Mary has requested that the daily message be given each day to the world. It is read nightly at the prayer service from her Image Building in Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A. This is according to her request. All attempts will be made to publish this daily message to the world at 11 p.m. Eastern time, U.S.A.


We acknowledge that the final authority regarding these messages rests with the Holy See of Rome.


I appear my children on this former bank building in Florida, Our Lady Clothed with the Sun.

June 21, 2004

June 22nd Holy Spirit Novena
Scripture selection is Day 1 Period I.

The Novena Rosary Mysteries
for June 22nd are Joyful.

                                 

                 

   

June 21, 2004

               

June 21, 2004

Jesus speaks:  My dear
                                Texas people, Massachusetts people,
                        Pennsylvania, Sidney, Toledo, Kansas, Iowa,
                        New York, Jasper, California, Colorado, Utah,
                        Washington and all other Shepherds of Christ Centers

                                I call you to unite deeply in prayer
                        to pray for the Priestly Newsletter and all
                        of its needs.

                            This is a time of great importance
                        for your world.

                            Unless a sufficient number of people
                        have given their heart to Me and your
                        Mother, there will not be peace in the
                        world.

                            Pray for the special intention for
                        the Priestly Newsletter and all its needs.

  

Prayer for the spiritual and financial success 
of the priestly newsletter.

    "Father, we ask Your special blessings upon the priestly newsletter, Shepherds of Christ. We ask that You open the priest-readers to the graces You wish to give them through this chosen instrument of Your Son. We also ask that You provide for the financial needs of the newsletter and the Shepherds of Christ Associates. We make our prayer through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, with Mary at our side. Amen"

      

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:       You are a body I have called
                        and have formed —
                         like a little duckling, I have held
                        you close to My Heart and formed you
                        in the ways of My Heart.

                            I am the Head. John the Baptist
                        was beheaded. He was to prepare the way
                        for the Lord.

                            My Mother appeared to lead you to
                        Me to My burning Heart on-fire for
                        love of you.

                            My Mother's head was knocked off.

                            I am the Head. Families and
                        churches must recognize that I am the
                        Head. All institutions must recognize
                        their Father in Heaven. I am the
                        Head. You are My body.

                            I am the Head, I am the Head, I am the Head,
                        I am the Head...

  

February 5, 2001

     

April 5, 2004

  

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:      Sing this song:  Come Unto Me All 
                                                    Who Are Weary

                            A woman had a statue and the
                        head fell off.

                            May 13, 1997 I spoke to you of
                        consecration of My Heart and My
                        Mother.  

May 13, 1997 Rosary

    

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:     At the end of the rosary, a big
                        wind came up and the statues
                        were blown over.

  

  

February 5, 2004

  

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:     The first rosary was done on Tom's
                        Farm June 25, 1996. What continued
                        there were very important times for the
                        Shepherds of Christ.

                            Your work in the Shepherds of Christ
                        is not completed.

                            The Shepherds of Christ Movement
                        is in its infancy stages. The work
                        of My Newsletter is far but complete.
                        Mary appeared for 7 years as Our Lady
                        of Clearwater. This was not recognized
                        by many. This should show you how
                        little devotion is given to Mary when
                        such a sign is given from Heaven
                        and how it was treated by the
                        earth.

                            Amen, Amen I say to you, Mary
                        is Mother of the Church. Priests
                        must be concerned about their holiness
                        and their Priestly Ministry.

                            A great gift I give to you in the
                        priests.

                            Until a sufficient number of people
                        consecrate their hearts to My Heart
                        and My Mother's Heart you will not
                        have peace in the world.

                        I am your God — Harken to Me.

Messenger:        I give my heart to Jesus, oh God
                        forgive us our sins.

                            Oh God the Father we come to the Mass,
                        we love You so much.

                            Oh God the Father we love You, we
                        love You, we love You, we lift our
                        hearts to You.

                            We have sinned against the Lord, we
                        have venerated other gods.

  

2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-15a, 16

The king of Assyria invaded the whole country and, coming to Samaria, laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah on the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

This happened because the Israelites had sinned against Yahweh their God who had brought them out of Egypt, out of the grip of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods, they followed the practices of the nations which Yahweh had dispossessed for them.

    And yet through all the prophets and the seers, Yahweh had given Israel and Judah this warning, ‘Turn from your wicked ways and keep my commandments and my laws in accordance with the entire Law which I laid down for your fathers and delivered to them through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen, they were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had no faith in Yahweh their God. They despised his laws and the covenant which he had made with their ancestors and the warnings which he had given them.

They rejected all the commandments of Yahweh their God and cast themselves metal idols, two calves; they made themselves sacred poles, they worshipped the whole array of heaven, and they served Baal.

  

Psalm 60: 3-5, 12-13  

You have forced your people to drink a bitter draught, 
forced us to drink a wine that made us reel. 
You gave a signal to those who fear you 
to let them escape out of range of the bow.             
Pause 

To rescue those you love, 
save with your right hand and answer us.

With God we shall do deeds of valour, 
he will trample down our enemies.

   

June 21, 2004 message continues

Messenger:     Dear Holy Spirit help us to be holy
                            help us not to judge

  

Matthew 7: 1-5  

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the standard you use will be the standard used for you. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the great log in your own? And how dare you say to your brother, "Let me take that splinter out of your eye," when, look, there is a great log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

 

Click here to read messages from Jesus.

  

March 18, 1994

  

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:     I call you to love.
                            You are not like Me if you are unloving.

                            Oh My people bring the children
                                to Me.

                            People who are at church must
                                be a light.

                            Rules may "bog" you down until
                                you are just like a man
                                with a ball and chain.

                            Rules are put in place to help you —
                                how are you if you do not love and
                                you become a mean person
                                enforcing the law.

                            I appear in Clearwater to tell the
                                world of My love.

                            I appear in Clearwater to lead
                                men to My Heart.

                            A man worried how he would do
                                everything, he was irritable, he
                                was concerned with events —
                                when people saw him he was
                                angry and not at peace — nor
                                did he have joy inside over
                                his love of God.

                            He did not operate in love —
                                love of God —
                                love for others —

                            He was blind — he was prideful —
                                he did not see the splinter in
                                his own eye —
                                He judged his neighbors —
                                He was angry —

                            Let Me tell you something —
                                the devil can tempt people and
                                tempt them and many give in.
                            Mike went to work at a Church
                                daily. Mike was over many in
                                the parish. Mike prayed very
                                much and tried to be like Jesus.

                            Carol was a woman in her
                                30's she heard promptings
                                all the time that led her in
                                the wrong direction. She never
                                discerned the spirits. She was
                                prideful believing all she did
                                was right. She hurt others constantly,
                                she was unloving, harsh and
                                did what she heard in these
                                promptings inside without even
                                thinking where is this prompting
                                coming from.

                                She hurt the parish, the people,
                            the whole institution. She controlled
                            things by causing disharmony, she
                            was selfish. She did not think
                            of others and how they felt — she as
                            totally focused on herself.

                                It is important to discern the spirits.
                            Promptings can come from the good Spirit,
                            the evil one or thoughts from the person.
                            The thoughts from the person can be good or bad —
                            according to God's will or not according to God's will.

                                The spiritual exercises have two very
                            good sections on discernment of spirits.
                            The problem can come in communities,
                            families, parishes where a person believes
                            that all their inner promptings come
                            from God and then they act on them.

                                In the Blue Book messages the
                            distinction is clearly made how satan
                            talks in the head and I speak in the
                            heart.

                                A person that is unloving, that is
                            cruel to others for the sense of one's own
                            vain promotion is not acting as I
                            would act. I am Love, but I give
                            you the ten commandments to follow,
                            I work in structure. In the message given
                            "I want Both Feet Off the Ground" I was
                            speaking to My messenger who was working
                            closely with someone who was discerning
                            these messages.

                                It is clear that a person who acts on
                            every thought or prompting can get themselves
                            and others into trouble.

                                I do not contradict Myself in
                            telling you to follow the promptings of your
                            heart and not to listen to satan speaking
                            in your head, but I warn you there is
                            much pride in the person who acts on
                            those promptings they receive in their heads
                            and then they have hurt others and
                            been told by a spiritual director to stop
                            it, that they are being led by the wrong
                            spirit, it is because the devil wishes
                            to continue to use them that they tell
                            themselves they are right and others are
                            wrong.

                                The devil works in giving many false
                            messages to people.

                                I have showed you in the daily messages
                            through many stories and writings the
                            workings of satan. I have unveiled to you
                            many of satan's tactics that you would
                            not fall into a pit.

                                Likewise I have revealed to you the
                            most intimate secrets of My Heart,
                            unveiling insight into the hidden
                            mysteries.

                                You are a fool if you do not discern
                            the spirits and act "willy-nilly".

                                Lets go back to the case of Mike and
                            Carol. Mike was to lead the parish and
                            the parish council to peace and harmony,
                            working with the diverse personalities,
                            all of the different ideas and arriving
                            at, with the help of council and the
                            priest, the best action for the parish.
                            Carol was argumentative, competitive,
                            wounded from other relationships in other places 
                            before she got there. She felt inside herself she
                            was never accepted. She was not concerned
                            with the work at hand or the good of
                            the parish. Her whole actions were geared
                            to resolve the unsolved crisis
                            relationship problems of her past life
                            (to validate herself as competent and accepted).

                                In her own family, which was
                            alcoholic, she was the scapegoat.
                            She was trying to report to others
                            she was capable, in charge, and
                            needed. Her intention was to make
                            herself be finally accepted and
                            looked up to by all. Her main focus
                            was herself — always. She could not get
                            out of that focus. As soon as she
                            walked in the room she was ready to
                            fight for her place.

                                My people, the devil wants division,
                            he is a snarling lion. He works in
                            institutions. He works to divide.

                                A woman was given a key to a
                            church and told not to give it to
                            anyone else by the head priest.

                                Another woman was very forceful
                            and wanted to get in the church ahead
                            of time. She went to the woman
                            entrusted with the key and "badgered"
                            her, she was argumentative, forceful
                            and would not take "no" for an
                            answer. The woman entrusted with
                            the key gave the second woman the
                            key to the church against her will
                            and upset to do so. The 2nd woman
                            now with the key went to the church
                            with 5 other people, let them all in
                            and she said they all had visions that
                            would not have happened if she
                            had not been given the key.

                                She may have had visions, all of them too,
                            but it stands to reason these visions
                            may have been from the evil one.
                            God works in structure. We must obey those
                            over  us.

                                The person entrusted with the key
                            should not have given into the forceful
                            person wanting the key unless she
                            had asked the priest's permission.

                                This is a simple case but it can
                            be used to show many instances
                            where disobedience against the structure
                            flowing from God is not right. I work
                            in structure. I am the Head. I
                            work through the Church. I work
                            through the priest. Satan attacks
                            the structure. Satan wants to discredit
                            the authority in religious institutions.
                            Satan wants to discredit the head.

                                You know how satan has attacked
                            parental authority to weaken the family
                            structure, to help the children to rise
                            up over their parents. This is not to
                            say that some parents have acted
                            wrongly and hurt their children. In
                            these instances there may need to be
                            action taken against the parents.

                                I work in My Church, I work
                            in structure. Satan has tried to
                            discredit the priests. Like the parents
                            that have hurt their children
                            because of misconduct, some priests
                            have hurt many people through their
                            misconduct and their actions must
                            be attended to. But, satan tries to
                            discredit the good authority, the ones
                            connected to Me.

                                Sin entered the world. The devil
                            is real.

    

Genesis Chapter 3

   Now, the snake was the most subtle of all the wild animals that Yahweh God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the snake, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, "You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death." ’ Then the snake said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was enticing for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig–leaves together to make themselves loin–cloths.

   The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. But Yahweh God called to the man. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden,’ he replied. ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked. ‘Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then Yahweh God said to the woman, ‘Why did you do that?’ The woman replied, ‘The snake tempted me and I ate.’

   Then Yahweh God said to the snake, ‘Because you have done this,

    Accursed be you of
    all animals wild and tame!
    On your belly you will go
    and on dust you will feed
    as long as you live.
    I shall put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
    it will bruise your head
    and you will strike its heel.’

     To the woman he said:

     I shall give you intense pain
        in childbearing,
     you will give birth to your children
        in pain.
     Your yearning will be for your husband,
      and he will dominate you.

   To the man he said, ‘Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat,

     Accursed be the soil because of you!
     Painfully will you get your food from it
     as long as you live.
   It will yield you brambles and thistles,
     as you eat the produce of the land.
   By the sweat of your face
     will you earn your food,
     until you return to the ground,
     as you were taken from it.
     For dust you are
     and to dust you shall return.’

   The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live. Yahweh God made tunics of skins for the man and his wife and clothed them. Then Yahweh God said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us in knowing good from evil, he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick from the tree of life too, and eat and live for ever!’ So Yahweh God expelled him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken. He banished the man, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the great winged creatures and the fiery flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

  

Genesis 4: 1-10

The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. ‘I have acquired a man with the help of Yahweh,’ she said. She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil. Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for Yahweh, while Abel for his part brought the first–born of his flock and some of their fat as well. Yahweh looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. Yahweh asked Cain, ‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are doing right, surely you ought to hold your head high! But if you are not doing right, Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him.’ Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out’; and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and killed him. 

    Yahweh asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I do not know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s guardian?’ ‘What have you done?’ Yahweh asked. ‘Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.

      

Numbers 12: 1-10

Miriam, and Aaron too, criticised Moses over the Cushite woman he had married. He had indeed married a Cushite woman. They said, ‘Is Moses the only one through whom Yahweh has spoken? Has he not spoken through us too?’ Yahweh heard this. Now Moses was extremely humble, the humblest man on earth.

Suddenly Yahweh said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, ‘Come out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting.’ They went, all three of them, and Yahweh descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forward. Yahweh said: 

    Listen to my words! 
        if there is a prophet among you, 
    I reveal myself to him in a vision, 
        I speak to him in a dream. 
    Not so with my servant Moses; 
        to him my whole household 
            is entrusted; 
    to him I speak face to face, 
        plainly and not in riddles, 
        and he sees Yahweh’s form. 
    How, then, could you dare 
        to criticise my servant Moses?

Yahweh’s anger was aroused by them. He went away, and as soon as the cloud left the Tent, there was Miriam covered with a virulent skin–disease, white as snow! Aaron turned to look at her and saw that she had contracted a virulent skin–disease.

  

Genesis 18: 9-15

    ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘She is in the tent,’ he replied. Then his guest said, ‘I shall come back to you next year, and then your wife Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, and Sarah had ceased to have her monthly periods. So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ‘Now that I am past the age of childbearing, and my husband is an old man, is pleasure to come my way again?’ But Yahweh asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?" Nothing is impossible for Yahweh. I shall come back to you at the same time next year and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah said, ‘I did not laugh,’ lying because she was afraid. But he replied, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’

  

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:     Satan is the father of lies.

  

Revelation 14: 4-5

These are the sons who have kept their virginity and not been defiled with women they follow the Lamb wherever he goes; they, out of all people, have been redeemed to be the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths and no fault can be found in them.

    

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:         My dear priests, I want you to hear
                            the voice of the Good Shepherd in these
                            messages and prayers to pray for the
                            priests, the Church and the world, to
                            help to lead the priest and the people
                            deeper into consecration of Our two Hearts.

  

From Mary's peace plan

"Until a sufficient number of people have consecrated their hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we will not have peace in the world."

  

Excerpt from December 6, 1996

The present condition of the world

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Peace will come when hearts are hearts of love. The scales must shift. It will happen through the consecration. Mary's peace plan: until a sufficient amount of people consecrate their hearts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we will not have peace.

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The Father looks to the earth; He sees much darkness.

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The Father looks to the earth. There are few hearts fervently in love with God. The hearts of love light up the earth. It is as lights on a Christmas tree. It is sparsely lighted by a few hearts. Therefore, the tree looks dark.

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As the Shepherds of Christ Movement spreads (as well as other movements focused on spreading consecration to Their Hearts) the tree is covered with more hearts and the earth becomes more lighted.

The tree is covered with hearts consecrated to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The tree is illuminated.

As the Shepherds of Christ apostles spread the consecration to the Church, the family, and the school, the tree is covered with lights and the earth is covered with the fire of His love.

End of excerpt from December 6, 1996

 

June 21, 2004 message continues

Jesus speaks:         Ten days later Mary appeared on
                            the building in Clearwater in rainbow
                            color, the Lady clothed with the sun.

                                This is a major part of the Fatima
                            mission.

                                Harken to Me, I am the Head,
                            Mary is the reflection.

                                A city set on a hill will shine its
                            light to the rest of the world. You will
                            be that city. I want you to feed My
                            people. There are top of the mountain
                            experiences and there are bottom of
                            the mountain problems that can
                            drag you from the top of the mountain
                            every day.

                                Satan wants to keep you bound up
                            in problems at the bottom of the
                            mountain all day. I called a particular
                            place and My Mother appeared over
                            and over again. People were divided
                            continually, seeking their own vain
                            glory. Division of this sort tears the
                            place apart. There was a discernment
                            board that were leaders that manipulated
                            events for their own purpose of pride
                            and glory. I was not the Head, but
                            they were and a person sat on My
                            throne, gave directions and manipulated
                            events for their own power. There were
                            two places that because of the division
                            and power seekers that structure folded.

                                A person must look at their actions,
                            discern the spirits, and see if their
                            actions are from God, the evil one, or
                            actions from their own thoughts, which
                            are according to God's will or against
                            God's will.

                                When Mike talked to Carol it
                            was impossible for him to handle
                            anything because she believed
                            anyone that corrected her in any way
                            was attacking her and it was
                            always a battle of wills — she made
                            a decision to herself she would never
                            be under anyone again because
                            she was a scapegoat so long.

                                Whenever she dealt with Mike
                            she threatened to take him to the
                            priest, the bishop, she saw herself
                            as over him.

                                Her disharmony affected the
                            dealings in the church, it was
                            hidden, and not understood
                            because of the sneakiness with
                            which she acted in the lack of recognition
                            of how satan worked in the actions
                            of people in that parish.

                                Discernment of Spirits — where
                            actions come from are vital.

                                Melissa was a DRE in another
                            parish. Melissa knew the power of
                            the rosary and prayed it continually,
                            she had a very mature spiritual life,
                            but she did not attend to the problems
                            in the parish that she needed to. She
                            put problems under the rug that she
                            needed to address and said, "God will
                            handle it." If someone carried off a
                            piece of furniture and they worked
                            there, it needed to be handled.

                                George was the DRE in his parish.
                            He stuck to the rules to a "tee". Many
                            times he would get promptings for
                            actions that needed to be discerned.
                            He ran in like a "bull in a china
                            shop" and reprimanded the people
                            working in the parish because he
                            was taunted by satan and he
                            acted as if he acted in the line of
                            justice. His manners were not loving,
                            his correction was not needed at that
                            time and he needed prayer to act
                            justly and according to the way the
                            Holy Spirit would act, not the way
                            he did. After he was forceful, unloving
                            and abusive, he did not recognize his
                            bad behavior and soon the people left
                            that parish because of his lack of love
                            and his pride in giving into the
                            evil one prompting his actions.

                                You must discern the spirits and
                            see if satan is talking in your head,
                            telling you to do some "bizarre" thing.
                            Then pride keeps the person stuck —
                            where they can act very unloving,
                            boisterously loud and work out
                            past problems in relationships
                            with others that are not ways of
                            acting as I desire.

                                Argumentation is a way the
                            devil works to take control.

                                But others in positions under authority
                            may take control by argumentation with
                            leaders. Obedience to leaders is vital.

         
  

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. pp. 141-146

313. RULES FOR DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
I

Rules for understanding to some extent the different movements produced in the soul and for recognizing those that are good to admit them, and those that are bad, to reject them. These rules are more suited to the first week
  

314.  I.  In the case of those who go from one mortal sin to another, the enemy is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures. He fills their imagination with sensual delights and gratifications, the more readily to keep them in their vices and increase the number of their sins.

    With such persons the good spirit uses a method which is the reverse of the above. Making use of the light of reason, he will rouse the sting of conscience and fill them with remorse.

315.  2.  In the case of those who go on earnestly striving to cleanse their souls from sin and who seek to rise in the service of God our Lord to greater perfection, the method pursued is the opposite of that mentioned in the first rule.

    Then it is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness, to raise obstacles backed by fallacious reasonings that disturb the soul. Thus he seeks to prevent the soul from advancing.

    It is characteristic of the good spirit, however, to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations, and peace. This He does by making all easy, by removing all obstacles so that the soul goes forward in doing good.

316.  3.  SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION.  I call it consolation when an interior movement is aroused in the soul, by which it is inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord, and as a consequence, can love no creature on the face of the earth for its own sake, but only in the Creator of them all. It is likewise consolation when one sheds tears that move to the love of God, whether it be because of sorrow for sins, or because of the sufferings of Christ our Lord, or for any other reason that is immediately directed to the praise and service of God. Finally, I call consolation every increase of faith, hope, and love, and all interior joy that invites and attracts to what is heavenly and to the salvation of one's soul by filling it with peace and quiet in its Creator and Lord.

