HSE11 - Rules of the Second Week - The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:46 — 19.8MB) | Embed

Rules of the Second Week – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

Fr. Anthony Wieck and Kris McGregor continue their look at St. Ignatius’s second-week rules for discernment. They discuss how both God and evil spirits can influence a person’s thoughts and emotions, and how one can distinguish their origins by examining the course of one’s thoughts—their beginning, middle, and end. God and His angels bring peace, joy, and clarity, while the enemy uses false reasoning, subtle deceptions, or even apparent goodness to lure a person into confusion or pride. The enemy often disguises itself as an “angel of light,” encouraging overactivity or spiritual burnout under the guise of doing good. The key is to maintain balance, simplicity, and prayerful awareness of how inner movements affect one’s peace.

They also reflect on consolations—those moments of spiritual joy. True consolation without a clear cause comes from God alone, while consolation that arises from external factors must be discerned carefully, since even apparent blessings can be twisted to selfish ends. Fr. Wieck advises patience in decision-making, noting that God confirms His will over time through consistent peace and harmony, not haste or impulsivity. He encourages listeners to study St. Ignatius’s rules directly and practice them, growing in freedom and the ability to recognize divine inspiration while rejecting spiritual deception. The goal of discernment is freedom—the freedom to love and serve God wholeheartedly.

Discerning Hearts Catholic Reflection Questions:

How do I recognize when a thought or feeling leads me toward peace and joy rather than confusion or restlessness?
In what ways might I be mistaking overactivity or busyness for genuine service to God?
When have I experienced consolation without a clear cause, and how did I respond to that grace?
Do I take time to pause and pray before making decisions that feel spiritually inspired?
How can I better notice the “tail of the serpent” — signs that something good may have turned subtly self-centered or prideful?
What helps me maintain a healthy rhythm between serving others and allowing myself to rest and be formed by God?
Have I ever confused emotional satisfaction or human praise with spiritual consolation?
How can I become more attentive to the beginning, middle, and end of my thought patterns when discerning the spirits?
When faced with choices, do I seek repeated confirmation from God over time, or act on initial enthusiasm?
How does living with greater spiritual awareness lead me to the true freedom to love and serve God more fully?

Fr. Anthony Wieck is a Jesuit priest of the Central & Southern province. Sixth of nine children, raised on a farm in Oregon, Fr. Anthony began religious life in 1994, spending his first five years of formation in Rome, Italy, studying at the Casa Balthasar and the Gregorian. The former was under the watchful patronage of Pope Benedict XVI (then-Card. Joseph Ratzinger). Fr. Anthony currently acts as retreat master at White House Jesuit Retreat in St. Louis, Missouri. He also offers spiritual direction at the St. Louis diocesan seminary for 25 future priests there.