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© 2013 Augustine Institute. All Rights Reserved. 1

spiritual FormationPrayer & Devotion

DISCERNMENT OF SPIRIT (Ignatian Spirituality)

OBJECTIVE: Teens will examine how they can respond to the promptings of grace in order to enter (or re-enter) into relationship with God.

SCRIPTURE REFRENCE: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 4:1

CATECHISM REFRENCE: “The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father: the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father’s house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father’s generous welcome; the father’s joy—all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life—pure, worthy, and joyful—of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.” —CCC 1439(Also see paragraphs 211, 270, 1489, and 1781.)

SESSION SNAPSHOT: Teens will discover three key coaching elements from studying St. Ignatius: how to set goals for a holy life (First Principle and Foundation), how the Rules for Discernment of Spirits apply to daily life, and how the Ignatian Examination of Conscience draws us closer to God.

Review the entire lesson plan in advance so you are prepared to lead and discuss comfortably. Gather necessary supplies and review any songs or video clips prior to your gathering. Adjust the suggested time allotments as necessary.


Time Section Section Overview10 minutes Dig In Open the session with the Suscipe (Latin

for “receive”) and a quick listening-and-guiding game.

5 minutes Plant Seeds Read CCC 1439 to present the importance of ridding oneself of sinful attachments for relationship with God.

50 minutes Sink Roots Teens will do a skit to help them understand how St. Ignatius—like a good coach—identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.

20 minutes Live It! Teens will apply what they just discovered to their own lives by learning the Ignatian method for the Examination of Conscience. (This is a guided meditation.)

2 minutes Bear Fruit Encourage the teens to get to the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week - the whole session really moves toward this culminating Sacramental experience.

5 minutes Closing Prayer As you close in prayer, encourage the teens to find a quiet place to make the Daily Examination of Conscience each evening and to get to the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week.


SUPPLIES NEEDED:

➜ A Bible

➜ Blindfolds (enough for half the group)

➜ Teens’ smart phones

➜ The Catechism of the Catholic Church

➜ Props for skit (if you want to spice it up!)

➜ Teen Sheets

➜ Paper

➜ Pens or pencils

➜ Snacks (optional)

PREPARE IN ADVANCE:

➜ Take a few minutes to read a brief biography of St. Ignatius’ life. You can find a good one here (including videos): ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/st-ignatius-loyola/.

➜ Before you lead an Examination of Conscience for the teens, it may be helpful to pray it on your own the few days leading up to the session.

Text, tweet and/or update your group’s Facebook page to remind the teens about the gathering. Use messages something like this prior to the session:

• Looking forward to our gathering on [day]. What R we doing? Let’s just say that I’ll be your coach. C U @ [time].

• What’s UR game plan? And do you understand UR opponent? Let’s huddle up and talk about it: [day, time] @ [place].

As teens arrive, offer snacks and drinks—people tend to talk more freely and mingle more when they have some food in their hands or are gathered around a common table.


Welcome teens and gather them together for discussion when everyone has arrived.

SAY: Sometimes we all need a little guidance and direction to get where we’re going in life. Let’s do a quick activity to demonstrate this.

Find a partner and choose which one of you will wear a blindfold. Once your blindfold is in place, your seeing partner is going to go to the other side of the room and use his or her words and voice to guide you as you walk across the room. Just for fun, we’ll put a few obstacles along the course, so one partner will have to give clear directions while the other person will have to be a good listener. Are you ready? GO!

Place objects such as chairs and garbage cans around the room as obstacles. Let partners switch roles so each can have a chance to listen and be coached. Make sure everyone is giving directions at the same time so it becomes difficult for them to discern their partners’ voices. SAY: Each person had a chance to listen to directions. Take a few minutes to talk about what made listening to your partner easy and what was difficult. Then say how this activity was like or unlike listening to God.

Allow three to four minutes for discussion.

SAY: Today we’re going to take a look at the importance of getting guidance in our spiritual life. This session’s opening prayer appears in St. Ignatius’ retreat manual called The Spiritual Exercises. This prayer touches on two important things we’ll be talking about:

➜ The surrender of earthly and sinful attachments…

➜ In order to enter more deeply into a relationship with God.

