DPD5 – Journeying with the Examen Prayer – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Journeying with the Examen Prayer – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor discuss the third step of the Examen prayer, which is the review of one’s day. Fr. Gallagher explains that the term “examen” comes from the Spanish word for examination, and he refers to this step as “review.” This involves looking back over the day to see where God was present and where the enemy tried to lead one astray. The goal is to develop “eyes of faith” that are vigilant and can recognize the action of God and the enemy in daily life.

Fr. Gallagher uses a reflective example of “Susan,” a composite character from his experiences. Susan has been attending daily Mass for six months and incorporates the Examen into her routine. One day, after Mass, she feels deep spiritual consolation, realizing that attending daily Mass has brought her closer to God and improved her patience and availability to others. This reinforces her commitment to the practice. On another day, Susan experiences spiritual desolation, feeling distant from God and lacking energy for spiritual activities. Despite this, she gets herself to Mass, albeit late. In her review, she identifies this as an instance of the enemy’s tactic to discourage her and recognizes the importance of being faithful to her spiritual commitments.

The Examen helps one become more aware of spiritual consolations and desolations, allowing for growth and a deeper understanding of God’s grace and the enemy’s tactics. This practice, combined with knowledge of St. Ignatius’ rules for the discernment of spirits, enriches one’s spiritual life.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding the Purpose of the Examen: How does the Examen prayer help us see the action of the Lord and the enemy in our daily lives?
Spiritual Consolation and Desolation: Can you identify moments of spiritual consolation and desolation in your recent experiences, and how did you respond to them?
Practicing Discernment: What steps can you take to incorporate the daily review of spiritual experiences into your prayer routine?
The Impact of Daily Mass: How has attending daily Mass influenced your spiritual life and relationship with God?
Responding to Desolation: When facing spiritual desolation, what strategies can you employ to remain faithful to your spiritual commitments?
The Role of Forgiveness: How does asking for God’s forgiveness daily affect your sense of spiritual growth and personal peace?
Recognizing the Enemy’s Tactics: Are there specific times or situations where you find it challenging to stick to your spiritual plans, and how can you better recognize and counteract these tactics?
The Joy of Forgiveness: Reflect on a time when you felt profound joy after experiencing God’s forgiveness; how did this affect your spiritual journey?
Living the Ordinary with Awareness: How can you bring greater spiritual awareness to the seemingly ordinary events of your day?
Applying Ignatian Principles: How familiar are you with St. Ignatius’ rules for discernment of spirits, and how can you apply them to deepen your practice of the Examen?

St.-Ignatius-4

As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

OUR FATHER.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

DPD6 – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 6 The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Ignatian Wisdom of the Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher.
Fr. Gallagher continues to discuss the fourth step – FORGIVENESS. Then we approach the fifth step – RENEWAL – which is how we move forward after our encounter with God in our prayer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:12 — 19.4MB) | Embed

As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

OUR FATHER.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on books and audio available for purchase from Fr. Timothy Gallagher check out his website: www.frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

DPD8 – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 8 The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Ignatian Wisdom of the Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher.
Fr. Gallagher, in this concluding episode, reviews the different dimensions of the Examen prayer and applications for our lives.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:41 — 17.7MB) | Embed

As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

OUR FATHER.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on books and audio available for purchase from Fr. Timothy Gallagher check out his website: www.frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

MC6 – Praying with Scripture: Christian Contemplation and Meditation in the Ignatian tradition w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 6 Praying with Scripture: Christian Contemplation and Meditation in the Ignatian tradition w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Gallagher continues to discuss the differences and benefits of meditation and contemplation – the cornerstones of Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual practice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:06 — 49.6MB) | Embed

For other episodes in the series visit The Discerning Hearts “Praying with Scripture” page

For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

MC7 – Praying with Scripture: Christian Contemplation and Meditation in the Ignatian Tradition w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 7 Praying with Scripture: Christian Contemplation and Meditation in the Ignatian Tradition w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Gallagher discusses the differences and benefits of meditation and contemplation – the cornerstones of Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual practice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:44 — 21.1MB) | Embed

Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discernment of Spirits 3 For other episodes in the series, visit The Discerning Hearts “Praying with Scripture” page

For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series, check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Ten Spiritual Counsels For Our Troubling Times from Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Special Video Podcast

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Ten Spiritual Counsels in a Time of Covid-19

