What is Spiritual Direction?
Sr Lauren Butler, Carmelite Extern Sister and Spiritual Director, on behalf of Whakakōingo o te Ngākau: The Yearning Heart, the Diocesan Spiritual Directors’ Group
A question often pondered is: “What is Spiritual Direction?” I notice a genuine curiosity in this question, so let me share my understanding of spiritual direction.
Spiritual direction is a confidential ministry of accompaniment, support, and encouragement, which is centred on your relationship with God. A director acts as an instrument for God. As a mediator, they listen attentively to the directee safely sharing their deepest desires and attuning to how God may be guiding them, as they grow in awareness of the gift of grace that is already here.
The substance of a session is what happens in our prayer
time and everyday life. As St Teresa of Avila said: “God walks among the pots and pans.” God uses all our experiences to communicate with us — we need to learn to tune in and notice the movements within our hearts. A director will listen to what is said, and also be attentive to the silence about what is not said — like how an iceberg has much more going on underneath than we can see.
A session is a bit like the image of panning for gold, swishing around the material of life and noticing the little gold nuggets that appear. These gold nuggets are pondered and relished as a gift from God and explored further.
Spiritual direction is for everyone who wants to grow in their relationship with God. A director listens to and cherishes your unique journey, accompanying you wherever you are in the spiritual life.
If you would like to explore spiritual direction further, I invite you to visit cdoc.nz/what-we-do/mission/spiritual-direction for a list of priests, religious, and lay directors available in the Christchurch Diocese, for your prayerful consideration.
