S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 9 2 9 son’s emotions to reason. Giving rational justifications, the enemy questions the atmosphere of trust in which the relationship between God and a human person flourishes. Reason is confronted with different constructs, which always revolve around thinking: how am I going to feel? What am I going to do? It is always about caring for own “Self” (Rupnik 2001, 84). Desolation, nevertheless, can have a natural character too. It may also be linked to our physical or mental weakness, e.g. when we feel overloaded and exhausted or experience failure. Negative feelings of being lonely, of self-doubt and detachment from God follow easily. This state of abandonment is not a sign of failure in one’s spiritual life. These states carry an element of risk, though. In this “chaotic” inner turmoil, one tends to rethink previous resolutions and his or her relationship towards God and the others and, in an extreme scenario, thinking – I am done, there is no point of moving further. In time of desolation, one might think that this state will last for a long time and that the time of consolation will never come. This can sometimes lead to a state of depression. All those who decided to work on their spiritual life, including Ignatius, experienced such states of crisis. From his own experience with spiritual guidance, Ignatius knew that exercitants engaged in spiritual exercises had the same experience. Ignatius insists that the time of desolation is never the time to reverse previous good decisions (Ignatius of Loyola 1968, 318). It is therefore necessary to discern between the desolation arising from psychological distress manifesting itself in frustration, or even depression (here, the concerns about being tried by the evil spirit are not right) from the desolation connected with our spiritual life caused by our own lukewarmness and feelings of being separated from God. It can also be a result of the crisis in our relationships, and breakups. Ignatius says that one cannot be just carried away willfully by various movements. Emotions are unstable and affected by our physiological setting at any given moment. Thomas Green argues that ninety percent of our problems seem easier after a good night’s rest. If we leave our decision for the next day, we often learn that we no longer react to a certain problem, situation, or temptation as dramatically as the day before (Green 2001, 129). Surely, it is not an easy task to do. In situations when we experience great emotional movements within our souls that prod us into doing/or not doing something about which we know or perhaps suspect that it might not be good for us, it is advised to refrain from making any decision in that very moment. We are not free enough to do so. emy’s tactics is to shift the focus of attention from pereasily consumed by desires that could lead to sin, the enSince we have decided to take God seriously and are not ment in spiritual life and spiritual activities in general. lation. Desolation can provoke aversion towards the advance- why we feel this way – and that is how we experience deso- when we do not feel content, we often do not understand rupted by sin or neglect of our spiritual life. In other words, Yet we are not aware of our relationship with God being dis- are times in our lives when we cannot say that we are well. ful wounds and stressful situations to his advantage. There 2010, 40). The enemy turns this emotional turmoil, our pain- that He does not care and punishes us instead (Królikowsky olation. It may seem to us that God has forgotten about us or ment and loneliness are painful inner states of spiritual des- helplessness and despair. The feelings of spiritual abandon- Desolation can result in emotional abonnement, feelings of desolation. consolation are contrary to the thoughts which come from desolation, in the same way the thoughts which come from its Creator and Lord: because as consolation is contrary to is wholly slothful, tepid, sad, and separated, as it were, from lead to want of faith, want of hope, want of love. The soul rising from many disturbances and temptations which spirit, inclination to what is low and earthly, restlessness described in the third rule, as darkness of soul, turmoil of I call desolation what is entirely the opposite of what is (Ignatius of Loyola 1968, 317): son’s spiritual experience and Ignatius describes it as follows Desolation is nothing extraordinary; it belongs to every per- The fourth rule revolves around the theme of desolation. on emotions fades away. turn out to be impossible to fulfil once the motivation built positive movements awake grand resolutions, which often affected by emotions, one cannot be free enough. Strong the experience of many mystics proves just that. In the state cannot be a state of permanent spiritual euphoria. After all, From psychological and spiritual perspectives, spiritual life esy (Špidlík 2005, 38). life. Different Eastern synods denunciated this Messalian her- it. It was a rather confusing concept with regard to spiritual lation with the state of grace and desolation with the loss of sance of the teaching of the Messalians who equated conso- this theme in more detail. Today, we can see some renais- or even detachment from God. John of the Cross examined consider its absence and the state of desolation as our failure RADoVAn ŠoLTÉS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzgxMzI=