we really are and how much we extend ourselves in his service and praise without payment of consolation and increased graces. To give us true recognition and understanding that all is a gift and grace of God, our Lord.
The first reason for desolation. To help us see that we are in spiritual danger. The warning, and as applies to our course of study, the desolation, is an invitation to healing. Second reason is to understand the true state of our love of God. We have an infinite capacity for self deception. Our tendency is to judge ourselves in light of what we desire to be true rather than what is actually true. Desolation can be a gift of God to help us understand how much we really love him or how much of our love is immature, narcissistic, and purely based on the gifts of consolation.
Sometimes we don’t appreciate what God has already done for us. We can show our lack of love by expecting constant blessings in order that we might be motivated to serve him rather than serving him because he has already done so much and deserve so much more than we could ever give him in return. A heart of gratitude is often the antidote to desolation.
Third reason. To help us know that he is the source of all the good within us. Desolation is the better antidote to this dangerous temptation to see ourselves as the captain of our ship and the master of our destiny.
The only thing any living soul has ever earned on their own is hell. This kind of reflection and corresponding recognition leads us to humility and to cry out to him as our only true hope and salvation.
Rule 10. Let the one who is in consolation think how he will conduct himself in the desolation, which will come after, taking new strength for that time.
The ebb and flow of consolation and desolation is something that we will face for the entirety of our lives
He reproves and chastens us to turn us back to him.
Assume that life is a constant ebb and flow from consolation to desolation and then back again. This assumption gives us healthy expectations about the future, and actually works to reduce the impact and power of the desolation because we expect it.
It is a perspective infused by hope because we understand how God is working in the midst of these ebbs and flows between consolation and desolation. His sovereign will allows or causes all things necessary for our salvation. Thus, we can look to the future, knowing there will be valleys, but that they have a purpose, not to crush us, but to heal us.
Rule 11. Let one who is consolation seek to humble himself and lower himself as much as he can, thinking of how little he is capable in the time of desolation without such grace or consolation. On the contrary, that one who is in desolation think that he can do much with God‘s sufficient grace to resist all his enemies, taking strength and his creator and Lord.
Humility and abandonment to the will of God in every moment is one of the most powerful weapons at our disposal and our daily spiritual battles for peace. If we are humble, and we are open to whatever the Lord brings, we are thereby attached to very little, and the enemy has little room to tempt us.
Saint Ignatius tells us how to best pursue humility in this ebb and flow. When in consolation, we should recognize that we had nothing to do with this grace. Embrace the consolation with gratitude, and rest in this grace to gain strength as the dawn of desolation emerges. As desolation emerges, the wise pilgrim will deliberately reflect on the fact that God‘s grace is sufficient, expressing trust in him to help us to endure the storm and fight against it and through it.
The normal path of the Christian spiritual growth is to move from habitual sin to becoming a saint.
What the pilgrim will notice as he begins to become more spiritually mature is that he is less reactive to the stimulus of difficult events in life and the temptation to desolation.
The difference between a reaction and a response is that a response is a measured expression of the will in submission to God‘s will, regarding how one should support themselves in the face of any kind of difficult stimulus.
The saint doesn’t face fewer challenges than the rest of us. The saint is simply more aware and in control of his faculties and better able to manage them according to God‘s will, and the Saints higher nature.
Rule 12. It is proper to the enemy to weaken and lose heart, fleeing, and ceasing his temptations, when the person who is exercising himself in spiritual things confronts the temptations of the enemy firmly by doing what is diametrically opposed to them.
The size and strength of our God, and God in us, dwarfs the enemy’s highest capabilities and powers.
We must be firm with the enemy and do the exact opposite of what he is attempting to get us to do, the exact opposite of what we feel or desire.
The enemy is constantly trying to generate negative emotional energy within us.
The Saints have often reflected a grave battle they faced with temptation at the end of their lives. The Saints win these battles because they have been warriors all their lives. They are strong because they engage. There is no way of avoiding the battle. Either we fight and become stronger, or we avoid and become weaker.
