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Ignatian Notes

• Ignatius was acutely aware from his own rather tempestuous past (he spent most of his first 30 years as a warring, romancing Spanish courtier) that every human heart has two contrary movements, one from good (the Holy Spirit) and the other from evil. He learned that to grow in union with God we must learn to recognize and respond only to the movements of good, the Holy Spirit, and distinguish—or discern—those from movements of evil. And since finding God in daily life was his goal, this discernment of good vs. evil must be applied to ordinary daily actions. So Ignatius suggested daily periods for examination of conscience focusing upon awareness of this inner motivation. – Richard J. Hauser, S.J.; Unity of Hearts and Minds, Creighton University Press, 2008