An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living - The Discernment of Spirits

Fr Timothy Gallagher makes the Ignatian spiritual exercises accessible to the lay. This guide carefully explains how to discern spiritual consolation from just feeling happy and spiritual desolation from feeling sad.

I loved the fact that the author explained Ignatius' rules in light of his own commentary accompanied by real-life examples. His intermittent recaps also helped me to read it over a longer period of time.

The Discernment of Spirits is the most inspiring book that I have ever read. It was very complete with great examples and easy to follow and understand.I have learned much from this book and it has improved my life greatly. It tells us how to discern between the good and evil spirit and how to avoid the tempting of the evil spirit. It is a must read for everyone in this day and age.

This book is a gold mine of straightforward methods to become more aware of the stirrings or movements of spiritual life. To identify, understand, and take proper action as needed, for the purpose of growing spiritually through times of trial or desolation, rather than blindly falling in them. Learning the first 14 Rules of St Ignatious' Spiritual Exercises or "Examen" has transformed my spiritual walk and prayer life, from being easily and habitually tossed by the tides of desolation, to being able to discern and properly act in the midst of trial; remaining in God's grace and maintaining my spiritual bearing during times of desolation. This book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how to stand firm in Christ through the ups and downs of life.

This book will be a real blessing for anybody who struggles in the spiritual life.i.e you.It is the best book I have read on spiritual matters as it is the most practical by far.Fr Gallagher is a gifted Priest who skillfully mines the teaching of St Ignatius .Filled with examples that will draw the reader in ,as they will readily identify with the characters in question and their inner turmoil and then be lead to rejoice at the path of discernment shown by Fr Gallagher.Discernment being the way to understand your anguish and oftentimes contradictory feelings.Now I realize that trying to advance in the life of the spirit without the practice of discernment is akin to driving at night without headlights.The greatest aspect of the book is that it is in no way vague.It avoids the pitfalls of most spiritual books that rely on a prosey style to keep you going.This is a fascinating read as it shows you the workings of your own soul.Fr Gallaghers book should be in every seminary and in the library of every serious Christian.

This book shows how a person moving toward God can recognize how evil and good work on us. With this book you will understand why a person feels depressed, lost and distant from God and what to do about it. The book will also help a person recognize God's positive movement in life and what to do about it.

If you are a believer and seeker who has not found God for years, this is the book for you. It applies to all Christians. I read the book and watched Fr. Gallagher on the Catholic TV website too. I truly have been a captive set free.

Wow. I attended an Ignatian school in grade school and again for University, but it wasn't until I read this book that my love for Saint Ignatius came to an informed reverence for the gift that God has given him to be able to prepare and form a movement of missionaries who faced the most adverse of conditions against physical, emotional and spiritual attacks. For a person who is seriously seeking God, the rules of discernment in this book are very helpful if not essential in making decisions that will bring him/her farther along in the journey.

Now if only this humble critic can only get these rules from his mind to his heart, then practice it with love, then he'll be set.

I think that every Christian can benefit from Saint Ignatius' teaching on the discernment of spirits and Father Gallagher's book is an excellent introduction.
If you want to get a flavour of the content or review it, there are some free podcasts from Father Gallagher available at [...] The podcasts follows very closely the book.
I came to know Father Gallagher through the podcasts and later I bought and read the book.

Ft. Gallagher does his own translation of the original 16th century text so he can better unpack and clarify the practical application of this time-honored and time-tested Spiritual Exercises. He shows us thru real-life examples how we can grow and mature in our Christian walk through consolation and desolation - i.e., we can grow in spite of whether we 'feel' the nearness of the Lord or not. Especially helpful is how to mature through the 'tough' times of desolation.

This book has taught me a lot about the spiritual movements within me and how to discern their origin. It is invaluable knowledge and I now can see how much time in my own life I have not truly progressed to a better state of being, because of a constant pulling in different directions and my inability to discern this pulling and which path to follow. My only complaint is that the author could have taught these principles with way less pages. At times, he appears to be "beating a dead horse" in repeating core ideas too many times. I found myself skimming through the areas he would repeat the same information.