Rule 13 the enemy wishes to remain secret. Secrecy and isolation are among the most powerful tools of the enemy. They work to isolate the one they are working on.
Turn the lights on. With all the flood lights on, the enemies power is dramatically diminished, and he will often immediately flee. Turning the lights on is the action of revealing the desolation, anxiety, or related temptation to either a good confessor or a spiritual person.
Whomever you reveal your struggle to must be a truly holy person. They themselves must be actively moving from good to better.
Rule 14 the enemy attacks at the weakest point where he finds us weakest there he attacks. Desolation is a purposeful, planned, and executed spiritual attack.
The enemy determined your weakest gate, prepares for an assault, when you are hungry, angry, tired, or lonely.
The enemy’s greatest success will usually be through the gate of your dominant fault or root sin. Your root sin is that one sin that you will wrestle with for the entirety of your life. There are three root sins: pride, vanity, and sensuality. As a root sin, pride means being attached to our own importance and self-sufficiency. Vanity is being attached to what others think of us. And sensuality in this context means being attached to pleasure, to being comfortable, to the easy way.
If we don’t know our sinful tendencies, and the enemy does, we are doubly vulnerable.
A Godward self knowledge is vital to the beginning of a spiritual journey. This self knowledge is an understanding of ourselves that comes when we spend time with Jesus in prayer, when we read and meditate on scripture, and when we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about our sin and God‘s plan for us. The more you know yourself, truly know yourself, the less vulnerable you will be to the enemy’s attacks.
The difference between a saint and one who remains in a state of mediocrity is that the Saint falls 1000 times but gets up every time.
“God of the present moment, if I surrender myself to you and the duties of this present moment, you will give me all I need to endure or overcome any challenge, take care of all matters that are outside of my control, and will reveal yourself, and your holy will within and through them.”
Learning the tools and rules of discernment minimize the wounds of early life.
What seems to be light can actually be fool’s gold, and what feels like darkness can be true gold.
Years of immersion in the shallow end of the pool does not teach someone to swim, no matter how much time they have spent in the water.
Whenever events surface that cause anxiety, they are an invitation from God to healing. They are similar to the warning lights on the dashboard of a car.
Why was my spiritual health dashboard light continuously on? Because the Lord was inviting me to be healed.
Transformed. The same word we uses to describe the change of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Metamorphosis. My mind can be healed and changed from something that torments me to something that is beautiful and free.
For the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10
Strongholds are fortresses and military centres of strength occupied or controlled by the enemy. The way to win the war is to avail yourself of the power of God to destroy the lies that the enemy has shown in your mind. Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.
Thoughts that are obedient to Christ must be thoughts that are true, and thoughts that are disobedient to Christ must be those that are false or chaotic, that caused anxiety, fear, and disruption of mind and heart.
Every time Jesus was tempted by Satan in Matthew‘s gospel he responded with scripture. The devil offered a temptation, a lie, and Jesus responded with the truth.
Lord, please heal me and help me escape these lies that lead me to despair.
It seemed to me that if I could take every thought captive, I would be so resilient that nothing in life, not even the worst of circumstances, could rob me of joy in peace. He did work this miracle in me, one thought captive at a time, one lie redeemed and replaced by the truth at a time.
How and where we focus our minds can impact the experienced presence of God with us, and related to that effort, our peace.
Recognize that God is at work in every moment and in every circumstance of life.
The first foundational truth is that we must have an authentic yes in our heart to God to begin and complete the journey of healing. In heaven, it is not enough to merely know about God or even to practice our faith, we must know him intimately. We still must constantly recognize our need for God and for the conversion of life that draws us ever more closely to him.
The second foundational element is the most important support for our yes of the heart: the Eucharist and regular confession.
Too often we underestimate the power of the sacrament of reconciliation. Wwe might think of it, merely as a remedy for sin, which is vital and true, but it is also a great grace to strengthen us against falling into sin. The sacrament of penance both provides forgiveness of sins and strengthens us in our efforts to fight sin.
