Spiritual Direction?
From the Pent of Father Tim...
When I get a call asking me for Spiritual Direction, I immediately respond ‘what is your goal? How do we know when we have achieved the goal of Spiritual
Direction?’ The answer is often a generic goal of, ‘I want to be holy.’ While truly noble, that really is not concrete enough.
So, perhaps there is a need for an exercise to help people know what they are aiming for. These are questions I recommend you ask of your self. So where in your life do you feel you are not holy? Is it a lack of prayer? Is it Spiritual Doldrums? Is a desire to grow closer to God? Are the Ten Commandments and the moral life being lived out? If Spiritual Direction is to be effective, we have need to zero in on what the issues are. If it is sin? What are the sin’s triggers? What steps have already been taken to stop sinning? Have any of the simple steps been taken to stop or reduce the sin? What does the prayer life look like?
Truly, if Spiritual Direction is be of benefit, the Directee has need to be self-aware; a Directee has need to discern a concrete goal that can be measured; the Directee has need to realize the work is on their part – not on the Director.
What spiritual direction is not: it is not counseling; it is not a replacement for a 12-step program; it is not to challenge the Church’s longstanding teachings. It is to grow in God’s Church.
Whether one seeks Spiritual Direction or not, these few brief steps can help all of us isolate and understand our Spiritual Goals we seek for our journey to Heaven. Let us be careful out there.