Have teens pray the Suscipe (pronounced sus-CHEEP-ay) together. It is printed on the Teen Sheet.

PRAY: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

DIG IN


SAY: Let’s take a look at a reading from the Catechism to help us get started on our topic for the evening.

Ask a volunteer to read CCC 1439 aloud. It’s on the Teen Sheet. ASK: Do any of you know what a life coach is?

Hopefully you get an answer along the lines of what lifecoach.com says: “Life coaches help people overcome the obstacles life puts in their path, guide them toward accomplishing their goals and dreams, and give them the clarity and motivation to unlock their full potential.”

ASK: How would a life coach been a benefit to the prodigal son?

SAY: One huge point we take away from the story of the prodigal son is that the son was made for relationship with his father—and he was only truly happy when he returned and remained in relationship with his father. He had confused goals and pursued things he thought would make him happy, but they instead left him empty. The same holds true for our lives. Life is really all about relationship. We really need a “Life Coach” to show us the path to relationship with God so we can have healthy relationships with one another. Thank goodness the Son of God took on flesh to show us the way (see CCC 456-460). The Church also recognizes saints for us who act as additional role models, or “life coaches.” One such saint is Ignatius of Loyola. We’ll talk about him today.

Participate in games and even volunteer to go first. This may help to break the ice while providing an example for teens.

PLANT SEEDS


ASK: How many of you have smartphones?

Have teens get into small groups (hopefully pairs or trios), each with access to a smartphone for this next activity. Instruct them to search online for a biography of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Each small group should identify three interesting points about his life to share with the large group. Allow a few minutes for the smartphone internet search.

SAY: Ignatius spent a lot of time writing about all of his experiences in a work that has become known as The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. This is almost like a playbook that a coach would give his or her team, as it is filled with many of Ignatius’ own personal and practical insights about the spiritual life and the process of conversion. Like any good coach, Ignatius starts his Spiritual Exercises by identifying the goal.

A Good Coach Starts with the Goal and a Game Plan (First Principle and Foundation)

➜ Have teens take turns reading each of the five points of the First Principle and Foundation. Ask teens to explain the point in their own words.

➜ Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

➜ The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created.

➜ Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attaining of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him.

➜ Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things in as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition. Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life. The same holds for all other things.

SINK ROOTS


➜ Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created.

—From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius as translated by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.

SAY: St. Ignatius, in the First Principle and Foundation, essentially lays out a goal and a game plan. We are heading toward God—this is where true and lasting happiness lies (and Ignatius had plenty of experience in the emptiness of sin to back that up). God has given us a number of other created things, and even friendships, to help us on the journey, but sin has muddied our vision and we often turn to the created things instead of to the Creator. Here’s where the game plan comes in (which Ignatius essentially lays out in points 2–5).

ASK: Have you ever had an experience on a team or with friends where you felt like you didn’t have a goal, direction, or purpose?

EXPLAIN:

➜ Why is clearly stating a goal an important first step?

➜ What are things that can lead a person away from the ultimate goal of living in relationship with God?

Scouting Report: A Good Coach Understands the Opponent (Discernment of Spirits) SAY: St. Ignatius doesn’t just give us a goal and an abstract game plan; he provides his life as a model. Some of the key experiences of his life involved discernment of spirits. Pause for a moment and ask if anyone knows what you mean by “discernment of spirits.”

SAY: Let’s start by defining “discernment.” Discernment is a sifting or weighing process; it is the ability to judge well between things. Remember how we had to discern between who we were listening to for directions when everyone else was talking in the opening activity?

When we discern, we want to hang onto things that are truly good for us, and let go of those things which may have the illusion of being good, but really aren’t (see Philippians 1:9-10 on the Teen Sheet). This can be easy enough to see when it comes to discerning between simple things (like whether or not to eat an apple or a candy bar), but what about discerning spirits? Here, Ignatius draws


again from his experience while recovering from the cannonball wound. As he considered his life, the direction he was heading in, and what the future may have had in store, he noticed “interior movements.”