The third foundational element to authentic and effective discernment is daily prayer. The most powerful daily prayers are twofold: mental prayer, and the rosary. These provide both protection and a kind of shield and nurturing to our yes that allow us to move forward in faith.
The fourth foundational element to our discernment is acesis. That is to exert conscious daily and deliberate effort away from sin and selfishness, and toward self giving to God and our neighbor. It is the practical result of what Jesus meant when he said, “if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Acesis is simply self giving and self denial, saying no to the drawings of our lower nature in order to say yes to giving ourselves completely to God and to those whom he has placed in our care or circle of influence.
A plan of love is simply a set of concrete commitments that we make to God on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The final staff in our foundation is what is known as an examine prayer, or an examination of conscience. What gets measured gets done. I encourage practising the examine in a way that is focussed on God‘s redemptive power and mercy, not our weakness.
What have I been able to do, by the grace of God, that is honouring to him and others? How have I failed to honour God and others in my life? Pray and Thanksgiving something like this: thank you, Lord, for revealing my sins to me so that I can be forgiven and strengthened to overcome this sin in the future.
When Ignatius considered what it might be like to become a saint he was drawn to consolation.
To discern is to understand and decide on a course of action regarding inspirations that influence our thoughts, words, and deeds, either toward God, to heaven, or away from him to hell.
Inspirations have three sources: the good spirits, the bad spirits, you.
The process for exercising discernment of spirits: Be aware. Understand. Take action.
If we ever have peace about something that leads us away from the church or to some belief or action that is contrary to the magisterium and tradition, this “peace“ is a false peace from the bad spirit and contrary to the will of God.
The bad spirits are always ready to give you false reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t do the thing God is asking you to do.
The enemy works to influence us through our thoughts. Present anxiety is often an invitation of God to the healing of past wounds.
Consolation increases hope, faith, and charity, with all interior joy that calls and attracts to heavenly things, and to the salvation of one soul, quieting it and giving it peace in its creator and Lord.
Consolation: an interior movement to God toward faith, hope, and love that is caused by the good spirits. When in consolation, I may experience: an increase of hope, or faith, or love or all three. My heart inflamed with love of God and goodness. Shedding of tears for love of God, sorrow for my sin or gratitude. Experiences of interior joy. A clear draw to heavenly things. Quiet and peace in the Lord.
By God‘s grace, we have a catechism that addresses all the most important topics of our faith the more we know our faith, the better our practice of discernment will be.
Desolation: any movement toward our lower nature and inclination, toward doubt, despair, or narcissism is caused by the bad spirits. When in desolation, I might experience: movement to doubt, or despair, or narcissism, or some combination of all three. Movement to low in earthly things, the draws of our lower nature and our census. A decrease in love of God or heavenly things. Darkness of soul and disturbance. A disquiet with agitation and temptations. A lack of confidence or hope or love or any combination of all three. A feeling of being lazy tepid or sad or as if separated from God.
By God‘s grace, it is often true that the moment we make a decision to fight this desolation, we allow God to begin to give us his strength and ability to break out of the darkness.
The present moment: where we are and where God is.
Use your practice of the examine to reveal when you are tempted and to leave the present moment and move into the past or the future.
In consolation, the good spirits guide and council us more, and in desolation, the bad spirits.
Rule 5. When in desolation, don’t change commitments made while in consolation.
Keep the commitment you made when you were in consolation whether you feel like it or not.
We must wait until the fog lifts and we can better interpret the terrain and better decide how we should proceed with clarity
Rather than turning down or reducing our commitment, we need to turn it up.
Pray and ask, why am I experiencing this desolation? This question and the corresponding action falls under admonition to practice meditation and much examination.
Simply resisting the desolation can fall into the same category as praying longer, and practising some kind of sacrifice with the intention of strengthening our will and honouring God in the decisions we make. Just a simple act of self sacrifice for the sake of turning our heart, mind, and will in submission to God‘s greater purposes.
