RECONCILIATION Part 5 Theological and Pastoral Issues

Chapter 57 Spiritual Direction

This page is under construction

Preliminary Questions

Are your Spiritual Director and Confessor the same person? Whom do you see more frequently, your Spiritual Director or your Confessor?

How do you plan to prepare yourself for your role as Spiritual Director? How is this different from your preparation to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation?

[Return to top of this page]

Bibliography

William A. Barry & William J. Connolly. The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Seabury Press, 1982.

Richard M. Gula. To Walk Together Again.  New York/Ramsey: Paulist Press, 1984.

Richard M. Gula. A Reconciling Community: The Context for Penance," Church 6:2, Summer
    1990, p. 27.

Monika K. Hellwig. Sign of Reconciliation and Conversion, Wilmington: Glazier, 1986.

Alcohólicos Anónimos: Texto Básico de Alcohólicos Anónimos. (New York: Alcoholic
    Anonymous World Services, Inc.) 1986.

Sellner, Edward C. "What Alcoholic Anonymous can Teach us About Reconciliation." Worship
    64 (1990): 331-348.

[Return to top of this page]

Quotes

1. "Over the years our spiritual direction has come to be focused more and more on helping people develop their relationship with God. . . . As we have come to understand it, spiritual direction differs from moral guidance, psychological counseling, and the practice of confessional, preaching, or healing ministries (though having affinities with them) in that it directly assists individuals in developing and cultivating their personal relationship with God." (William A. Barry & William J. Connolly. The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Seabury Press, 1982. Preface, p ix.)

2. "To state the integrity of sacramental reconciliation as clearly as possible, and to make the contrast between sacramental reconciliation and pastoral counseling and spiritual direction as starkly as possible, I would say this: the Sacrament of Reconciliation is primarily an act of worship in and through which the penitent turns to God in praise and thanksgiving for the forgiveness of sins. The primary role of the priest is to be the host inviting the penitent more deeply into the reconciling activity of God in Christ and through the spirit in the community of God’s people, the Church. . . . Pastoral counseling and spiritual direction are best done elsewhere. . . . Pastoral counseling and spiritual direction can easily come into conflict with the task of facilitating reconciliation. . . .Above all, priests as confessors ought to try to avoid fostering a counseling relationship in the sacramental forum. The primary reason is that such a practice diverts the focus of the sacrament, and compromises its integrity. (Gula, pp 232-233.)

[Return to top of this page]

Distinguish

1. Psychiatric therapy

2. Psychological and/or pastoral counseling

3. Moral guidance

4. Spiritual direction

5. Celebration of reconciliation

6. Ministry of preaching

7. Ministry of healing

8. AA Fifth Step

[Return to top of this page]

Function and Casualty
 

1. Psychiatric therapy -- for therapy.

2. Psychological and/or pastoral counseling

3. Moral guidance -- formation of conscience and decision making.

4. Spiritual direction. "Over the years our spiritual direction has come to be focused more and more on helping people develop their relationship with God. . . . [Spiritual direction] directly assists individuals in developing and cultivating their personal relationship with God." (Barry, p ix) "We define Christian spiritual direction, then, as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship." (Barry, p 8) "Who is God for me, and who am I for God?" (Barry, p 5) "Spiritual direction is about taking time to walk with another on the spiritual path. It is about discerning the subtle movement of the Holy Spirit in the ordinariness of life." (Carol Whittaker, Franciscan Renewal Center, Scottsdale AZ.)

5. Celebration of reconciliation -- Celebration of the mercy of God. An act of worship. Sacramental causality. Reconciliation is for forgiveness.

6. Ministry of preaching -- Building up the Body of Christ. Faith comes by hearing.

7. Ministry of healing. Healing of mind, body, and soul.

8. AA Fifth Step

[Do you want the same confessor each time you celebrate the sacrament? Do you want the same director when you go for spiritual direction? Do you want the same counselor when you go for therapy? Do you want the same homeliest each time you celebrate Eucharist? Why / Why not?]

[Return to top of this page]

Agents and Training

[Return to top of this page]

Confidentiality

1. Psychiatric therapy - professional secrecy (legal term: doctors, lawyers, profession people. VALUE: client relationship and trust of profession).

2. Psychological and/or pastoral counseling - professional secrecy

3. Moral guidance - some secret some public

4. Spiritual direction - "internal forum" (a religious concept, usually not recognized in law) and a degree of professional secrecy (but priests are not treated the same as doctors and lawyers in all state law codes.)

5. Celebration of reconciliation - while "the Seal of Confession" assures that nothing heard or said in confessor/penitent relationship will ever be repeated or in any way influence the behavior of the confessor, it also restricts the confessor in giving spiritual direction, i.e. he is not free to mention things said on other occasions etc. And at the same time, the confession itself is a public, ecclesial event which should be seen and celebrated.

6. Ministry of preaching - usually not secret

7. Ministry of healing - usually not secret

8. AA Fifth Step

[Return to top of this page]

Occasion

1. Psychiatric therapy -- make an appointment; in doctor’s office; pay bill.

2. Psychological and/or pastoral counseling -- make an appointment; in doctor’s (pastor’s) office; pay bill. Availability of resources, phone to make referral, paper to take notes for next meeting, refer certain cases to someone who can be of more help, etc.

3. Moral guidance -- appointment, class, etc.

4. Spiritual direction -- make an appointment with the director; relaxed, quiet, reflective setting.

5. Celebration of reconciliation -- at scheduled times, in the church or parish worship space (or in a reconciliation chapel -- which has different architectural requirements than a counseling situation: cross, bible, type of chair, etc.)

6. Ministry of preaching

7. Ministry of healing

8. AA Fifth Step

[Return to top of this page]

Personal Context

1. Psychiatric therapy -- usually alone with the therapist.

2. Psychological and/or pastoral counseling -- formerly alone, now often in "systems" e.g. family systems counseling. [because our psychological problems happen and are solved in relationships.]

3. Moral guidance -- individually or collectively (e.g. in a theology class.)

4. Spiritual direction -- usually the spiritual director and the directed.

5. Celebration of reconciliation -- public, ecclesial, church, liturgical event.

6. Ministry of preaching -- usually ecclesial, e.g. Sunday Mass.

7. Ministry of healing -- usually hospital or home sick room, or communal healing service.

8. AA Fifth Step

[Return to top of this page]

Postures

Psychiatric therapy -- lying down on a couch

Psychological and/or pastoral counseling -- sitting

Moral guidance -- sitting

Spiritual direction -- sitting

Celebration of reconciliation -- standing: e.g. we stand when we are submersed in the waters of Baptism; we stand when we are anointed with the oil of Confirmation, we stand when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ; we stand when we exchange marriage vows; we stand when we hear the proclamation of God’s forgiveness in sacramental absolution.

Ministry of preaching.

Ministry of healing.

AA Fifth Step

[Return to top of this page]

Alcoholics Anonymous

The story of Alcoholics Anonymous has much to teach us about the dynamics of conversion and reconciliation. The Twelve Steps were written by people who know how difficult it is to live as we were meant to live. We learn slowly, step by faltering step, like a child learning to slowly walk; we learn painfully, often against our wills, in the school of suffering. Then one day, in our recognition of powerlessness, we learn surrender and what it means to pray: what it means, finally, to take the risk so that new life can be born. (Edward Sellner, p 348)

[Return to top of this page]

To Think About

[Return to top of this page]

© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved.  This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M.  Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own.  Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it.  This site was updated on 06/05/07 .  Your comments on this site are welcome at webmaster2@tomrichstatter.org.