A movement could simply be characterized as a feeling, inclination, or even words or thoughts happening in the heart; that inner place that CCC 2563 (found on the Teen Sheet) calls our “hidden center.” Ignatius realized that these movements were caused by good and evil spirits acting upon him. He realized that it was crucial to follow the good spirits and reject the evil ones if he wanted real, lasting happiness. Some words of St. Paul provide support for Ignatius’ experience: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 4:1

Let’s do a little skit, or role-play, to help us understand.

If the group is big enough (six or more), split the group in half and let each half take a different scenario.

➜ Scenario #1: Soul advancing in life of sin.

➜ Scenario #2: Soul progressing toward virtue.

In both scenarios, identify the one individual who will play the role of the Soul. Each scenario will also need one or two people to play the role of the Evil Spirit and another one or two to play the role of the Good Spirit.

• The skit will work best if the Good Spirit and Evil Spirit stand facing one anotherabout 10 feet apart. The Soul stands in the middle and faces the spirit toward which he or she is heading.

• Encourage the teens to get creative with their script or improv performance, while using the information below to guide their words and actions. (Discuss these descriptions together before they begin.)

• Teens should identify a scenario that the Soul finds him/herself in. An example might be deciding whether or not to go to a party.

• Remind the Soul to “play along” with the spirits and move in one direction or another based upon the strength of the appeals.


For a Soul in the Life of Sin

Evil Spirit: Proposes apparent pleasures; fills imagination with sensual delights; entices them to remain in their vices; puts off or lessens worries and fears about sin; invites presumption upon God’s mercy.

Good Spirit: Makes use of the light of reason; appeals to conscience; stings conscience with healthy guilt; fills sinner with remorse; invites/challenges to change.

For a Soul Progressing in Virtue

Evil Spirit: Harasses with anxiety; afflicts with sadness in spirituality; raises imaginary obstacles; proposes fallacious reasoning; disturbs the soul with doubts and excuses.

Good Spirit: Gives courage and strength; inspires consolation and tears; makes progress natural and easy; removes obstacles to progress; reassures and gives peace.

Direct teens to the “Discernment of Spirits: Rule #1” section on their Teen Sheets, and distribute paper and writing utensils so they can jot down some ideas.

Give the teens 10 minutes to prepare their skits. Then allow them to perform the skits for the group. Interject with questions if what they are presenting is unclear. The goal of the skit is to allow them to actually see and hear the voices of the spirits, which should become clear based upon daily experience. SAY: Identifying the direction you’re facing, and recognizing how the spirits act upon you based upon that direction, is just the first rule for discernment that Ignatius proposes. Did you see how clearly Ignatius identifies the actions of both the good spirit and the evil spirit? He is just like a coach who has a good scouting report and really knows the strengths, weaknesses, and strategies of the opponent.

We are created for an intense and intimate relationship with God, a relationship of love that totally transforms all of our other friendships and relationships. In order to enter into that relationship, we have to respond to God’s grace and remove the things that are blocking our progress toward God. Or, we may not even be facing the right direction at all right now—literally cruising on the wide and speedy highway to hell. Where are you? Where are you headed right now? Where are you letting God into your life, and where have you closed the door?


Again, St. Ignatius, our coach, has a workout for us—a way we can identify where we are in relation to God and sin, virtue and vice.

Where Are You Headed? (Examination of Conscience) SAY: Now let’s make a personal step, which is the whole point of this session. This will require us to be quiet and see ourselves in action—as if we were watching a film of ourselves performing or playing in the big game. St. Ignatius, our coach, proposes that we engage in a daily Examination of Conscience in order to do this.

The Examination of Conscience is a brief (5 to 10 minute) meditation upon your day, and it consists of several key steps:

Have teens refer to the steps on their Teen Sheets and take turns reading the various points. Add your own insights or additional instructions you may have picked up on, based upon your experience.

➜ Thanksgiving: Open by giving thanks to God for favors and benefits received throughout the day.

➜ Beg for Grace: Ask God for the grace to know sins and areas of sin, and to be rid of them. Beg that the Holy Spirit would guide this time of prayer.

➜ Account of Actions: Examine your actions of the day, hour by hour, fromthe moment you woke until the present moment. Examine your actions first, then the thoughts and words behind or motivating the act. Do this for every particular fault that may have occurred. Pay attention to the movements of the heart. Did you waver in your decision to sin before you did it? Did you feel the pull of God not to do it? (This is a practice in the rule of discernment of spirits listed above).

