What about your experience with spiritual direction? Dear Catholic Spiritual Direction Friends, More than 500 of you have told us that you are in an active spiritual direction relationship right now. Would you mind answering a few questions about your experience with spiritual direction? I am about half way through a book project on the … Read more
Dear Father John, when a major issue (in this case, abuse) that surfaces with the help of my spiritual director bleeds over from the psychological realm into the spiritual, how (and when) do I get away from it in my spiritual direction so I can get to the spiritual issues of prayer, discernment, etc.? It … Read more
Dear Father John, At some point would you address the issues facing modern mystics? For example, most spiritual directors do not seem to have experience with mysticism. Even some priests I have encountered believe that God no longer acts in this way with his people, but it has been my personal experience that he does. … Read more
Bishop’s Perspective on Spiritual Direction (Part III of III) Editor’s Note: In Part I, Bishop Mansour introduced the concept of spiritual direction. In Part II, he briefly explored the purpose of spiritual direction. In today’s post on a bishop’s perspective on spiritual direction, Bishop Mansour will examine a number of different situations a spiritual director … Read more
Bishop’s Perspective on Spiritual Direction (Part II of III) Editor’s Note: In Part I, Bishop Mansour introduced the concept of spiritual direction. In today’s post, he will briefly explore the purpose of spiritual direction. The idea of spiritual direction is a monastic idea; it began with the desert fathers and continues in the Church as … Read more
Bishop’s Perspective on Spiritual Direction (Part I of III) Dear Catholic Spiritual Direction Friends, A few of you know that I travel a great deal between Connecticut and Colorado. When I am in Connecticut my home parish is Our Lady of Lebanon, a parish of the Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn. I have had … Read more
Dear Father John, what is the difference between confession and spiritual direction? Confession and spiritual direction are like partially overlapping circles: they share some common characteristics, but their centers, their essences, are distinct. The Distinction of Confession The essence of confession is the sacramental grace that Christ gives to our soul through the ministry of … Read more
Spiritual Direction Posts and Series Index Dear Friends, To make it easier for you to find key posts on spiritual direction, we have updated our Spiritual Direction Posts and Series Index page. As well, we have ordered the posts in a way in keeping with the flow of topics. These posts cover topics such … Read more
Dear Father John, How much of a discussion in spiritual direction should focus on moral issues, such as habitual sin and possibly that of grave matter which may not necessarily be mortal sin? So much discussion here is only about how to pray well, making a program for life, finding a spiritual director and things … Read more
Where is Spiritual Direction in Scripture & Tradition? Dear Father John, Is the idea of spiritual direction found in scripture? What is the basis for spiritual direction in scripture and/or tradition? Do you remember when St. Paul had his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus? Taking a look at Paul’s own brief … Read more
Dear Father John, I have loved reading your blog and have gained many insights from it that I will put into practice! I have been wondering about a spiritual direction question: I live quite a distance from the priest I would prefer to seek direction from and it is difficult for us to connect. I … Read more
Dear Father John, I have heard that most saints have had spiritual directors in their lives. Why would a saint need spiritual direction? Is there something about the human condition that does not allow spiritual progress without this kind of assistance? Let me answer your question with a question: Why did God choose to save … Read more
Dear Father John, I am new to spiritual direction. After asking a newly ordained priest if he would be my spiritual director, he graciously accepted…thanks be to God. We have met several times over the past eight months, however, at our last meeting he caught me off guard. It had been four months since our … Read more
Pope Benedict XVI Recommends Spiritual Direction VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Everyone — priests, religious, laypeople — and especially youth, should have a spiritual director to help them in the Christian life, says Benedict XVI. The Pope affirmed this today when he reflected on Symeon the New Theologian during the general audience held in … Read more
Dear Father John, What are the key characteristics of good spiritual direction? There are three ways to answer this question, depending on the point of view. From the point of view of the person receiving it, spiritual direction is an extremely useful (many would say essential) help for growing in holiness, which is the same … Read more
Seeking Spiritual Direction – How to Grow the Divine Life Within By Father Thomas Dubay, S.M. Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within by Father Thomas Dubay, is a book which has been written as a practical guide for Christians who are considering spiritual direction or who are already engaged in the spiritual … Read more
“Discern what the Holy Spirit wants for you right now….You don’t have to take it all in today.” – Colleen Orchanian
A Reflection from “Angels of Light, Angels of Darkness” by Rev. Adam Blai The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, if a land sins against me by breaking faith, and I stretch out my hand against it, breaking its staff of bread and setting famine loose upon it, cutting off … Read more
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