Faith Matters 6: What is a Spiritual Director?
From The Gardner News, Saturday, August 12, 2006:
“What do spiritual directors do, anyway?” I get asked this question from time to time by people who are curious about this part of my ministry. Most have never heard of spiritual directors or have only the vaguest idea of what we do. My simple answer is that spiritual directors help another person deepen their relationship with God.
The title itself is misleading. A spiritual director doesn’t direct anyone or anything. Many directors prefer to be called “spiritual companions”, a better description of the role. Spiritual directors are men and women who have undergone specialized training to assist others in exploring and deepening their relationship with God. They may be clergy, religious, or laymen or women. And not all clergy have undergone this training or feel called to this specialized ministry.
Unlike pastoral counseling, which is usually focused on helping someone solve a problem in their life or deal with an issue, spiritual direction is usually not problem-oriented; instead it is relationship-oriented. It is a place and a time for the directee, the person receiving spiritual direction, to explore the breadth and depth of their relationship with God, their prayer life, and their experience of God’s presence and leading in their lives.
Some spiritual directors are trained in specific techniques and traditions to assist a person in their spiritual journey. Many Christian spiritual directors use a series of exercises developed by Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. These rich meditations on scripture invite the directee to make a personal connection between their own life and circumstances and the stories recounted in Christian scripture. Other spiritual directors draw from the richness of psychology to help an individual explore their spiritual life. Some are grounded in the contemplative traditions, and see their role as primarily praying with another person and helping them to listen to and for the movement of the Spirit in their lives. Many spiritual directors rely on all three styles of direction, depending on the needs and wants of the individual directee.
Spiritual direction is based on several core beliefs: God is always present with us, no matter where we are, no matter what we are doing; God is not only present, but active in the world—“speaking to us”, leading us, coaxing us; God wishes “good” for us, blessing for us, even during those time when we don’t understand what is happening, and when we might be fearful or anxious; and, the more we can open ourselves to God and God’s leading, the more our lives are blessed by God.
Although spiritual direction is not “problem focused”, individuals often seek out a director when they experience a change in their spiritual life. They may feel frustrated in their prayer life or feel spiritually “dry”. Some might be exploring an important decision, wondering how God might be calling them to move forward. Or perhaps they are simply feeling distant from God or desire a deeper relationship with God. All of these are typical situations that come up in spiritual direction and might be the beginning of an on-going conversation and exploration of their life with God.
Spiritual direction unfolds over time as a director and directee attune themselves to God and to one another. It is a process of listening and paying attention to the many ways God’s presence is revealed in the life of this person; it is an invitation to name and see how God is at work in the life of the directee. The spiritual journey is always enriched when shared with another with whom we can explore the subtle and wondrous movement of the Spirit in our lives!