Spiritual Direction – A Bishop’s Perspective – Part III of III

Posted on February 16th, 2010 by Dan Burke

Below you will find a few different scenarios that a spiritual director may face. By reflecting on each scenario not only from the point of view of the spiritual director but also from the point of view of the one seeking direction, we can gain a better understanding of how we receive and give spiritual direction.

1. Someone calls to ask for spiritual direction; he/she was referred to you.

First, it’s important to ask a few questions, such as, “What exactly is this person looking for? Do they know what spiritual direction entails? Why were they referred to me? Do I have the time to give an hour a month to this person? Can I commit myself?”

A trained and qualified spiritual director who is busy with his/her own personal full time commitments should not accept more than eight directees. They should be selected by one simple criterion: “Can I be helpful to them?” The spiritual director ought to discern carefully and prayerfully before saying yes. It may be good to have a variety of directees (i.e., not all women or all men, or all priests or religious). Once a spiritual director says yes, he or she should commit to that person by prayer and availability.

2. Someone who has been with a particular spiritual director for a year expresses the desire to find someone new.

This may be the result of something on the side of the director or that of the directee. It is a cause for discernment for both. It may simply be that it is not a good fit. Nonetheless, the director must leave the directee free for this decision. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the directee to pursue his or her own spiritual health and well-being.

3. Someone comes to talk about “spiritual dryness” in prayer.

The director should be careful not to make a hasty analysis. It is good to listen. Spiritual direction is about helping the directee respond to God’s movement in the soul. There may be obstacles to sensing this movement, and these obstacles can be discerned by direction, a retreat, some counseling, or by time set aside for leisure and prayer. The topic of discussion for spiritual direction ought to be the prayer life of the directee – how, when, why, and what helps or hinders prayer. This is the “stuff” of the conversations of spiritual direction.

4. Someone comes to talk about visions or locutions he or she has been having.

“I prefer the monotony of sacrifice to the ecstasy of spiritual experience,” said Saint Theresa, the “Little Flower.” This reminds us that the little acts of love and sacrifice are a great benefit to the soul. Locutions, visions, etc., must be discerned prayerfully. However, attention should be paid to the prayer life, personal morality, and developing virtues in the directee rather than focusing too much on those matters.

5. Someone who has been in spiritual direction for two years says that he or she is being led out of a traditional vocation during prayer.

This is cause for special attention and discernment. This discernment should be made over a year of retreats, monthly spiritual direction, and counseling (if needed). The spiritual director is important in guiding this process but does not make decisions for the directee. The process may take many different turns along the way. The spiritual director may need to confide in another person trained in spiritual direction to be sure he or she is giving the best possible guidance. Likewise, the directee must take every precaution against self-deception, which is easy to fall into and hard to detect by oneself.

6. Someone comes to a spiritual director, asking for help to discern a call to a religious, priestly, or diaconal vocation.

If a person comes seeking this kind of assistance, the spiritual director ought to give this top priority. As mentioned above, to the spiritual director guides the process, makes recommendations, and helps the directee to hear God’s voice but not make the final decision. The spiritual director may have his or her own preconceived ideas of what the directee should do, but it is very important to listen and encourage the directee to be as generous as possible with whatever God is asking.

7. A spiritual director expresses the desire to see a directee more often – even socially, if possible.

This crosses emotional boundaries and should not be done unless the directee finds another director. Only then is it prudent to develop a spiritual friendship. The spiritual director must be the one to protect the boundaries. He is always a father, never a peer. The relationship should not be one in which the director benefits from the directee in any way other than the spiritual satisfaction of knowing he is of some help to the directee. Spiritual direction should be a free gift offered and received without strings attached.

8. Someone who has worked with a spiritual director during the past year talks only about work, relationships, current problems, or dryness – and very little about prayer.

As mentioned above, prayer is the “stuff” of the conversation between director and directee. A discernment of the usefulness of spiritual direction might be in order if very little time is devoted to talking about prayer. Perhaps counseling, retreat work, better family or work relationships, new friendships, or something else can be suggested to the directee. The spiritual director should ask himself and the directee why there is so little talk about prayer.

9. Someone who has been in spiritual direction for two years complains about too much or too little direction.

Direction is more an art than a science. Too much advice is not good; neither is too little. The art of direction is very much a gift of the Holy Spirit that ought to be eagerly sought by both director and directee. Beginning each session with a prayer to the Holy Spirit is a good discipline. A spiritual director should always be improving his art. This can be done by talking to other directors or by some continuing education in the art of spiritual direction.