317.  4.  SPIRITUAL DESOLATION.  I call desolation what is entirely the opposite of what is described in the third rule, as darkness of soul, turmoil of spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness rising from many disturbances and temptations which lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love. The soul is wholly slothful, tepid, sad, and separated, as it were, from its Creator and Lord. For just as consolation is the opposite of desolation, so the thoughts that spring from consolation are the opposite of those that spring from desolation.

318.  5.  In time of desolation we should never make any change, but remain firm and constant in the resolution and decision which guided us the day before the desolation, or in the decision to which we adhered in the preceding consolation. For just as in consolation the good spirit guides and counsels us, so in desolation the evil spirit guides and counsels. Following his counsels we can never find the way to a right decision.

319.  6.  Though in desolation we must never change our former resolutions, it will be very advantageous to intensify our activity against the desolation. We can insist more upon prayer, upon meditation, and on much examination of ourselves. We can make an effort in a suitable way to do some penance.

320.  7.  When one is in desolation, he should be mindful that God has left him to his natural powers to resist the different agitations and temptations of the enemy in order to try him. He can resist with the help of God, which always remains, though he may not clearly perceive it. For though God has taken from him the abundance of fervor and overflowing love and the intensity of His favors, nevertheless, he has sufficient grace for eternal salvation.

321.  8.  When one is in desolation, he should strive to persevere in patience. This reacts against the vexations that have overtaken him. Let him consider, too, that consolation will soon return, and in the meantime, he must diligently use the means against desolation which have been given in the sixth rule.

322.  9.  The principal reasons why we suffer from desolation are three:

    The first is because we have been tepid and slothful or negligent in our exercises of piety, and so through our own fault spiritual consolation has been taken away from us.

    The second reason is because God wishes to try us, to see how much we are worth, and how much we will advance in His service and praise when left without the generous reward of consolations and signal favors.

    The third reason is because God wishes to give us a true knowledge and understanding of ourselves, so that we may have an intimate perception of the fact that it is not within our power to acquire and attain great devotion, intense love, tears, or any other spiritual consolation; but that all this is the gift and grace of God our Lord. God does not wish us to build on the property of another, to rise up in spirit in a certain pride and vainglory and attribute to ourselves the devotion and other effects of spiritual consolation.

323.  10.  When one enjoys consolation, let him consider how he will conduct himself during the time of ensuing desolation, and store up a supply of strength as defense against that day.

324.  11.  He who enjoys consolation should take care to humble himself and lower himself as much as possible. Let him recall how little he is able to do in time of desolation, when he is left without such grace or consolation.

    On the other hand, one who suffers desolation should remember that by making use of the sufficient grace offered him, he can do much to withstand all his enemies. Let him find his strength in his Creator and Lord.

325.  12.  The enemy conducts himself as a woman. He is a weakling before a show of strength, and a tyrant if he has his will. It is characteristic of a woman in a quarrel with a man to lose courage and take to flight if the man shows that he is determined and fearless. However, if the man loses courage and begins to flee, the anger, vindictiveness, and rage of the woman surge up and know no bounds. In the same way, the enemy becomes weak, loses courage, and turns to flight with his seductions as soon as one leading a spiritual life faces his temptations boldly, and does exactly the opposite of what he suggests. However, if one begins to be afraid and to lose courage in temptations, no wild animal on earth can be more fierce than the enemy of our human nature. He will carry out his perverse intentions with consummate malice.

326.  13.  Our enemy may also be compared in his manner of acting to a false lover. He seeks to remain hidden and does not want to be discovered. If such a lover speaks with evil intention to the daughter of a good father, or to the wife of a good husband, and seeks to seduce them, he wants his words and solicitations kept secret. He is greatly displeased if his evil suggestions and depraved intentions are revealed by the daughter to her father, or by the wife to her husband. Then he readily sees he will not succeed in what he has begun. In the same way, when the enemy of our human nature tempts a just soul with his wiles and seductions, he earnestly desires that they be received secretly and kept secret. But if one manifests them to a confessor, or to some other spiritual person who understands his deceits and malicious designs, the evil one is very much vexed. For he knows that he cannot succeed in his evil undertaking, once his evident deceits have been revealed.

