Spiritual Consolation: An Ignatian Guide for Greater Discernment of Spirits

I have become a big fan of Gallagher's - I've read three of his books: Discernment of Spirits, Spiritual Consolation, and Discerning the Will of God. It was such a relief to read his works because each book has described to a "t" what I had been going through for the past 3 years. I am grateful for his ability to take what could be a largely intellectual exercise and make it so simple, practical and easy to apply with crystal clear clarity. What is even more amazing is that he manages to pack so much truth into so few pages - his writing is really well organized.This book presents a set of 8 "rules" (or guidelines) to help identify whether a seemingly good, noble and holy idea is from the evil one intending to lead us astray and what to do. Gallagher writes each "rule", then explains it in simple terms with clarity, and presents several illustrative examples of what he's talking about. I was easily able to immediately apply the information to a situation I was facing, and the results are accurate and true to the information presented in these pages. But I do have a spiritual director who knows me well with whom I review the results. This is a must.Also must note that this book should not be read without also reading "Discernment of Spirits" because the rules change depending on where you area in your spiritual life. You can be seriously mistaken if you only read the one book! And for further clarification, I highly recommend "Discerning the Will of God" too.

This is a continuation of the first book on discernments.It talks about a serious issue most christians face ,what to do when we are to choose between two good choices?or more?We all know better what to choose when one choice is bad.(example between good and evil)father Gallagher gives concrete examples and sufficient clarity in this complicated spiritual practice.I have always had situations like what he describes and made wrong choices that hurt my spiritual progress and eventually led to great dryness.I could not make any sense out of that.Now I am beginning to see clearly.For example,I would be doing good in one ministry and being a good disciple of Christ,only to get involved in other ministries that would zap my energy and time and makes me exhausted.this exhaustion leads to lessened quality time in prayer and dryness.Sometimes I would completely fall off radar.All suggestions that may seemingly look good maynot be from God.The enemy can deceive us in this regard when he sees he cannot make us sin anymore.then he starts complicating our minsitries and prayer life and confusing us.Discernment in this regard helps us understand what is from God and what is not.These books should be a must read for all christians.

This series of books is AMAZING! I suffered my whole life with depression- then by accident I ended up at a seminar by Fr. Gallaher. It was life transforming. It gave me the tools and information I needed to once and for all end a life-long fight with depression. He is inspired and a God send. His interpretation of Ignatius is so easy to understand and put to use in daily life. Now I have read the whole series and with eating right have been free of depression for years. My family can deal better with this information. It helped a friend or mine with anger management issues as well. Every time I meet someone that has read these books or gone to a seminar they talk about their release from life-long issues. This should be required reading for everyone!

The book was great. Really helped me discern where God is calling me . The best of 2 choices. Fr. Gallagher does such a good job explaining the discernment of Spirits.

The content of Spiritual Consolation...is based on St. Ignatius of Loyola's Rules for Discernment. Timothy Gallagher's style of writing identifies him as a very good teacher. Each of Ignatius's Rules is spelled out clearly with story types illustrating the rule being studied or in question. Lest one be confused, Gallagher refers back to other stories which have similarity and does further explaining about the differences. This is an easy-to-read book and I would highly recommend it for beginners and more mature spiritual directors.

Fantastic book for spiritual discernment! It allows you to discern....am I hearing the voice of God, the evil one, or my own thoughts. Absolutely brilliant!

The reading can go a little slow sometimes, because even though Fr. Gallagher is one of the most humble men I've ever seen, he is a very intellectual person. This book is very useful to the Christian believer who truly seeks guidance on how to learn/discern what the will of God is for their life.It's easier to grasp if you can see the videos of his teachings.

Father Gallagher references his explanation of St Ignatius principles of discernment with practical examplesthat are very real and helpful. For anyone Familiar with discernment this book can be very helpful.

Great book. Practical and helpful

I bought this book for a class. I had already read The Discernment of Spirits, which I enjoyed very much. I am shocked that so many reviewers are either oblivious to the misogyny and sexism that can be found in subtle ways and not so subtle in this book. Most women religious are left out of the examples provided. With regard to discernment, the women are steered away from leadership in this book. The language used is very selective when Gallagher is speaking about men as opposed to women. I would almost guess that he received some kind of reprimand after writing The Discernment of Spirits.

Probablement le meilleur livre sur les règles du discernement spirituel de deuxième semaine des exercices spirituels de S. Ignace de Loyola.