10. The spiritual director finds himself attracted to a certain person who comes for spiritual direction.

This is natural, but one must always remain alert. Spiritual direction is one of the most intimate of experiences. The director himself, and no one else, is always responsible for the boundaries – especially emotional boundaries. If the director feels that there is something inappropriate on the part of the directee, he should say so clearly in order to help the directee delve more deeply into the issue.

Spiritual directors must be aware of any flirting or suggestive talk and should have the courage to look at his or her own life soberly. If help is required, one’s own spiritual director should be consulted. No one should provide spiritual direction for others if that person does not also receive monthly spiritual direction. He may have to terminate the arrangement of serving as this person’s spiritual director if he cannot serve that person well or if his own weaknesses get in the way.

11. Someone asks a spiritual director for help in deciding what to do in a marital situation that has gone bad.

It is difficult to counsel one side of a marriage, but unfortunately it is hard to get both sides to agree to see someone together. Spiritual direction in itself is always helpful; this may also be the case for a spouse whose marriage is in need of help. Nonetheless, marital counseling may also be needed to compliment this. A good spiritual director knows how and when to guide a person to seek a good counselor, attend a retreat, schedule some time away for prayer, or engage in another spiritual discipline that may be helpful.

12. A spiritual director’s friend asks for help in discerning a vocational/personal crisis.

Friends are a special gift. Much spiritual direction takes place naturally in good friendships. Nonetheless, in this case, spiritual direction per se should be temporary and always with the suggestion that finding a spiritual director that is removed from the friendship side of things is a better option.

Conclusion

From this brief reflection on spiritual direction one can see that it is different from counseling, although there may be elements of this at times. It is also different from occasional advice given here and there. Spiritual direction is a consistent monthly relationship of support for the directee, and it is an art in itself. Spiritual direction is also different from occasional or frequent confession. A spiritual director who is happens to be a priest may choose to hear the confession of the directee if asked, but if the directee chooses to discuss this in spiritual direction, he or she must give explicit permission for the spiritual director to do so. The seal of confession must never be violated.

Discussions between a spiritual director and directee must always remain confidential. This should be understood by both director and directee from the very beginning. Good spiritual directors have learned the art of keeping confidences.

Spiritual direction is a special grace for both the one receiving it and the one giving it. The lived experience of those who have benefited from direction and those who serve as spiritual directors confirms this truth. The art of spiritual direction is much like prayer; it can only be learned by doing. Nonetheless, there is no substitute for reading and educating ourselves on this important matter. It is my hope that this brief introduction will serve to encourage us to do just that.

+Bishop Gregory Mansour+

Is spiritual direction just a more involved form of confession?

Posted on January 25th, 2010 by Dan Burke

Q: Father John, what is the difference between confession and spiritual direction?

A: Confession and spiritual direction are like partially overlapping circles: they share some common characteristics, but their centers, their essences, are distinct.

The Distinction of Confession

The essence of confession is the sacramental grace that Christ gives to our soul through the ministry of his priest. When we open our hearts to him through sincere repentance and honest confession of our sins within the sacrament of reconciliation, we receive an infusion of grace that forgives our sins, strengthens our spiritual weakness (especially regarding the behaviors that we confessed), and increases the bond of our supernatural friendship with Christ. It also exercises and therefore increases the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity. In confession, God acts on our soul the way a surgeon acts on a patient: directly, profoundly, in ways that we could never reproduce by merely natural efforts.

This is why we don’t have to worry even if the priest who hears our confession is taciturn, deaf, grumpy, in mortal sin, or even (God forbid) harsh. The priest is God’s instrument of grace within this sacrament, not the source of that grace.

The Distinction of Spiritual Direction

The essence of spiritual direction is solid advice. The spiritual director helps us see more clearly what God is asking of us and how he is acting in our lives. The director also helps us see objectively the quality of our response to God: are we being docile and humble, or are we just tricking ourselves into doing what we feel like? The spiritual director is like the physical therapist that helps us identify the exercises we need to be doing in order to grow spiritually, and then helps us adjust our spiritual program of work in order to keep it effective and on track. This is invaluable advice, but it is noticeably different than that surgeon who actually reconstructs a torn ligament or rebuilds a broken lung.

This is one of the reasons why nothing inhibits lay people from becoming excellent spiritual directors. Ordination is not required, just solid training in spiritual theology, ample personal experience in the spiritual life, and the Holy Spirit’s gifts of knowledge (discernment) and counsel. But God has reserved the sacrament of confession to his ordained priests, in order to guarantee that he acts directly therein.

