"For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father”
Flesh and Blood, which is our nature, is not enough to reveal to us the mysteries of God. It is only by the Grace and Truth, which the heavenly Father sends that the mysteries of God and the mystery of our self is revealed.
How does God give us Grace and Truth? Most perfectly we receive Grace and Truth from Jesus, the Word made flesh who is full of Grace and Truth. [1] As the Body of Christ all Christians by their baptism are to live in the grace and truth and lead others to grace and truth. Peter was directed spiritually into grace and truth and being lead grace and truth he then led others. We all are in need of this spiritual direction. “One of the greatest graces we can get is to have someone to guide us along the pathways of the interior life.” [2]
What is spiritual direction? “Assisting persons to understand themselves and, with divine grace, to grow in the practice of Christian virtue.” [3] Spiritual direction in a larger sense is the Church being guided and directed by the Holy Spirit based on the Truth of Jesus Christ’s teachings. Private guidance or one on one spiritual direction is what we normally think of.
We must remember that spiritual direction, whether done in private or with another person, is never outside of the greater spiritual direction of the Church. The Holy Spirit speaks through the Bishops and the Pope in matters of Faith and morals, and we are not independent from those teachings in our spiritual direction. [4]
Who can receive spiritual direction? Anyone and everyone can and should receive spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is not for the faint of heart though, “spiritual direction [is] required in the lives of Christians who aim at the attainment of perfection.” [5] Now, before someone is worried by this, we must remember striving for perfection is demanded of us all by Christ, “so be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” [6].The spiritual perfection that Christ speaks of is the perfection within our state in life at this time to build on the virtues while being mindful to avoid sin and other spiritual dangers.
When can I start getting spiritual direction? Anyone can start receiving spiritual direction at any point in their lives. The sooner they can connect with someone to help them get closer to what God wants of their lives through the Church the better.
How do we get spiritual direction? The first place to get spiritual direction is through the Sacrament of Penance. There we can be reunited with Christ, receive the Body of Christ, and receive absolution. While in confession, we can seek guidance, have questions answered, and be given the knowledge and strength to take with us when we leave the confessional. Another place is reading the Holy Bible. Reading the daily readings, or even just reading the Sunday readings will help build direction in one’s life. The role of the homily to teach and inspire us is also important spiritual direction and can take place daily if we go to daily Mass. If we are unable to attend daily Mass we can read spiritual reading from the Office of Readings, the Saints, Church Fathers, etc. This divine reading (lectio divina) are the homilies and teachings of our greatest Saints. We must also continue our Christian Education by attending retreats and pilgrimages, when we are able and joining a community in which we continue to learn the prayers, practices and doctrines of the Faith. What communities or groups help you get spiritual direction? What people help?
Why do I need spiritual direction? Spiritual direction helps us in numerous ways. “In spiritual direction God provides us with a person who knows the way well, to whom we open our heart and who acts as a teacher, doctor, a friend, a good shepherd in the things that relate to God.” [7]
Can’t we just get spiritual direction from ourselves? If anyone has ever had a coach in their life, they know a major role for the coach is to push the person beyond what the person thinks they can do. Too many times we will just settle or only give just enough to pass. But when we have someone in our lives to be accountable to and who can push us, it helps us be better than we might think we can be. For spiritual direction, we can easily think we’re doing fine, but in reality be buried in sin. We can fall prey to luke-warmness. “A soul without a director is like a kindled coal, which, left by itself, cools instead of burning.” [8]
Spiritual Direction has to deal with the gift of Counsel. What is Counsel? Counsel is a gift from God “that assists the mind and perfects the virtue of prudence by enlightening a man on how to decide and command individual supernatural acts.” [9] Counsel always helps ones self first, and then helps direct others second. This is important when we are discerning and praying for our spiritual direction to use this gift of Counsel to help us in our choices.
This gift can only be built upon after using the gifts of Knowledge and Understanding. We see in Sunday’s Gospel reading Jesus had imparted Knowledge and Understanding upon the Apostles, and He was seeking Counsel not for himself, for Jesus knew exactly who He was, but for the Apostles when He asks them whom they thought He was. Peter, using the supernatural gift of Counsel, answers correctly. The only way Peter could answer this though was through Knowledge and Understanding. We too must practice the gifts of the Knowledge of our faith and to understand before we can begin to counsel ourselves or someone else.
Who can be a spiritual director? Anyone can become a spiritual director. “The Holy Spirit...has often chosen priests or religious, and even simple laymen and women, and filled them with supernatural wisdom in order to provide for the spiritual direction of others.” [10] So although typically a spiritual director is a priest or religious, a layperson can be one as well.
If someone is a spiritual director the gift of Counsel is incredibly important because the gift is linked to that of the Beatitude, “Happy are the merciful: They shall have mercy shown them” (Mt. 5:7) “When persons come for help, no matter what their problems may be, two things they always need and that the counselor should offer by word and example are forgiveness of injuries and great generosity, both covered by mercy.” [11]
What are the benefits of spiritual direction? There are huge benefits in spiritual direction! We all have felt lost, confused, and unsure of what to do at times in our lives; Spiritual direction helps us connect ourselves to someone who can help us find God and get us out of it. “What a joy it is to be able to communicate our deepest feelings, so as to direct them to God, to someone who understands us, who encourages us, who opens new horizons for us, who prays for us and has a special grace to help us! In spiritual direction we encounter Christ himself, who listens to us attentively, who understands us, and who gives us new energies and insights to help us keep going.” [12]
How do I choose my spiritual director? When looking for a spiritual Director it is good to look at how close are they with God. Fr. Hardon wrote, “Hence the importance of nearness to God and personal holiness in those whose position requires them to direct other people.” [13] If we were to learn a musical instrument we would want to seek direction and instruction from someone who plays that instrument and hopefully fluently. The same thing is true with our spiritual direction. If the person we go to is not near God and seeking direction from Him, how can that person guide and direct us?
How is spiritual direction different from counseling?In traditional counseling, the person is focused on themselves and certain worldly problems. With spiritual direction, it should all be focused on God. It needs to be a supernatural environment because it is God who we are trying to listen to. It is also different in that we may not receive answers to what we wanted. In spiritual direction we may get an answer we may not want to hear, but if it is in Truth, we must follow it.
[1] John 1:14
[2] In Conversation with God 4, 76.1
[3] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 515
[4] Denzinger, Enchiridion, nos. 1152, 1153
[5] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05024a.htm
[6] Matthew 5:48
[7] In Conversation with God 4, 76.1
[8] St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Maxims, 177-178, in The Living Flame of Love
[9] The Catholic Catechism pg. 202
[10] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05024a.htm
[11] The Catholic Catechism pg. 203
[12] In Conversation with God 4, 76.1
[13] The Catholic Catechism pg. 203