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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Foreword: Decision Making by Heart | |
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| Why Read This Book? | |
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| The True and False Spirits | |
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| Characteristics of Desolation and of the False Spirit | |
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| Empty of Faith, Hope, and Love | |
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| Empty of the Sense of God's Closeness | |
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| Full of Disquietude and Agitation | |
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| Confusion: A Subcategory | |
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| Full of Boredom and Tepidity | |
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| Full of Fear and Worry | |
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| Full of Secrecy | |
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| False Consolation: An Advanced Form of Desolation | |
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| The Combination of Characteristics | |
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| Characteristics of Consolation and of the True Spirit | |
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| Faith, Hope, and Love | |
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| The Sense of God's Closeness | |
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| Peace and Tranquility | |
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| True Perspective: A Subcategory | |
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| Great Desires | |
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| Transparency | |
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| Responding to Desolation and Consolation | |
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| When in Desolation | |
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| Name the Desolation | |
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| Avoid Making Changes or Important Decisions | |
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| Rely on Your Support Network | |
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| Consider Potential Logistical, Moral, or Psychological Problems | |
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| Be Aware of the False "Angel of Light" | |
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| Be Firm with the False Spirit and Work Diligently | |
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| Be Gentle, Patient, and Encouraging to Yourself | |
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| Have Faith That God Will Make God Use of This Desolation | |
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| In Case of Fire | |
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| When in Consolation | |
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| Observe the "Course of the Thoughts" | |
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| Attend to Vulnerabilities | |
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| Look Out for False Consolation | |
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| Seek God's Presence in the Painful Moments of Your Past | |
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| Two Helpful Practices | |
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| Ready for Discernment | |
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| From Discerning Spirits to Making Decisions | |
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| Before Making a Decision: Laying a Foundation | |
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| What Do You Seek? | |
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| A Grateful Heart | |
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| Two Stories of Gratitude | |
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| For God's Greater Glory | |
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| Ignatian Indifference | |
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| Indifference of the Heart, Indifference of the Will | |
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| Deciding: Four Phases to Good Discernment | |
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| Get Quiet | |
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| Gather Data | |
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| Dream the Dreams-Tapping into Deep Desires | |
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| Ponder the Dreams-Weighing Desolations and Consolations | |
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| A Special Case: "When the Soul is Not Acted on by Various Spirits" | |
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| Another Special Case: "Without Being Able to Doubt" | |
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| After Deciding: Tentative Decisions, Confirmation, and Final Decisions | |
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| Offering My Tentative Decision | |
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| Seeking Confirmation | |
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| What If There Is No Confirmation? | |
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| Making the Final Decision and Acting on It | |
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| Five Things to Remember | |
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| Index of Figures, Prayer Exercises, and Stories | |
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| Glossary of Ignatian Terms | |
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| Related Bible Passages | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Primary Text of Ignatius's Rules for the Discernment of Spirits | |