➜ Repentance: Express sorrow for the sins committed and ask God for forgiveness. Do this while imagining that you are having a face-to-face conversation with Jesus himself.

➜ Resolutions: Ask for the grace to come up with specific resolutions to make amends for the wrong that was done.

LIVE IT!


➜ Recited Prayer: End the Examination with a recited prayer (such as the Our Father).

SAY: Let’s pray through the Examination of Conscience together. I will guide you through the steps. You will simply pray quietly and follow my promptings as I move us from step to step.

Begin and end with the Sign of the Cross.

As you lead the teens through the Examination, you can simply introduce each step by rereading the descriptions above.

Don’t get too concerned about micromanaging the time for each portion here. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. With that said, the following estimates might be helpful:

• Thanksgiving 1 min.

• Beg for Grace 1 min.

• Account of Actions 3–5 min.

• Repentance 2 min.

• Resolutions 1 min.

Invite the group to pray the Our Father out loud together.

SAY: Take a few minutes to journal about your time of prayer by using these prompts:

➜ What was God revealing to you through this Examination?

➜ What was it like to give thanks to God?

➜ Was it difficult to focus? How did you refocus?

➜ What was it like to have a face-to-face conversation with Jesus about specific actions you took or sinsyou committed?

SAY: Ignatian Spirituality is all about relationship. We often disengage or separate ourselves from God and become attracted to worldly pleasures. But God, by virtue of His love for us, is constantly drawing us back to Himself as only a loving Father can.


BEAR FRUIT

Have teens refer to the steps on their Teen Sheets and take turns reading the various points. Add your own insights or additional instructions you may have picked up on, based upon your experience.

SAY: Now that you’ve gained insight into how to examine your heart through prayer, try these ideas to continue on your faith journey:

➜ Sacrament of Reconciliation: If you haven’t been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a while, or are having some trouble remembering the formal process, you can download this document to help you out: kofc.org/en/resources/cis/devotionals/2075.pdf.

➜ St. Ignatius Prayer Exercises: Discover more ways to experience the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius online: ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises. Use the ideas you read about on this website to strengthen and deepen your prayer life in the upcoming weeks and month.

➜ Prayer Walk: Get outdoors and experience God’s creation as you pray and meditate on God’s Word and invite the Holy Spirit to speak into your life. We often hear God best when we are free from the distractions of our everyday lives and can concentrate fully on God as we soak in His amazing creation.


CLOSING PRAYER

SAY: The prayer challenge this week is to find a quiet place in your house and pray the Examination of Conscience each night. You’ll find more ideas to challenge you in this new way to pray in the Bear Fruit section of your Teen Sheets.

Let’s close with this Prayer of Reconciliation:

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You Whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy.

Inform your teens of the time(s) when the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at your parish. Let them know that they don’t need to be afraid to go to the Sacrament, and that they can speak with you after if they have questions.

As a quick resource, check out this PDF: kofc.org/en/resources/cis/devotionals/2075.pdf.


Discernment of Spirits

Teen sheet

(Ignatian Spirituality)

This session is designed to help you discover the promptings of grace and the coaching elements modeled by St. Ignatius.

As you participate in this study, use these points to guide you. Add your own notes, observations, or questions in the space below each point. If images or symbols come to mind, include them as a way to help you process and remember the key takeaways from this lesson.

Have you ever had an experience on a team or with friends where you felt like you didn’t have a goal, direction, or purpose? Explain.

Why is clearly stating a goal an important first step?

What are things that can lead a person away from the ultimate goal of living in a relationship with God?

Suscipe: Prayer of St. Ignatius: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.


Q 2: Quotes and Questions

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” —1 John 4:1

“The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father: the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father’s house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father’s generous welcome; the father’s joy—all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life—pure, worthy, and joyful—of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.” —CCC 1439

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” —Philippians 1:9-10

Discernment of Spirits: Rule #1

For a Soul in the Life of Sin

Evil Spirit: Proposes apparent pleasures; fills imagination with sensual delights; entices them to remain in their vices; puts off or lessens worries and fears about sin; invites presumption upon God’s mercy.

