Spiritual Direction
| Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) |
In spiritual direction, two people come together in Jesus’s name. The focus of the one-on-one relationship between the spiritual director and directee is the directee’s relationship with God. While the Holy Spirit is the actual director, the spiritual director is there to listen to what is going on in the directee’s life and reflect back where God is acting, ask questions, and perhaps offer some insights. The spiritual director’s goal is to help the directee develop a closer relationship with God, discern how the Holy Spirit is leading, encourage the directee to say “yes” to God, and/or develop a deeper prayer life. Since our relationship with God touches many areas in our lives, a variety of experiences and relationships often are brought into spiritual direction as well.
Spiritual Reading
The goal for this website is to present the timeless truths of the Catholic Faith from Scripture, the official teachings of the Catholic Church, the teachings of the Saints, and also the principles of spirituality through articles on this site and through links to other websites.
St. John of the Cross in the Prologue to the Ascent of Mt. Carmel said, “. . . I will not rely on experience or science, for these can fail and deceive us. Although I will not neglect whatever possible use I can make of them, my help in all that, with God’s favor, I shall say, will be Sacred Scripture, at least in the most important matters, or those that are difficult to understand. Taking Scripture as our guide we do not err, since the Holy Spirit speaks to us through it. Should I misunderstand or be mistaken on some point, whether I deduce it from Scripture or not, I will not be intending to deviate from the true meaning of Sacred Scripture or from the doctrine of our Holy Mother the Catholic Church. Should there be some mistake, I submit entirely to the Church, or even to anyone who judges more competently about the matter than I.”
The above quote expresses the goal of this website, to remain faithful to the truth and spiritual guidance handed down and explained through the centuries through the Catholic Church, which was founded on Peter and the apostles by Jesus Christ to teach the truth about God.
God has a plan for each of our lives which varies from person to person. God also set up general laws and principles, which apply to all people in all ages. God’s ways are eternal, true, and relevant regardless of the latest thoughts of the modern culture.
In spiritual direction, the goal is to develop a closer relationship with God and to discern how the Holy Spirit is leading in one’s life. At the same time God has already revealed much in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. It is important to study and meditate upon the truths God has publicly revealed as an ongoing part of seeking God’s guidance.
Some links to Church teachings and the writings of the Saints are here. Also, click here. Also there is an online personal spiritual formation course called “Seeking Union with God“, which gives an overview of developing the spiritual life.
Explaining the Faith Series:
Fr. Chris Alar videos on Explaining the Catholic Faith: https://divinemercyplus.org/Explaining_the_Faith
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This monthly email newsletter has articles on general spiritual direction topics such as developing our relationship with God and others, tips on prayer, and other topics related to the Catholic faith. It includes advice from Scripture, the teachings of the Church and writings of the Saints. Your e-mail address is never given out to others for any reason.
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Some examples of past newsletters: