Gallagher Timothy M. - Discerning the will of God: an Ignatian guide to Christian decision making

When we are doing the will of God, that alone is enough to satisfy us. When we are not, all the pleasure and possession of the world are not. How many books have you read on the subject of discerning Gods will? Whether it is one or a hundred, you should read this book.

Matthew Kelly,New York Times bestselling author of The Rhythm of Life and The Dream Manager

Discerning the Will of God is the sixth and perhaps most important in Fr. Timothy Gallaghers books on discernment. It raises the perennial question for the committed Christian: How can I really know Gods will for me? Gallagher addresses this through what has become his hallmark style, namely the interaction of an Ignatian text here, the three times in which a sound and good choice may be made with practical examples. The result is a work of far-reaching significance in the hope it inspires that Gods will may be known, embraced, and lovingly fulfilled.

Gill K. Goulding, C.J., University of Toronto

The teaching of Ignatius Loyola on discerning the will of God is his most important contribution to Christian spirituality. It is also extremely difficult to explain. One approach is to present and comment on the relevant parts of the Spiritual Exercises. Another is to work with examples taken from the actual experience of people today. The strength of Gallaghers new book is that he combines the two approaches in a lucid and helpful way. What I most admire is what lies behind Gallaghers book an extraordinary patience in gathering so many apposite examples. These come in part from his own experience as a spiritual director and in part from his reading. This patience reveals a great love of people who struggle to find the will of God in the complexities of todays world. It also manifests an appreciation of the ministry of spiritual direction and the place that it holds in facilitating Christian decision making.

Brian OLeary, S.J., Milltown Institute of Philosophy and Theology

The Crossroad Publishing Company

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2009 by Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company.

Printed in the United States of America.

The text of this book is set in 12/18 Sabon. The display face is Tiepolo.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gallagher, Timothy M.

Discerning the will of God : an Ignatian guide to Christian decision making / Timothy M. Gallagher.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8245-2489-0 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-8245-2489-6 (alk. paper)

1. Decision making Religious aspects Catholic Church. 2. Discernment (Christian theology) 3. Ignatius, of Loyola, Saint, 14911556. Exercitia spiritualia. 4. Spiritual life Catholic Church. 5. God Will. I. Title.

BV4509.5.G345 2009

248.4 dc22

2009015753

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

14 13 12 11 10 09

I am deeply grateful to the many people whose generosity made the writing of this book possible: once more, to Joseph Schner, S.J., the Jesuit community of Pedro Arrupe House, and the faculty and staff of Regis College, Toronto, who again offered me warm hospitality and continuing support during a time of writing; to Claire-Marie Hart for her unfailing assistance and expert editing; to Carol McGinness for her generous aid with permissions to quote copyrighted material; and to William Brown, my provincial, for his personal encouragement and for providing a further time of writing.

I am also profoundly grateful to those who accompanied me with their counsel prior to the writing and their reflections on the manuscript during the writing itself: George Aschenbrenner, S.J., Harvey Egan, S.J., James Gallagher, Theresa Galvan, C.N.D., Fr. Paul Gitter, Gill Goulding, C.J., Carol Lankford, Gertrude Mahoney, S.N.D., and Edward OFlaherty, S.J. Their support and insights were a treasured resource during the preparation for and writing of this book.

I express my warm thanks, too, to John Jones, Editorial Director of the Crossroad Publishing Company, and, with him, the staff at Crossroad; working together on this and the earlier books has been a consistently positive and fruitful experience.

Finally, I thank the following for permission to reprint copyrighted material:

Excerpts from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from Robert Baram, ed., Spiritual Journeys: Twenty-seven Men and Women Share Their Faith Experiences. Copyright 1988 Daughters of St. Paul, Boston. Used with permission. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts from Priest Vocation Stories, FAITH Publishing Service, Diocese of Lansing, Mich. Catholic Diocese of Lansing. Used with permission.

Excerpts from Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., Meditation and Contemplation: An Ignatian Guide to Praying with Scripture. Used with the permission of the Crossroad Publishing Company.

Excerpts from Moving in the Spirit: Becoming a Contemplative in Action, by Richard J. Hauser, S.J., Copyright 1986 by Richard J. Hauser, S.J., Paulist Press, Inc., New York and Mahwah, N.J. Reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc. www.paulistpress.com.

Excerpts from Christine Mugridge and Jerry Usher, eds., Called by Name: The Inspiring Stories of 12 Men Who Became Catholic Priests (West Chester, Pa.: Ascension Press, 2008). Used with permission.

Excerpts from The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers, published by ICS Publications, Washington, D.C. All copyrights, Carmelite Monastery, Pewaukee, Wisc. Selections from Letter of Departure, p. 43, and The Place of Splendor, p. 123. Used with permission.

Excerpts from Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., with James Manney, What Does God Want? A Practical Guide to Making Decisions. The permission to reproduce copyrighted material for use was extended by Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750, (800) 348-2440. Website: www.osv.com. No other use of this material is authorized.

Excerpts from Jules Toner, S.J., Discerning Gods Will: Ignatius of Loyolas Teaching on Christian Decision Making. Used with permission: copyright The Institute of Jesuit Sources, St. Louis. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from Vocation in Black and White: Dominican Contemplative Nuns Tell How God Called Them. Copyright 2008 by Association of the Monasteries of Nuns of the Order of Preachers of the United States of America. Used with permission.

The muted sound of traffic outside was the only accompaniment as I walked through the church. The morning sun shone dimly through the stained-glass windows. I was alone in the quiet church.

I reached the head of the aisle and stood for a moment before the altar. In that moment, I felt these words arise from deep within my heart: We are not leaving this place.