Rules of St Ignatius: how to distinguish between states of the soul

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seekingsynthesis

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In the first two rules of St Ignatius, I have difficulty telling which state I can say honestly that I am in (1 being “the persons who go from mortal sin to mortal sin”, and 2 being “the persons who are going on intensely cleansing their sins and rising from good to better in the service of God our Lord”).

This is crucial because the advice as to which “movements” to pay attention to is literally opposite based on which state one is in!

My main question is: would a practicing Catholic who struggles with one habitual (potentially addictive) mortal sin be automatically in the first category?

I have struggled with this particular sin for years and years, getting better for periods of time but then falling backwards sometimes. I fulfill my Mass obligations, go to confession frequently, sometimes more than once a week, am looking for a spiritual director, and try to pray daily. But every time I still fall back into mortal sin, I wonder if I should still discern as though I am in the first category.

What would be the line here?
 
Perhaps you need a Jesuit spiritual director who could help you discern. The Spiritual Exercises really aren’t meant to be a do-it-yourself thing.
 
That is a good point. It’s easy to forget that it’s meant to be guided.
 
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