In desolation, we have no fervor, our motivation is diminished. Our desolation has not diminished the love or grace of God, but only our experience of it.
Just because we don’t feel God‘s presence doesn’t mean that God is not present. In fact, his grace and presence may be stronger in this moment then when we felt elated about the person and presence of God.
By God‘s grace, I was blessed with desolation to bring me to the end of myself so that he could further heal and strengthen me. He allowed me to come to this place, so I would cry out to him for healing and strength. I was weary, and at the end of myself, and this ,by God‘s love was exactly where he needed me to be so that I would yield more fully to his will and ways in my life.
Saint Ignatius invites us, in the entirety of the discipline and practice of discernment, to lift our hearts in mind to what God is actually doing in the moment. He invites us to explore how God is using the circumstances we’re in.
As we experience our weakness when God is not empowering us through consolation, we are brought to a place for everything within us that opposes God through pride is militated against and as our great need is exposed to us, we reach out to him in humility.
When in desolation, work to be patient.
It feels like the desolation will never end. This is part of the lie of the enemy. When we gain experience to the perspective offered by the Holy Spirit in Saint Ignatius, we began to recognize the pattern when we are in it, and thereby we have hope because we know the desolation will eventually end. This is what Saint Ignatius is pointing us to when he says we must fight to be patient as an act of the will no matter how we feel.
We must tell ourselves the truth that we will emerge out of desolation, and the consolation will eventually return.
These affirmations of Hope open the door to God‘s comfort that the future will be a place where there is less pain and suffering.
Causes for desolation: to try us and reveal where we really are and how much we extend ourselves in his service and praise without payment of consolation and increased graces. To give us true recognition and understanding that all is a gift and grace of God, our Lord.
The first reason for desolation. To help us see that we are in spiritual danger. The warning, and as applies to our course of study, the desolation, is an invitation to healing. Second reason is to understand the true state of our love of God. We have an infinite capacity for self deception. Our tendency is to judge ourselves in light of what we desire to be true rather than what is actually true. Desolation can be a gift of God to help us understand how much we really love him or how much of our love is immature, narcissistic, and purely based on the gifts of consolation.
Sometimes we don’t appreciate what God has already done for us. We can show our lack of love by expecting constant blessings in order that we might be motivated to serve him rather than serving him because he has already done so much and deserve so much more than we could ever give him in return. A heart of gratitude is often the antidote to desolation.
Third reason. To help us know that he is the source of all the good within us. Desolation is the better antidote to this dangerous temptation to see ourselves as the captain of our ship and the master of our destiny.
The only thing any living soul has ever earned on their own is hell. This kind of reflection and corresponding recognition leads us to humility and to cry out to him as our only true hope and salvation.
Rule 10. Let the one who is in consolation think how he will conduct himself in the desolation, which will come after, taking new strength for that time.
The ebb and flow of consolation and desolation is something that we will face for the entirety of our lives
He reproves and chastens us to turn us back to him.
Assume that life is a constant ebb and flow from consolation to desolation and then back again. This assumption gives us healthy expectations about the future, and actually works to reduce the impact and power of the desolation because we expect it.
It is a perspective infused by hope because we understand how God is working in the midst of these ebbs and flows between consolation and desolation. His sovereign will allows or causes all things necessary for our salvation. Thus, we can look to the future, knowing there will be valleys, but that they have a purpose, not to crush us, but to heal us.
Rule 11. Let one who is consolation seek to humble himself and lower himself as much as he can, thinking of how little he is capable in the time of desolation without such grace or consolation. On the contrary, that one who is in desolation think that he can do much with God‘s sufficient grace to resist all his enemies, taking strength and his creator and Lord.
Humility and abandonment to the will of God in every moment is one of the most powerful weapons at our disposal and our daily spiritual battles for peace. If we are humble, and we are open to whatever the Lord brings, we are thereby attached to very little, and the enemy has little room to tempt us.
