Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Direction is fundamentally about helping an individual to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing in his or her life, to hear from the Spirit, and to participate more fully in that work. It assumes that the Spirit is already at work in the life of anyone who comes seeking direction, and tries to help that person, where he or she actually is, advance along the way toward God. The goal of Spiritual Direction is union with Jesus Christ.

There are two major motifs, or images, for Spiritual Direction. Some view Spiritual Direction as the work of a spiritual father or mother; this is dominant in the desert monastic tradition, and probably in the monastic and catholic tradition generally. Others emphasize Spiritual Direction as the ministry of a spiritual companion or “soul friend” who walks alongside a person in the journey toward God. Both these views have something to offer. On the one hand, the Spiritual Direction relationship does involve direction, which entails a kind of authority. Anyone practicing this ministry must have a significant degree of personal spiritual maturity, and should be aware of the major spiritual traditions, disciplines, and practices of the Church. On the other hand, it is spiritual direction—the ultimate source of the direction is not the human director, but the Holy Spirit himself. Therefore one of the chief qualifications of a good director is the spiritual gift of discernment. What is needed is an ability to ask good questions, to be silent, and to listen, both to the individual seeking direction and even more to God the Holy Spirit. It is God’s goals for this person, and not our own goals, that matter.

This also helps us distinguish Spiritual Direction from other overlapping ministries, such as pastoral counseling. If pastoral counseling is “listening to another on God’s behalf,” Spiritual Direction is “listening to God on another’s behalf”—or listening to God together with another (Bill Haley, "What is Spiritual Direction"). To put it another way, the goal in counseling is problem-solving; the goal in therapy is health and integration; the goal of spiritual direction is union with God. Of course, the person who comes seeking Spiritual Direction may also need counseling or therapy, and a wise director will recognize when it is appropriate to point that person toward others who can provide such assistance. These ministries are mutually supportive rather than mutually exclusive.

Recommended Reading

Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction, Margaret Guenther

The Book of Pastoral Rule, Saint Gregory the Great, translated by Demacopoulos

Ascetical Theology

a. Prayer life and spirituality of minister b. Understanding of Spiritual Disciplines c. Spiritual Direction d. Rule of Life e. Daily Office f. Monasticism & its role in the development of our liturgy g. Missional applications of ascetical theology h. Monasticism and mission i. Mystical & Contemplative Spirituality j. Tools for Prayer and Scripture Reading k. Vocation l. Discernment m. Gifts & Fruit of the Spirit n. Stewardship