We have many tools to help us along life's journey. Meetings with your pastor can help with pastoral concerns that may pop up from time to time, and Pastoral Counseling is a way to blend help for our spirit and our mind.
Sometimes we are simply looking to discern what it is that God is saying to us now. In these moments, Spiritual Direction is another tool we can use to help us.
Spiritual Direction is an ancient practice. Some even see roots of it in Ananias helping the Apostle Paul during his conversion to the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ back in Acts of Apostles 9.
In Spiritual Direction, a director helps you discern God's call through active listening and asking where you, the directee, see God in the flow of your life. A director can be a lay or ordained person, preferably someone with training in Spiritual Direction.
Direction differs from counseling because, while there are training programs for it, there is no accreditation process to become a director. Some directors charge a fee for their services while others do not. In place of a fee, some directors will ask that you give a donation to a parish or charity.
In order not muddle the process, rectors typically will not meet with their parishioners for Spiritual Direction. This is out of ethical concerns. If a directee is searching for where God may be calling them, a rector might be tempted to steer a directee towards a program the parish needs assistance with, regardless of where God might actually be calling that person to serve. However, rectors can recommend directors, and many dioceses keep list of Spiritual Directors who practice in the area.
Spiritual Direction doesn't, and shouldn't, take the place of Pastoral Counseling or Conferences. However, it can be another useful tool as we try and hear what God is saying to us so that we can better discern our path forward in life.
Learn more about Spiritual Direction and my practice of it by clicking here.