One of my current interests is an in depth investigation of the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, and harmonizing it with the various elements of the spirituality of our tradition. This task is more important than it may, at first, appear, since from the middle of the last century, the Society of Jesus has played an important role in mission work and evangelization in Eastern Europe and throughout the East. In fact, some of those who suffered for the Faith in the gulags and prisons of the Soviet Union were Jesuits, and still to this day the Russian Mission belongs to the Society of Jesus.
This task of mine has attained an even greater importance for me personally now in the aftermath of the election. Certainly, from a natural point of view there is great justification for disappointment and even depression as a result of the outcome. After all, whatever you feel or believe about the current American president and his fellows in the Senate, one thing is positively for certain: under their leadership, the rights of the Church will not be restored. The position of the Catholic Church in the United States is now one of cold persecution.
Nevertheless, looked at in another way, this outcome, just like everything else that exists, is a manifestation of God's compassion. Just as, in the past, the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church, so too, if we are faithful in this persecution, the Church will come out the stronger. According to St. Ignatius, we have a positive obligation to look at misfortune and sorrow in this way. In Ignatius' view there are really only two elements in human experience: consolation and desolation. Ignatius understands consolation as any movement in the soul that urges the soul closer to God, while desolation is the opposite. It is any movement in the soul that urges it away from God. Therefore, consolation is not to be understood in the sense in which the word is used by earlier authors. In these authors, consolation is an emotional feeling, especially a feeling of joy or peace during prayer. Many spiritual authors warn their readers not to seek consolations, and not to become attached to consolations. Ignatius is different in the sense that he is constantly seeking consolation in the spiritual life, because he understands consolation as the movement of the soul towards God. For him, it has nothing to do with emotional feelings, joy or the like.
Because of this emphasis and attention on the internal movements of the soul, there is a corresponding emphasis on frequent examination of conscience in order to build greater awareness of these movements. We especially, of course, want to be aware of the appearance of desolation in our souls, and immediately strive to correct it. We want to be aware of the fruits of various actions; did the actions give to us consolation or desolation in the end. In other words, temptations to discouragement, depression or the like, as a result of things like the outcome of this election have to be rejected as the attempts of the Enemy to inject desolation into our souls (that is, move our souls away from God). This approach is highly experiential, since we can actually feel all of our progress and regress by means of examination of what is going on within us.
Desolation cannot be allowed to enter us, no matter what. After all, what occurs in our lives occurs according to God's Will. There is a beautiful Baptist hymn, which makes this point very strongly. It is called "It is Well with my Soul."
When peace, like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Chorus: It is well, it is well, with my soul, with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Chorus:
My sin –oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin—not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Chorus:
And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so"—it is well with my soul.
Chorus:
The essential point that the hymn makes plain is that we cannot allow any kind of desolation to enter our souls, because we have no reason for any such depression, doubt or discouragement. The enemies of the Church are the ones who have the problem (and a severe one at that), not us. No, as the hymn says, "It is well with our souls." Our mission and duty remains the same as yesterday and the day before. We have to help and pray for those who are not well, especially or enemies.
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