1. This trial is a spiritual opportunity. Many holy men and women found God more deeply
in time of loss, pain, and struggle. Live this time as a special opportunity for spiritual
growth.
2. These days teach us that we are not in control, and that God is, a powerful and healing
lesson for all of life (Mt 5:3).
3. This time, with busyness reduced, offers a priceless opportunity to reflect on our lives,
why we are here, what matters most, the people in our lives. Reflect in this way: it will
pay rich dividends.
4. These weeks offer increased time to be with each other, our spouses, children, parents,
and all the important people in our lives. Spend more time with them, and the
relationships that matter most in your life will be blessed.
5. These anxious days are a time for small, daily, warm, concrete gestures of caring for
others: a helping hand, a phone call, a text, an email, an errand done for another, a
listening ear. Look for such opportunities and respond.
6. “Consolation must now be everyone’s commitment” (Pope Francis). Be a presence that
brings consolation to the worried, the ill, the lonely, the afraid.
7. Follow online the daily words of Pope Francis. He speaks with wisdom, warmth, and
faith about this situation. In this way, you will live these days with the universal Church.
8. In God’s timing, this struggle coincides with Lent. You have more time, and there is
greater need now to live it well. Make this a special Lent. Choose how you will live it.
9. Pray, pray, pray. Spend 15 minutes each day in some form of meditation—you have the
time. It might be lectio divina, Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the
Hours, the Rosary, Ignatian meditation or contemplation of Scripture . . . whatever way
best helps you to pray. Pope Benedict writes: “Prayer is the school of hope.”
10. Turn to our Blessed Mother in a new and deeper way. In time of struggle, the Church
always turns to her because “Never was it known that anyone who fled to your
protection, implored your intercession, or sought your help, was left unaided” (the
Memorare).

DPD7 – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 7 The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Ignatian Wisdom of the Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher.
Fr. Gallagher continues to discuss the fifth step – RENEWAL – which is how we move forward after our encounter with God in our prayer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:41 — 46.0MB) | Embed

As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

OUR FATHER.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on books and audio available for purchase from Fr. Timothy Gallagher check out his website: www.frtimothygallagher.org

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: Conference 1 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Seminar

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Conference 1 – Introduction – Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Conference talk 1 from the Discerning Hearts Seminar/Retreat held online late spring 2020 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri to his spiritual directee, Gabriella Solaro della Margarita

1. My Lady and my Daughter in Jesus Christ,

Your letter just arrived; I was glad to receive it, and it gave me real joy. I am happy to hear that your trip went well, and that your whole family is in good health. I see no reason why you may not entrust your little Louise to your dear sister, the Lady Countess Vidua. She could not be in better hands, and the reasons for doing so are many. In my view, you may do this with total peace of heart.

And it gives me greater happiness still to know that Fr. Ferrero is already there with you. It is important, then, to begin immediately, to arrange with him for receiving Communion, and to do so as often as you can. You must be consistently faithful to meditation and to spiritual reading, if it be only a quarter of an hour of meditation and a single page of spiritual reading, and the same also for the examination of conscience which you can do while you are working. Do not forget to raise your heart frequently, but gently and with peace, to God, and to make acts of mortification, especially interior ones; for you, this means the effort to live each moment with a gentle and joyful spirit. For the love of God, I beg of you to wage continual warfare against negative moods, and never fail to begin again.

Do not wait until you have devotion to begin these things. Begin even without devotion since that will come with time, and this is precisely the means to attain it. Devotion must be the fruit and not the cause of the practices I have recommended. For the rest, you know that true devotion consists in readiness to be faithful to the Lord, and not in sentiment. I hope that soon you will send me consoling news in this regard

I ask you to give my greetings to Father Cesare and to tell him that I would be happy to see him here, and that I always hope to be able one day to visit with him there. For the present, tell Fr. Ferraro that, even though I have not yet had the joy of meeting him, I ask him to give you no rest in committing yourself to practicing all that I have just recommended to you and to call you strictly to account, and I will be grateful to him for this.

I bless you together with all your family, I recommend myself to your prayers, and I am, with the highest esteem and respect,

Your Servant and Father in Jesus Christ, Fr. Lanteri Turin, May 22, 1807

Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Bruno Lanteri — Venerable Bruno Lanteri

The image of Our Lady of Consolation referred to by Fr. Gallagher

Visit the “Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of the Venerable Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Discerning Hearts podcast” for more episodes of this series

For books on the life and teachings of Ven. Bruno Lanteri:

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Please visit the site dedicated to Ven. Bruno Lanteri for more information and prayer requests

Prayer to Obtain Graces by the intercession of Ven. Bruno Lanteri

Heavenly Father, you filled the heart of your servant Bruno with a living and active faith. Grant that our lives be guided by that same faith, and, through his intercession, give us the grace of which we have so great need… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Jesus, uncreated Wisdom, through the hope in your merits and in your Cross, infused into the heart of your servant Bruno, and through the zeal he showed in teaching your goodness and mercy, grant us the same ardor and the grace for which we fervently ask… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Holy Spirit, fount of charity, through the love for God and neighbor that you enkindled in the heart of your servant Bruno, grant also to us that, living far from sin, in charity and justice, we may be worthy of the grace we humbly seek and gain the joy of heaven… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

And you, Virgin Mother of God and our Mother, obtain from the Lord the beatification of your servant Bruno, who all his life loved you as a loyal son and zealously sought to lead others to you, and obtain for us through his intercession the grace that with great trust we ask of you… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: Conference 2 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Seminar

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:03 — 33.7MB) | Embed

Conference 2 – A Spiritual Program – Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Conference talk 2 from the Discerning Hearts Seminar/Retreat held online late spring 2020 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri to his spiritual directee, Gabriella Solaro della Margarita

1. My Lady and my Daughter in Jesus Christ,

Your letter just arrived; I was glad to receive it, and it gave me real joy. I am happy to hear that your trip went well, and that your whole family is in good health. I see no reason why you may not entrust your little Louise to your dear sister, the Lady Countess Vidua. She could not be in better hands, and the reasons for doing so are many. In my view, you may do this with total peace of heart.

And it gives me greater happiness still to know that Fr. Ferrero is already there with you. It is important, then, to begin immediately, to arrange with him for receiving Communion, and to do so as often as you can. You must be consistently faithful to meditation and to spiritual reading, if it be only a quarter of an hour of meditation and a single page of spiritual reading, and the same also for the examination of conscience which you can do while you are working. Do not forget to raise your heart frequently, but gently and with peace, to God, and to make acts of mortification, especially interior ones; for you, this means the effort to live each moment with a gentle and joyful spirit. For the love of God, I beg of you to wage continual warfare against negative moods, and never fail to begin again.

Do not wait until you have devotion to begin these things. Begin even without devotion since that will come with time, and this is precisely the means to attain it. Devotion must be the fruit and not the cause of the practices I have recommended. For the rest, you know that true devotion consists in readiness to be faithful to the Lord, and not in sentiment. I hope that soon you will send me consoling news in this regard

I ask you to give my greetings to Father Cesare and to tell him that I would be happy to see him here, and that I always hope to be able one day to visit with him there. For the present, tell Fr. Ferraro that, even though I have not yet had the joy of meeting him, I ask him to give you no rest in committing yourself to practicing all that I have just recommended to you and to call you strictly to account, and I will be grateful to him for this.

I bless you together with all your family, I recommend myself to your prayers, and I am, with the highest esteem and respect,

Your Servant and Father in Jesus Christ, Fr. Lanteri Turin, May 22, 1807

Visit the “Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of the Venerable Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Discerning Hearts podcast” for more episodes of this series

For books on the life and teachings of Ven. Bruno Lanteri:

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Please visit the site dedicated to Ven. Bruno Lanteri for more information and prayer requests

Prayer to Obtain Graces by the intercession of Ven. Bruno Lanteri

Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: Conference 3 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Seminar

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Conference 3 – A Spiritual Program – Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Conference talk 3 from the Discerning Hearts Seminar/Retreat held online late spring 2020 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri to his spiritual directee, Gabriella Solaro della Margarita

2. Madame,

I would like to use this opportunity of the departure [from Turin] of Monsieur your son for some profit, but I do not know of what I should speak: Should I praise you for your fidelity to God?

Ought I chide you? I do not know at all. So I will take a sure course and that is to counsel you to begin each day, abandoning the past to the Lord’s mercy and the future to his divine Providence. In the meantime, reflect each day that you are entrusted with a mission by the good God. In regard to your temporal affairs, never let anything trouble you, and the same with respect to your faults, taking care to counteract them immediately by an act of love of God. Be attentive to practice the virtues of patience and gentleness; you can make a special examination concerning this in the evening and at midday.

Do not forget meditation, at least for a quarter of an hour, frequently raising up your heart to God throughout the day. Remember spiritual reading as well, if it be but a single page. Finally, do not fail to receive communion at least two or three times a week. I beg you to inform me about all these things, praying to the good God that he assist you in carrying them out.

It may be that I will come myself to learn how you are doing. It would be a great consolation for me, and I hope for it all the more since my eyes, which continually grow weaker, will not permit me to dedicate myself to other occupations that might hinder me from coming, as happened last year.

I do not have time to remain longer with you in this letter as I would desire, and so I conclude by recommending myself to your holy prayers, and blessing you, having the honor of being,

Your Servant and Father in Jesus Christ, Fr. Bruno Lanteri, Turin, July 4, 1808