The Overlap

Nevertheless, although the essences differ, the secondary characteristics of confession and spiritual direction can often overlap. A good confessor gives more than absolution; he also utilizes the sacred moment in which this person is opening their heart to God to remind them of God’s goodness, love, and wisdom. If he detects some confusion or frustration, he can also give sound advice, just as a spiritual director would do. If the penitent has questions or doubts, the confessor answers and resolves them. The atmosphere of faith in which the sacrament takes place is incomparably propitious for the action of the Holy Spirit and the penitent’s docility to that action. In past centuries, in fact, lay people usually received spiritual direction within the sacrament. They would go to the same priest regularly for confession, and this “confessor” became their spiritual father, their spiritual director. In more recent times, however, the practice of having separate spiritual direction, which used to be reserved for consecrated religious, has spread to the laity as well. This is linked to the Church’s growing emphasis on the lay vocation as a vocation to holiness, just as much as a religious vocation is a call to holiness. Only the states of life differ.

Some priests who are excellent confessors even prefer to give spiritual direction within the sacrament of confession. Combining the two makes for a longer stay in the confessional, but it can be fruitful. If you are having trouble finding a spiritual director, you may want to ask around to find out which priests in your area have a reputation for being wise confessors. You can then go to confession with them, and in addition to confessing your sins, you can also mention in the sacrament that you are trying to follow a program of spiritual growth. Then include as part of your confession the areas of spiritual work in which you have had difficulty in recent weeks. These difficulties may be imperfections (unconscious faults) more than sins, but by confessing them you express the delicacy of your love for Christ, and you give the confessor a greater understanding of the state of your soul. Then he will have a chance to give you solid advice and guidance before giving you absolution. You can use that advice to adjust your program of spiritual work for the coming weeks. In this way, your confessor can double as your spiritual director. The disadvantage of this arrangement, however, is the lack of time to converse. Often what is most helpful in spiritual direction is the focused conversation about spiritual things. Necessarily, the parameters of the sacrament curtail this kind of discussion.

Of course, the contrary situation also arises. Oftentimes, if one’s spiritual director is also a priest, it is quite natural to finish spiritual direction with the sacrament of confession. In this case, the priest will take less time to offer advice and encouragement, which has already been given in spiritual direction. The disadvantage of this arrangement (which is certainly not a requirement), is the tendency to dilute one’s awareness of God’s action through the sacrament, a penchant for considering, the sacrament merely as the frosting on the cake of spiritual direction, at least on a subconscious level.

Keep in mind the essential difference between confession and spiritual direction. If you do that, then the overlap of secondary characteristics, which can take as many different forms as there are people, will always enhance and never confuse your experience of both.

Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC

Icons courtesy of www.eikonografos.com used with permission.

Spiritual direction orientation – it takes time… and patience

Posted on January 5th, 2009 by Dan Burke

Have you ever been in an unfamiliar area and stopped to ask a local for directions only to find that the well intended helper begins to rattle off street names, turns, and landmarks faster than you can blink? Why does this happen? It really is very simple. Our chosen helper is very familiar with the area. He or she is simply working at a pace that makes complete sense to them; though almost none to us. The challenge is that even if our helpers are extremely benevolent, we will rarely find one who will recognize the glazed over look in our eyes and slow down enough to really help us to get to our desired destination.

In spiritual direction we have the same problem for both the director and the directee – particularly when the relationship is new. My wife recently went to confession at a local parish. It is a good thing she has a sense of humor. The director’s advice after confession was that she “get her life in order and to start praying.” At this point in her life I can attest that she was praying at least forty-five minutes a day and well into a solid position in her spiritual journey. Why then did he give such poor advice? Simply put, he was moving too fast and did not take the time to really orient himself to her situation before he provided input.

Orientation takes time. For the director he or she needs to move slowly and prayerfully before offering feedback. However, the same is true for the directee. It is very important that the directee not expect the director to quickly get to the point and solve all their spiritual challenges in one sitting. Good experienced spiritual directors will never jump into giving advice without developing a relationship; without developing a solid understanding of the complex landscape of the soul they are trying to serve.

For directors, be cautious of the dangerous rut of pat answers. Don’t miss the opportunity to really help someone to God because your many conversations are all blurring into one. If you are struggling to really connect with a person, don’t feel pressure to rush into a response. Instead, the struggle should be a signal that you too need to slow down, pray, listen, and wrestle to find clarity about the real issues at play.

Regardless of which side of the equation you find yourself on, the key is to slow down. For directees, ensure you are open and clear about the challenges you face. Don’t look for quick answers to complex questions. If you are not going to spiritual direction with Padre Pio, don’t expect a mere mortal to be able to understand and help after just twenty minutes of discussion. It may take months for you both to understand what God is doing in your soul.

Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him

Dan