Saint Ignatius tells us how to best pursue humility in this ebb and flow. When in consolation, we should recognize that we had nothing to do with this grace. Embrace the consolation with gratitude, and rest in this grace to gain strength as the dawn of desolation emerges. As desolation emerges, the wise pilgrim will deliberately reflect on the fact that God‘s grace is sufficient, expressing trust in him to help us to endure the storm and fight against it and through it.
The normal path of the Christian spiritual growth is to move from habitual sin to becoming a saint.
What the pilgrim will notice as he begins to become more spiritually mature is that he is less reactive to the stimulus of difficult events in life and the temptation to desolation.
The difference between a reaction and a response is that a response is a measured expression of the will in submission to God‘s will, regarding how one should support themselves in the face of any kind of difficult stimulus.
The saint doesn’t face fewer challenges than the rest of us. The saint is simply more aware and in control of his faculties and better able to manage them according to God‘s will, and the Saints higher nature.
Rule 12. It is proper to the enemy to weaken and lose heart, fleeing, and ceasing his temptations, when the person who is exercising himself in spiritual things confronts the temptations of the enemy firmly by doing what is diametrically opposed to them.
The size and strength of our God, and God in us, dwarfs the enemy’s highest capabilities and powers.
We must be firm with the enemy and do the exact opposite of what he is attempting to get us to do, the exact opposite of what we feel or desire.
The enemy is constantly trying to generate negative emotional energy within us.
The Saints have often reflected a grave battle they faced with temptation at the end of their lives. The Saints win these battles because they have been warriors all their lives. They are strong because they engage. There is no way of avoiding the battle. Either we fight and become stronger, or we avoid and become weaker.
Rule 13 the enemy wishes to remain secret. Secrecy and isolation are among the most powerful tools of the enemy. They work to isolate the one they are working on.
Turn the lights on. With all the flood lights on, the enemies power is dramatically diminished, and he will often immediately flee. Turning the lights on is the action of revealing the desolation, anxiety, or related temptation to either a good confessor or a spiritual person.
Whomever you reveal your struggle to must be a truly holy person. They themselves must be actively moving from good to better.
Rule 14 the enemy attacks at the weakest point where he finds us weakest there he attacks. Desolation is a purposeful, planned, and executed spiritual attack.
The enemy determined your weakest gate, prepares for an assault, when you are hungry, angry, tired, or lonely.
The enemy’s greatest success will usually be through the gate of your dominant fault or root sin. Your root sin is that one sin that you will wrestle with for the entirety of your life. There are three root sins: pride, vanity, and sensuality. As a root sin, pride means being attached to our own importance and self-sufficiency. Vanity is being attached to what others think of us. And sensuality in this context means being attached to pleasure, to being comfortable, to the easy way.
If we don’t know our sinful tendencies, and the enemy does, we are doubly vulnerable.
A Godward self knowledge is vital to the beginning of a spiritual journey. This self knowledge is an understanding of ourselves that comes when we spend time with Jesus in prayer, when we read and meditate on scripture, and when we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about our sin and God‘s plan for us. The more you know yourself, truly know yourself, the less vulnerable you will be to the enemy’s attacks.
The difference between a saint and one who remains in a state of mediocrity is that the Saint falls 1000 times but gets up every time.
“God of the present moment, if I surrender myself to you and the duties of this present moment, you will give me all I need to endure or overcome any challenge, take care of all matters that are outside of my control, and will reveal yourself, and your holy will within and through them.”
January 12, 2020
I recommend this book for any Christian or Messianic Jew who is looking to grow spiritually. Like many of this author’s books, it is an excellent aid for the spiritual journey. The Church has a multitude of books, journals and memoirs written by the saints and Fathers of the Church, however, this food for the spiritual journey can often be difficult to digest. This is true of St. Ignatius of Loyola who wrote the Rules of Discernment after his conversion experience. Fr. Timothy Gallagher rewrote these rules and expanded upon them, but I have met many who also find this too difficult to comprehend. In this book Dan Burke presents a “simplified understanding of the practice of discernment of spirits”. He begins the book with a very brief history of his childhood and conversion from Judaism to Catholicism through Protestantism. He then provides biblical evidence of spiritual warfare and notes that Discernment of Spirits is listed as a gift of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12. Noting that “peace” or ”following your heart” is not always the measure of how to discern, he briefly walks through each of the Ignatian rules for discernment, giving real life examples of each. Finally, he invites each reader to join him for free instruction at his website and provides suggested reading, including Father Gallagher’s book on discernment. This book is only 100 pages long and is a valuable resource for all Christians, including those who have already familiarized themselves with the Rules or read St. Ignatius himself as it is compact enough to keep on hand for future reference.
