Blog FAQ
Q: How can I submit a question?
A: So that we can serve you well, please read this entire post before submitting questions – thanks!
Father John, among many other duties, generously and joyously invests a portion of his busy schedule each week answering our questions about the spiritual life. If you would like to submit a question on the spiritual life that you think others may also be struggling with, please feel free to do so to the following email address: RCSpiritualDirection@gmail.com
Please note that because of the need to be efficient in serving the number of readers and questions we receive, this address is the only way to submit questions for review.
Each week we compile the questions received and prioritize them based on how often they surface (among other criteria). Here are a few important notes about the goal and limitations of our efforts: The goal is of this feature is to answer questions that are common to most or many people in their spiritual life – the questions we will answer and post will reflect the common struggles of our readers (i.e. distractions in prayer etc). Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to answer specific personal questions that may only apply to you or to very few readers (i.e. should I take this or that job? etc.). The other area where we have received questions that we lament that we do not have the capacity to answer are related to specific moral issues. Though moral issues have a direct impact on our spiritual quest, this forum is not an effective means to tackle them. The reason we ask you to ask questions is so that we can answer the questions 1) for the benefit of all of our readers, and 2) for your personal benefit.
Thank you in advance for your questions and for helping us to serve you and His Kingdom!
Q: Why should I donate to this effort?
A: Help us reach and serve one million Catholics by 2012 with the life changing riches of Christ found in authentic Catholic spirituality! The blog is just a small part of a larger effort to connect with on-line Catholics who desire to deepen their faith. If you would like to know more, send an email to RCSpiritualDirection@gmail.com. Please be sure to include your name, phone number, and the best time to reach you. We look forward to speaking with you!
Q: Why do you moderate and screen comments on your posts?
A: First, spam has become a huge problem in blog post comments. So, to protect our readers from illicit comments or other unwanted content, we screen every comment. If your comment does not fall within these categories but was not included there may be many reasons for this. We are committed to all dialogue that is positive and constructive. Though we are fine with disagreement and critique, and we are certainly imperfect, the purpose of this blog is not to provide a free-thought forum on spirituality. Our aim is to promote a positive, affirmative, and magisterium faithful approach. If we feel any comments fall outside of these parameters, we will not authorize the post. Finally, without apology, we will also screen out posts that we feel do not constructively contribute to the discussion. If in our opinion the comment is helpful, we will post it, if not, we won’t – pretty simple.
Q: Does this blog reflect any particular spirituality?
A: Yes and no. Our content reflects Carmelite, Ignatian, Carthusian, and many other rich spritiual traditions of the Church. We will only provide content that is faithful to the magisterium of the Church and is benefitial to our readers.
Q: What does “RC” stand for in “RCSpiritualDirection?”
A: RC stands for “Roman Catholic” as reflected in the name of the blog, “Catholic Spiritual Direction.” When we searched for the name “CatholicSpiritualDirection” as a blog URL, it was unavailable, thus the need to use “RC” in place of “Catholic.”
Q: What is your perspective on eastern forms of spirituality in the Catholic Church?
A: The spiritual depth and riches of the Church are unfathomable. These riches are particularly abundant in the writings of the doctors of the Church and are an inexhaustible resource. The instinct to move outside of the Church to find answers for the spiritual life is not one that we share.
Q: What is your perspective on the magisterial authority of the Church?
A: We are committed to providing insight that is firmly and faithfully rooted in the magisterial authority and teaching of the Catholic Church. Christ has promised to lead and guide his Church – he has never failed to do so.
If you ever find anything on this site that contradicts the teachings of the Church, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Blessings to you in your journey to God!
