Spiritual direction, its origins, and its impact

Spiritual direction, the art of Christian listening through discernment with the Holy Spirit and accompaniment, is a spiritual service that many Benedictine College students receive.

Spiritual direction traces back to the New Testament, specifically the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s epistles. According to an overview of spiritual direction by Manuel Belda, Paul, in his pastoral letters,“imparts spiritual direction to Timothy and Titus guiding them not only with doctrinal principles, but also with specific advice, suggestions, and words of encouragement.”

Spiritual direction as we know it today began to be implemented first through monastic communities. As monasticism spread to the West, so did the practice of spiritual direction.

“The proper object of spiritual direction in early monasticism is the exagóreusis tôn logismôn, the revelation or declaration of thoughts.” Belda wrote.

“The Golden Age of spiritual direction was during the 16th and 17th centuries, when the main architects of the Catholic Reformation spread widely the benefits that spiritual direction brings to souls who want to progress in their spiritual life.” Belda wrote.

Spiritual direction through the help of several saints and doctors of the church has continued to be practiced even to this day.

In order to become a spiritual director, one must be certified. Most of the spiritual directors at Benedictine College do a two-year program through Divine Mercy University in Loudoun County Virgina. There, they not only learn listening skills and the history of spiritual direction but also how to assess a person’s need for direction, especially because it can often be confused with counseling.

Those seeking spiritual direction typically meet about once a month with their spiritual director. Benedictine has approximately 10 spiritual directors. Some are on campus and others fly in once a month to provide spiritual direction. This gives students the opportunity to gain another perspective on where God may be calling them to direct their spiritual attention at a specific place in time. Some examples of this are discerning a vocation (priesthood, marriage, religious, consecrated life, etc…), making a big decision, shifts in one’s spirit or adjusting one’s spiritual life to a new season.

Fr. Ryan Richardson is the chaplain at Benedictine College and is one of the BC spiritual directors. As a spiritual director, when meeting with those seeking spiritual direction, he focuses on three elements in his conversations.

The first is the spiritual life in general, which focuses on how a person is doing in their prayer life and consistency in prayer. The second is virtue and how it is being implemented in one’s daily life and relationships. The third is discernment and helping one assess what the Holy Spirit might be calling them to in that moment in time.

If they are discerning a vocation or making a big decision helping the directed person come to terms with their discernment to take the next step toward their vocation or next step in the discernment process.

“It is always beautiful to see the Holy Spirit working in someone’s soul. That’s the biggest joy, having a front row seat to seeing the Holy Spirit working powerfully in someone’s life,” Fr. Richardson said.