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January 19, 2020Excellent read! An essential guide for all Christians, especially Catholics. Want to learn how to discern the will of God in your life and remain peaceful through all stages of the spiritual life? Look no further for you will find many answers in this powerful little book. What do I like about this book?
1) It’s 120 pages are easy to read and highly engaging.
2) It’s for the beginner as well as for those experienced in navigating the spiritual life.
3) It’s a clear and concise life saving guide to recognizing and winning the spiritual battles commonly found in the life of every Christian.
4) It is personal, scriptural and instructional.
5) It’s practical - it can be used for personal growth and/or small group study.
6) It’s applicable to every aspect of my life-past, present and future. The titles of the chapters reveal them: “Out of the Darkness”, “An Invitation to Healing”, and “Foundations for Discernment and Navigating the Path of Peace”
7) It’s a keeper and a book I will be referring to often and will be recommending to many.
Thank you Dan Burke for writing such an amazing little book on a subject that is often ignored, dismissed and very difficult to understand yet very much needed in society today.
1) It’s 120 pages are easy to read and highly engaging.
2) It’s for the beginner as well as for those experienced in navigating the spiritual life.
3) It’s a clear and concise life saving guide to recognizing and winning the spiritual battles commonly found in the life of every Christian.
4) It is personal, scriptural and instructional.
5) It’s practical - it can be used for personal growth and/or small group study.
6) It’s applicable to every aspect of my life-past, present and future. The titles of the chapters reveal them: “Out of the Darkness”, “An Invitation to Healing”, and “Foundations for Discernment and Navigating the Path of Peace”
7) It’s a keeper and a book I will be referring to often and will be recommending to many.
Thank you Dan Burke for writing such an amazing little book on a subject that is often ignored, dismissed and very difficult to understand yet very much needed in society today.
January 20, 2020
The topic of this book is how to fight the battle inside your own mind. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness both want our allegiance unto eternity, and we humans have the freedom to choose. Because we must choose every day, or even every hour or minute, both forces plus our own self compete for influence. The ordinary battleground is in the mind, and if you don’t know about that you will be ruled by your lowermost desires and misled by evil suggestions masquerading as your own thoughts.
The book is a brief and non-intimidating introduction to the topic of spiritual warfare, and includes references for deeper study. The book opens by describing the problem, and proceeds through 14 practical guidelines that can be used in everyday life. The author presents potentially overwhelming material in a concise and straightforward manner understandable to modern readers. The personal examples and frequent references to the Bible are paired with a logical approach and lack of sentimentality. I found it to be very helpful in discerning which ideas are my own and which are from the Kingdom of Darkness, especially in determining whether or not I am actually anxious about something. I highly recommend this book.
The book is a brief and non-intimidating introduction to the topic of spiritual warfare, and includes references for deeper study. The book opens by describing the problem, and proceeds through 14 practical guidelines that can be used in everyday life. The author presents potentially overwhelming material in a concise and straightforward manner understandable to modern readers. The personal examples and frequent references to the Bible are paired with a logical approach and lack of sentimentality. I found it to be very helpful in discerning which ideas are my own and which are from the Kingdom of Darkness, especially in determining whether or not I am actually anxious about something. I highly recommend this book.
