Ignatian Discernment Institute | First Week Rules: Rule 5

Rule 5 - Spiritual Desolation: A Time for Fidelity

We have all experienced this reality of the spiritual life: the heaviness of heart, the darkness and disturbance in our souls, the pull to low and earthly things. In the last rule, we learned that St. Ignatius named this experience spiritual desolation.

Now, in Rule 5, St. Ignatius teaches us one of his most practical and essential counsels: when in a time of spiritual desolation, never make a change in our spiritual resolutions. Instead, he advises us to remain firm in the spiritual resolutions we made before the desolation, particularly those made during a time of consolation or tranquility. If applied well, this one rule can bring us safely through almost any darkness.

The Text of the Rule

The Text of Rule 5

Learn the Basics

Fifth Rule.
The fifth: in time of desolation never make a change, but be firm and constant in the proposals and determination in which one was the day preceding such desolation, or in the determination in which one was in the preceding consolation. Because, as in consolation the good spirit guides and counsels us more, so in desolation the bad spirit, with whose counsels we cannot find the way to a right decision.

What Does Rule 5 Mean?

What Does Rule 5 Mean?

As we learned in the previous rule, spiritual desolation is the experience of being drawn away from God. Ignatius describes it as darkness of soul, disturbance, and a lack of spiritual energy. In times of desolation, prayer may feel empty, God may seem absent, and the heart may feel restless, discouraged, or isolated.

In Rule 5, Ignatius addresses what we should do when we find ourselves in this time of darkness: never make a change. As we follow the text of the rule, we begin to understand why.

Instead, Ignatius advises us to remain firm and constant in the spiritual proposals and resolutions we had made before the desolation, whether during the preceding day or during an earlier time of consolation or tranquility. He then explains why, reminding us of who counsels us in these contrasting spiritual conditions. In consolation, the good spirit guides and counsels us. In desolation, it is the bad spirit who seeks to influence our course.

Ignatius therefore concludes with a firm reminder: if we follow the counsel of the Enemy and his bad spirits during spiritual desolation, we cannot find the way to a right decision.

Why These Matter

Consolation and desolation are the ordinary currents of the interior life. Without words to name them, these experiences can feel confusing or overwhelming. With Ignatius’s guidance, we learn to see them for what they are. Consolation is a gift to be received with gratitude and used for good. Desolation is a trial to be resisted with courage and trust in God’s faithfulness.

Ignatius’s Rules for Discernment build upon this foundation. They teach us practical ways to respond: how to accept and cooperate with consolation, and how to reject and stand firm against desolation. The more we learn, the more we recognize that these movements are not obstacles but invitations to deeper relationship with God.