Join the forum discussion on this postby Therese Ivers, JCL
Over the years, I have received questions regarding spiritual direction. Some of them I have answered in previous posts on this site. I am going to underline a few things about spiritual direction that is important to know and resources for learning more in this post.
1. Who should be a spiritual director?
Someone who is “learned” who knows their moral, dogmatic, ascetic, and mystical theology. The saints have consistently said that knowing what the Church teaches about the spiritual life is far more important than a director’s personally experiencing them. Spiritual direction is somewhat of a science (knowledge) and an art (prudence in how to apply the knowledge to a specific person’s situation). It doesn’t matter whether the director is male or female, ordained or lay, the MOST important characteristic is knowledge and fidelity to the Church’s teachings. I consider this book the BEST book for figuring out what to look for in a spiritual director:
2. What do I need to know about the spiritual life?
It is good to gradually learn the main points of spirituality so you know where you are in your own spiritual life and know the potential pitfalls and possible graces. This book is one of THE BEST for understanding what you need to know about the spiritual life. Hint: I ask my directees to read parts of this book so they understand what is happening in their spiritual life. This is a treasure!
3. What rights do I have for protecting my spiritual direction sessions in the Catholic Church?
The Church traditionally considers spiritual direction to be privileged information with protections that are just under those of sacramental confession. That’s how important spiritual direction is considered in the Catholic Church. And yes, if someone discloses spiritual direction information without immediate danger of life/death, the directee can sue in the Church’s Tribunal for this grave violation of the internal forum. Beware of anyone who falsely tells you that you don’t have canonical protections in this area for “just” spiritual direction. There are a few really incompetent canon lawyers or theologians who might claim that there is nothing one can do about protecting one’s right to confidentiality… But rest assured if any such persons exist they definitely don’t know what they’re talking about and you should RUN from them.
4. What is spiritual direction?
Whenever a “manifestation of conscience” is made to someone for the purpose of advice and the relationship is tacitly or explicitly one of spiritual direction. What is a manifestation of conscience? Good question! The answer to that can be found in my thesis on Amazon (in print and on Kindle which can be read on your computer). Why don’t I give a quick and dirty definition? Because the thesis WALKS you through the history of spiritual direction in the Catholic Church and gives you examples of what is or isn’t spiritual direction (aka “manifestation of conscience”). The conscience is so sacred that at one point the Church excommunicated superiors for inquiring about spiritual direction matters (now a subject can sue if this happens and the Tribunal will determine the penalty). So even if non-authorized disclosure of spiritual direction doesn’t have a specific penalty, it is still a sin covered by canon law that can be punished by the Tribunal. Here’s the link to my thesis:
5. Are all Spiritual Directors equal when it comes to vocational discernment?
Definitely not! One CANNOT discern or help someone else discern what one is ignorant about. That means if a prospective spiritual director doesn’t know about all the vocations and what distinguishes one from the other, they CANNOT be helpful in assisting you make an informed vocational decision. And yes, they may be extremely biased towards THEIR OWN VOCATION. They can help in general terms in the same way they can help if you’re choosing a college or making some other decision but they aren’t college or career or vocation counselors and won’t be able to help you drill down into the nitty gritty of what is fitting for you. It is imprudent to assume that a spiritual director will know WHAT your vocation is (they don’t unless God has revealed it to them) or that they will know enough about the vocations to be of any real help to you. 99.99% of spiritual directors are NOT competent in this area. Utilize them for what they are competent in like spiritual growth.
(c) 2015 by Therese Ivers, JCL
All Rights Reserved.
