Can't Find A Spiritual Director?

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The following excerpt is from The New Theological Movement blog.

When You Cannot Find A Spiritual Director
by Reginaldus
Feast of St. John of the Cross, December 14 [2010]

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On the feast of St. Teresa of Avila (October 15), I wrote a short post regarding what qualities we ought to look for in a spiritual director. In response to this, several people wrote asking what ought to be done if a suitable director could not be found, or if the director desired could not fulfill this role due to a lack of time. I had promised to write a second article to address this situation, and it seems fitting that we take the opportunity provided by the feast of St. Teresa’s spiritual director, St. John of the Cross, to consider this troubling and all too common scenario: Recognizing the importance of spiritual direction and the lofty qualities required of a director, what ought we do to if we cannot find a spiritual director?

What to look for in a spiritual director

First, I briefly summarize the October 15 post:

1) The good director must have a knowledge of the spiritual life. Not only must he have progressed to at least the beginning phases of contemplation, but he must also have a profound knowledge of the fundamental principles of the spiritual life. St. Teresa says that it would be better to have a learned director who is not very  holy than to have a holy director who is not learned.

2) The spiritual director must be faithful to the Church. Any director who deviates from the clear teaching of the Catholic Church is a poor guide in the spiritual life.  Moreover, the good director will guide his directees along the path to holiness according to the spiritual traditions of the Catholic faith (as opposed to Eastern religious practices) – hence the primary tools of the spiritual life which the good director must recommend are prayer and mortification.

3) Finally, it is not necessary that a spiritual director be a priest. However, it is generally safer to choose a priest rather than a lay person. Nevertheless, a well educated and faithful lay woman would make a much better director than an ignorant, dissenting priest.

Do I really need spiritual direction?

We all need at least some level of spiritual direction – at the very least, we need the counsel of a confessor. Spiritual direction is an ordinary part of the Christian life, something to which we all should avail ourselves at least at some point of our spiritual journey. However, there are times and circumstances which demand a more intense and consistent program of direction – this is when one on one direction becomes truly necessary.

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[The article goes on to address the following topics:]

What if I cannot find a suitable spiritual director?

Spiritual reading

The example of the saints 

Self-direction?

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The full article can be read here. 

A number of writings from the saints whom the author recommends are available free online at Catholic Treasury. The link is in our sidebar under the category 'Books.'

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