Spiritual DirectionWhat is Spiritual Direction?
"We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship."
William A. Barry, SJ and William J. Connolly, SJ, Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Our prayer life is ever-changing because we are in a growing relationship with God. It is often helpful to frame this relationship as a friendship as God is continuously drawing us closer. Many times God is reaching out to us but we do not trust it is God’s voice because many other voices are much louder and forceful. God often speaks through quiet invitations, unexpected insights, and through our sensory experiences. Becoming attentive to the ways God reaches into our lives is different for each person, but through time, and with spiritual guidance, we begin to trust our God experiences and the unique way God interacts with us until this experience becomes familiar. Then, we trust and know God’s ways and we can hear God’s voice in the midst of chaos, turbulence, and many distractions.
Anyone can receive spiritual direction. Typically, a person meets with a director for 45 minutes or an hour on a regular basis, that is, monthly or every two weeks, perhaps weekly at the start. The director listens deeply to the person who talks about his or her relationship with God and mirrors back to the person what the director sees. The director helps the person speak with God in prayer about one’s experiences and feelings, and then helps the person listen to the ways God is moving in his or her life. Most of us can use some assistance in understanding what is happening in the dynamics of the relationship.
Spiritual direction is not therapy, though there can be healing qualities within the process. We can gain great insights into the way we communicate, the way we carry our suffering inside us, and the way we yearn for God to touch our lives and let us know God is near. Spiritual direction is a friend helping a friend share experiences of the Lord. Too often, we keep this area of our lives contained, even from the people who are closest to us. A hallmark of spiritual direction is that a person moves from a place of suffering that can debilitate to a place of greater freedom and joy.
For those who have made a spiritual retreat or take advantage of spiritual direction, they have an experience of being heard, without judgment, and they recognize people are in a ministry of solidarity – just to help them express their experiences.
"We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship."
William A. Barry, SJ and William J. Connolly, SJ, Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Our prayer life is ever-changing because we are in a growing relationship with God. It is often helpful to frame this relationship as a friendship as God is continuously drawing us closer. Many times God is reaching out to us but we do not trust it is God’s voice because many other voices are much louder and forceful. God often speaks through quiet invitations, unexpected insights, and through our sensory experiences. Becoming attentive to the ways God reaches into our lives is different for each person, but through time, and with spiritual guidance, we begin to trust our God experiences and the unique way God interacts with us until this experience becomes familiar. Then, we trust and know God’s ways and we can hear God’s voice in the midst of chaos, turbulence, and many distractions.
Anyone can receive spiritual direction. Typically, a person meets with a director for 45 minutes or an hour on a regular basis, that is, monthly or every two weeks, perhaps weekly at the start. The director listens deeply to the person who talks about his or her relationship with God and mirrors back to the person what the director sees. The director helps the person speak with God in prayer about one’s experiences and feelings, and then helps the person listen to the ways God is moving in his or her life. Most of us can use some assistance in understanding what is happening in the dynamics of the relationship.
Spiritual direction is not therapy, though there can be healing qualities within the process. We can gain great insights into the way we communicate, the way we carry our suffering inside us, and the way we yearn for God to touch our lives and let us know God is near. Spiritual direction is a friend helping a friend share experiences of the Lord. Too often, we keep this area of our lives contained, even from the people who are closest to us. A hallmark of spiritual direction is that a person moves from a place of suffering that can debilitate to a place of greater freedom and joy.
For those who have made a spiritual retreat or take advantage of spiritual direction, they have an experience of being heard, without judgment, and they recognize people are in a ministry of solidarity – just to help them express their experiences.