327.  14.  The conduct of our enemy may also be compared to the tactics of a leader intent upon seizing and plundering a position he desires. A commander and leader of an army will encamp, explore the fortifications and defenses of the stronghold, and attack at the weakest point. In the same way, the enemy of our human nature investigates from every side all our virtues, theological, cardinal, and moral. Where he finds the defenses of eternal salvation weakest and most deficient, there he attacks and tries to take us by storm.

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

  

   

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.
    

328. RULES FOR DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
II

Further rules for understanding the different movements produced in the soul. They serve for a more accurate discernment of spirits and are more suitable for the second week
  

329.  I.  It is characteristic of God and His Angels, when they act upon the soul, to give true happiness and spiritual joy, and to banish all the sadness and disturbances which are caused by the enemy.
   It is characteristic of the evil one to fight against such happiness and consolation by proposing fallacious reasonings, subtilties, and continual deceptions.

330.  2.  God alone can give consolation to the soul without any previous cause. It belongs solely to the Creator to come into a soul, to leave it, to act upon it, to draw it wholly to the love of His Divine Majesty. I said without previous cause, that is, without any preceding perception or knowledge of any subject by which a soul might be led to such a consolation through its own acts of intellect and will.

331.  3.  If a cause precedes, both the good angel and the evil spirit can give consolation to a soul, but for a quite different purpose. The good angel consoles for the progress of the soul, that it may advance and rise to what is more perfect. The evil spirit consoles for purposes that are the contrary, and that afterwards he might draw the soul to his own perverse intentions and wickedness.

332.  4.  It is a mark of the evil spirit to assume the appearance of an angel of light. He begins by suggesting thoughts that are suited to a devout soul, and ends by suggesting his own. For example, he will suggest holy and pious thoughts that are wholly in conformity with the sanctity of the soul. Afterwards, he will endeavor little by little to end by drawing the soul into his hidden snares and evil designs.

333.  5.  We must carefully observe the whole course of our thoughts. If the beginning and middle and end of the course of thoughts are wholly good and directed to what is entirely right, it is a sign that they are from the good angel. But the course of thoughts suggested to us may terminate in something evil, or distracting, or less good than the soul had formerly proposed to do. Again, it may end in what weakens the soul, or disquiets it; or by destroying the peace, tranquility, and quiet which it had before, it may cause disturbance to the soul. These things are a clear sign that the thoughts are proceeding from the evil spirit, the enemy of our progress and eternal salvation.

334.  6.  When the enemy of our human nature has been detected and recognized by the trail of evil marking his course and by the wicked end to which he leads us, it will be profitable for one who has been tempted to review immediately the whole course of the temptation. Let him consider the series of good thoughts, how they arose, how the evil one gradually attempted to make him step down from the state of spiritual delight and joy in which he was, till finally he drew him to his wicked designs. The purpose of this review is that once such an experience has been understood and carefully observed, we may guard ourselves for the future against the customary deceits of the enemy.

335.  7.  In souls that are progressing to greater perfection, the action of the good angel is delicate, gentle, delightful. It may be compared to a drop of water penetrating a sponge.
    The action of the evil spirit upon such souls is violent, noisy, and disturbing. It may be compared to a drop of water falling upon a stone.
    In souls that are going from bad to worse, the action of the spirits mentioned above is just the reverse. The reason for this is to be sought in the opposition or similarity of these souls to the different kinds of spirits. When the disposition is contrary to that of the spirits, they enter with noise and commotion that are easily perceived. When the disposition is similar to that of the spirits, they enter silently, as one coming into his own house when the doors are open.

336.  8.  When consolation is without previous cause, as was said, there can be no deception in it, since it can proceed from God our Lord only. But a spiritual person who has received such a consolation must consider it very attentively, and must cautiously distinguish the actual time of the consolation from the period which follows it. At such a time the soul is still fervent and favored with the grace and aftereffects of the consolation which has passed. In this second period the soul frequently forms various resolutions and plans which are not granted directly by God our Lord. They may come from our own reasoning on the relations of our concepts and on the consequences of our judgments, or they may come from the good or evil spirit. Hence, they must be carefully examined before they are given full approval and put into execution.

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

     
  

  

  

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