January 28, 2021
Brief and interesting introduction to Ignatian spirituality. I was so impressed that I followed the link to his organization, Apostoli Viae. In order to access most of their material, one needs to become a member. This requires the submission of name and email, which makes sense, birth date (somewhat less so but I guess it could be legally necessary), home address, telephone number, and a photograph! Why do these people need to know where I live? Why my phone number? (I prefer NOT to be called and use email for almost all communication but this option is unavailable.) And why do they need a photograph? This seems to me more than a little creepy. It gives me the impression that Apostoli Viae is some kind of cult. Despite their assertions of devotion to the authority of the Church, I am left uncomfortable, which is a pity, as the book seemed very helpful. I guess I'll just use what I can and leave the rest.
January 29, 2020
Every serious Christian should have this book in their library. Yes, it is that good, that relevant, and that important! We are locked in a high stakes spiritual battle where there are only two ultimate outcomes: heaven or hell. For those who do not want the smoking section of eternity, Spiritual Warfare and The Discernment of Spirits is your playbook for winning. It is a quick and easy read based on St. Ignatius of Loyola's Rules of Discernment. At the same time, it is deeply thought provoking and life accessing as well. I will be returning to its pages often, highlighting areas that improve my life and happiness, and dogearing parts most pertinent to my own spiritual journey and relationship with God. Thank you, Dan Burke!
January 12, 2020
This is an exceptional book that all Catholics should read to help them engage in the Spiritual Battle taking place so as to help them grow in their relationship with Christ and be better able and prepared to resist the temptations from the evil one. Dan Burke provides a very comprehensive, yet easy to understand guide according to St. Ignatius's Rules for Discernment to strengthen our desire to better serve God, His Church and one another by developing a stronger resistance to temptation. This is a life changing book and you will be glad you bought and read it.
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January 13, 2020This book is a short, easy and concise way to understanding spiritual warfare and St. Ignatius's Discernment of Spirits. I've read a lot on this subject and Dan Burke makes it easily understood. It's important to know our enemy, the devil, and how he tries to make us fall. This book helps you take a look at your pitfalls to sin and come up with strategies to overcome repetitive sin and how to have the knowledge to be ready and to keep yourself from falling for his lies. A must read for all looking to become closer to God and not falling for the traps the devil sets for us.
January 17, 2020
I recommend this book for any soldier of Christ. It is a navigation tool to help give you a very clear understanding of spiritual warfare and how to discern the spirits. This book written by Dan Burke is well done. Not only does he help you understand the rules of discernment, he has questions at the end of each chapter to give you a better understanding of where you stand in your spiritual life. This information is designed to make one aware of the spiritual surroundings and how they effect you. With that being said, it is a true way of healing of one's soul. Well done.
June 7, 2020
A guide to your spiritual direction
This book is an excellent beginning for someone searching for peace amid the wars both secular and spiritual in their life!
It takes one through the Rules from St. Augustine and how to use them to protect oneself from the Adversary!
This is not a read and put on a shelf book - but one to read and study several times. The most important thing I took away is how to separate charism versus club. I've been chasing that distinction in my faith life for quite a while - and this helped a lot for direction.
This book is an excellent beginning for someone searching for peace amid the wars both secular and spiritual in their life!
It takes one through the Rules from St. Augustine and how to use them to protect oneself from the Adversary!
This is not a read and put on a shelf book - but one to read and study several times. The most important thing I took away is how to separate charism versus club. I've been chasing that distinction in my faith life for quite a while - and this helped a lot for direction.
August 8, 2020
Excellent Introduction
In an age when much information on this subject is written in archaic language, I found the usefulness of this book to be and it's modern style, it's easy to read prose and the websites and other resources that people can use to learn how to grow spiritually. I would highly recommend this book and I am considerate using it in my Parish as a study the help my parishioners learn spirituality in a logical, organized way.
Dcn. Andy Weiss
In an age when much information on this subject is written in archaic language, I found the usefulness of this book to be and it's modern style, it's easy to read prose and the websites and other resources that people can use to learn how to grow spiritually. I would highly recommend this book and I am considerate using it in my Parish as a study the help my parishioners learn spirituality in a logical, organized way.
Dcn. Andy Weiss
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