For a few days beginning with the fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church wrapped our liturgical prayer around the comforting image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. We heard from the parable in John chapter 10, while the imagery from Psalm 23 echoed the theme in the Mass readings and liturgy of the hours. Even the antiphons called us to consider the voice of the Shepherd, calling and leading His sheep.
While praying with these readings this year, I was concurrently immersing myself in Ignatius of Loyola’s 14 Rules for Discernment of Spirits. When distilled into one simple question, the rules for discernment guide me to consider, Whose voice am I listening and responding to? Am I listening to the voice of God, Who is the Good Shepherd, calling me to abundant, eternal life? (John 10:10) The Shepherd Who restores my soul? (Psalm 23:3) Or am I listening to the voices that disrupt my peace–the hirelings and the thieves; the ones who sneak into the fold to scatter and destroy? (John 10:12)
The Voice of the Stranger
John 10 opens with Jesus describing those thieves and robbers who sneak into the sheepfold by a way that is not the gate. These imposters attempt to call and coax the sheep, but Jesus says, “A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” In everyday discernment of spirits, these strangers are the voices of the world, the flesh and the devil. These are the voices of desolation which seek to entice and tempt us, when their intention is to “steal, and kill, and destroy.” The voices of the enemy aim to steal our hope, kill our love, and destroy our faith. Jesus repeatedly asserts that His sheep do not listen to any voice but His.
I was deeply convicted by this. How many times in desolation do I find myself entertaining thoughts that do not come from my gentle Shepherd? How often do I hear whispered accusations of my worthlessness and agree with them? In desolation–even in the valley of the shadow of death– we are told to fear no evil. Even in the valley, surrounded on every side, the Lord’s goodness and mercy are present to us. But how? How, when being bombarded by temptations and desolate thoughts are we able to believe the Lord is with us?
Learning the Shepherd’s Voice
The answer comes to us in rule six of Ignatius’ Discernment of Spirits: when in desolation, pray more. In John chapter ten, Jesus says repeatedly that His sheep know Him. His sheep know His voice. How do we get to know someone’s voice, but by listening to it? We get to know the voice of our Good Shepherd through mental prayer. By presenting ourselves to God and turning all of our mind and heart to Him, we begin to learn that the Shepherd speaks in the language of love. His voice is soft and gentle, not accusatory. His voice brings peace to our storms and silences the enemy’s lies with Truth. His voice calls us and offers abundant life. Anything contrary to that has entered through another way; it is a strange voice not to be followed. The enemy’s voice accuses. It urges and agitates. The voice of the Shepherd clarifies; the voice of the stranger brings confusion.
Jesus also asserts that His sheep not only hear His voice, but they follow Him. Immediately after relating that He has come to give us life, He states that He lays down His own. In 1Peter 2:18-24, Peter lays out the example of Christ’s suffering that we are to follow. In verse 21, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” The conclusion of this section returns to the image of the Shepherd. “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
Returning in Desolation
In times of desolation, how can we return to our Shepherd and Guardian? Some say that rule five is Ignatius’ most important. In times of desolation, never make a change. John 10:5 says, “a stranger they will not follow.” If your heart is not at peace, do not follow a new idea, thought or suggestion. These strange voices are not the Good Shepherd.
Again, rule six: pray more. Get to know the voice of God in Scripture and meditation. Resist the urge to abandon prayer if it feels fruitless. Also, take on more penance. Follow Him. By denying ourselves and picking up our crosses we become more like the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for us.
Rule seven: consider God’s providence. “You have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5) He has given you the strength to resist the voices of desolation and permitted this trial for the good of your soul. He never leaves His sheep.
Rule eight: be patient and steadfast as the Lord walks with you through this valley. His rod and His staff will comfort you. Remember that consolation will return. His voice will become clearer.
Rule nine: It also may be helpful to consider what has brought about the desolation. Have you begun to stray from the fold of the Shepherd? Is God testing your faith? Do you need to come to a deeper realization that all is grace, and consolation is not yours to attain? Ask the Good Shepherd to show you, and He will.
Standing Firm Against the Wolf
Rules 12, 13, and 14 serve to remind us that the enemy is always prowling about the fold. He is the wolf who will attack fiercely (rule 12), and we must stand firm against him at every initial temptation. Do not wait to resist him, but boldly refute his lies immediately. He may sneak into the fold secretly (rule 13), and therefore you must expose him to a trusted person. The enemy is always attacking us at our weakest points (rule 14), so where might he have crossed the gate where it wasn’t fortified with virtue? Perhaps God is revealing to us a weakness that we need to address so we can grow.
Rule 11 brings a reassuring truth to remember. With God’s grace, we can do so much. If we stay close to our Good Shepherd, He will protect us. He will bring us to green pastures and still waters. He will restore our souls after times of desolation. These trials will bring about strengthened faith, hope, and love when endured with His help, as He leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Whose Voice Will You Follow?
In times of desolation, it would benefit us to call to mind this one question: Whose voice will I listen to and follow?
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For a thorough, engaging exploration of Saint Ignatius’ Discernment of Spirits, click here. We are constantly in a battle for our souls, a fight that is never over. Every Catholic needs to know about the war in their thoughts and be given the means to fight back. This video series, based on Dan Burke’s bestselling book Spiritual Warfare and Discernment of Spirits, will help you in this fight.
Image: Christ the Good Shepard by Jan Luyken
This post was originally published on WhitneyFlanders.Substack.com and is reprinted here with permission.
