The Distilled Spirits and Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living by Father Timothy Gallagher

The 14 Rules of the Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Timothy Gallagher with Kris McGregor

Episode Sixteen: Rule Fourteen – Strengthening the Weakest Point

Episode 16 – The Fourteenth Rule:

Likewise, he behaves as a chief bent on conquering and robbing what he desires: for, as a captain and chief of the army, pitching his camp, and looking at the forces or defenses of a stronghold, attacks it on the weakest side, in like manner the enemy of human nature, roaming about, looks in turn at all our virtues, theological, cardinal and moral; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and aims at taking us.

Episode Sixteen of The Discernment of Spirits: Setting the Captives Free brings the First Week rules to completion with Rule Fourteen, the final and culminating insight of St. Ignatius. Fr. Timothy Gallagher, in conversation with Kris McGregor, explains how the enemy studies the whole of our spiritual life and attacks precisely where we are weakest.

Ignatius describes the enemy as a leader intent on conquering and robbing. This is not a noble battle. It is theft and destruction. Like a captain surveying a fortified town, the enemy circles patiently. He studies the defenses. He looks for the crumbling wall. When the weakest point is found, the attack begins there.

Fr. Gallagher unfolds this image with care. He invites us to picture a fortified town on a hill. Strong walls. Towers. Gates. Yet one section is cracked and fragile. That single weakness renders the entire defense vulnerable. Ignatius teaches that our spiritual life works the same way. The enemy does not attack randomly. He attacks where discouragement most easily takes hold.

Fr. Gallagher names how this appears in lived experience. A person notices a repeated pattern. The same exhaustion. The same fear. The same frustration. The same loss of confidence in God’s love. These are not coincidences. They reveal Rule Fourteen terrain. This is the place where the enemy returns again and again.

Ignatius does not leave us without a response. Fr. Gallagher explains that the remedy is proactive and hopeful. The town does not wait for attack. During a time of peace, the people examine their defenses. They identify the crumbling wall. They rebuild it with care. Stone by stone. What was weakest becomes strong.

This is the goal of Rule Fourteen. The discerning person learns where the enemy is most likely to strike. Even before temptation arises, growth begins there. Virtue is strengthened. Balance is restored. Interior wounds are tended with honesty and patience. When the enemy returns, he finds no easy entrance.

Fr. Gallagher draws wisdom from St. John of the Cross, who teaches that growth in one virtue strengthens all the others. When the weakest point is healed, the whole spiritual life gains stability. Freedom deepens across every area.

Kris McGregor raises an important connection to healing. Often the weakest point is rooted in a wound. A memory. A fear. A place of pain that continues to influence responses. Fr. Gallagher affirms this insight and turns to the Gospel. Jesus is revealed again and again as the healer. Growth in discernment often includes allowing Christ to heal what lies beneath repeated discouragement.

Episode Sixteen presents Rule Fourteen as the doorway into a lifelong discerning life. The rules do not end here. They begin here. When the weakest point is strengthened, the enemy loses ground. The heart grows resilient. Freedom becomes stable and enduring. Captives are set free.

Discerning Hearts Questions for Reflection and Study

Personal Reflection

1. Do you notice patterns where discouragement returns repeatedly?

2. What situations most often weaken your prayer or confidence?

3. Are there wounds or fears beneath these recurring struggles?

4. How might you begin strengthening this area with patience and grace?

5. Where might Christ be inviting you toward healing?

Group Reflection or Study

1. Why does Ignatius place Rule Fourteen at the end of the First Week?

2. How does the fortified town image clarify the enemy’s tactic?

3. Why is proactive growth more effective than reactive resistance?

4. How does healing relate to long-term spiritual freedom?

5. How can communities help one another strengthen weak points?

 The 14 Rules for Discerning Spirits –
“The Different Movements Which Are Caused In The Soul” as outlined by St. Ignatius of Loyola click here

 For the other episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts”click here 

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life:  The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola

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