Good Spirit: Makes use of the light of reason; appeals to conscience; stings conscience with healthy guilt; fills sinner with remorse; invites/challenges to change.

For a Soul Progressing in Virtue

Evil Spirit: Harasses with anxiety; afflicts with sadness in spirituality; raises imaginary obstacles; proposes fallacious reasoning; disturbs the soul with doubts and excuses.

Good Spirit: Gives courage and strength; inspires consolation and tears; makes progress natural and easy; removes obstacles to progress; reassures and gives peace.


Ignatian Examination of Conscience

• Thanksgiving: Open by giving thanks to God for favors and benefits received throughout the day. • Beg for Grace: Ask God for the grace to know sins and areas of sin, and to be rid of them. Beg that the Holy Spirit would guide this time of prayer. • Account of Actions: Examine your actions of the day, hour by hour, from the moment you woke up until the present moment. Examine your actions first, then the thoughts and words behind or motivating the act. Do this for every particular fault that may have occurred. Pay attention to the movements of the heart. Did you waver in your decision to sin before you did it? Did you feel the pull of God not to do it? (This is a practice in the rule of discernment of spirits listed above). • Repentance: Express sorrow for the sins committed and ask God for forgiveness. Do this while imagining that you are having a face-to-face conversation with Jesus himself. • Resolutions: Ask for the grace to come up with specific resolutions to make amends for the wrong that was done. • Recited Prayer: End the Examination with a recited prayer (such as Our Father).

What was God revealing to you through this Examination of Conscience?

What was it like to give thanks to God?

Was it difficult to focus? How did you refocus?

What was it like to have a face-to-face conversation with Jesus about specific actions you took or sins you committed?


Now that you’ve gained insight into how to examine your heart through prayer, try these ideas to continue on your faith journey:

• Sacrament of Reconciliation: If you haven’t been to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a while, or are having some trouble remembering the formal process, you can download this document to help you out: kofc.org/en/resources/cis/devotionals/2075.pdf.

• St. Ignatius Prayer Exercises: Discover more ways to experience the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius online: ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the- spiritual-exercises. Use the ideas you read about on this website to strengthen and deepen your prayer life in the upcoming weeks and month.

• Prayer Walk: Get outdoors and experience God’s creation as you pray and meditate on God’s Word and invite the Holy Spirit to speak into your life. We often hear God best when we are free from the distractions of our everyday lives and can concentrate fully on God as we soak in His amazing creation.

The prayer challenge this week is to find a quiet place in your house and actually pray the Examination of Conscience each night. Spend 5 to 10 minutes in prayer before you get into bed.


“The son arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” —Luke 15:20

“The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place ‘to which I withdraw.’ The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.” —CCC 2563

© 2013 Augustine Institute. All Rights Reserved.

DISCERNMENT OF SPIRIT (Ignatian Spirituality)

Parents, we invite you to use this overview to continue the conversation that we started this week with your teen. And we encourage you to respond to the questions as well, so your teen can see that God is working through you also.

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

It always brings a sense of fulfillment when we can look back and see how we accomplished goals that we set out to achieve. During this session, teens discovered a way to help them reach their spiritual goals through Ignatian Spirituality. They learned that God desires to be in relationship with us, and that we can grow closer to our Heavenly Father when we can identify the sinful tendencies that hold us back from growing in our relationship with God. Teens also explored St. Ignatius’ Examination of Conscience, where in a time of meditation and reflection teens examined their thoughts, words, and actions and how these things can draw us closer to but also hinder us from an intimate relationship with God. Your teens have been challenged to spend time in prayer, reflection, and meditation as a way to grow closer to Jesus.

MAKE THE CONNECTION

Here are some conversation starters for this week. Remember to share your perspectives as well.

➜ What are some goals that you have set for yourself this year? How close are you to meeting hose goals?

➜ Describe a time in your life when your priorities were mixed up. How did it affect your relationship with God?

➜ Where do you go to spend time praying and talking to God? Are there any Scripture passages that personally speak to you in your faith journey?


“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” —Philippians 1:9-10

Parent Sheet

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