This next topic doesn't come from any one specific question, but I've seen it enough out there, from evangelical pulpits to Chick Tracts, to discussions with friends in college, that I thought it would be worth introducing. The question/ idea is along these lines:What's the point of spiritual direction? If I have faith, isn't that enough? Why should I turn completely hand over my spiritual development to another person? Aren't my prayers enough? Why does a priest (or anyone else) need to get involved?
First off, let me link to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Spiritual Direction, so we all know what's being discussed.
Yes, it is true, we can all talk to God any time we want, we certainly don't need priests or anyone else for that. And having faith is good--> but a man can have great faith in God and still walk off a cliff in the dark.
What we're all kinda bad at is listening to God-- it's far too easy to hear our egos and decide it's God talking. This is the problem of interpreting scripture all on your own without any training-- the Bible becomes the mirror of our own desires, saying what we want it to say. Priests and other "professionals", especially in spiritual counseling, help ensure that we do not wander into error. And I do not mean simply "doctrinal error" as such, because arguments that boil down to "Because We Said So!" never impressed me much. Rather, they challenge us by ensuring that we're not cherry picking the Bible, misinterpreting passages, falling victim to that greatest of deceivers, Pride, or forgetting important aspects and insights from tradition.
In another forum, I once wrote regarding "no need for spiritual direction":
Kat can attest that when it comes to religious and spiritual matters, I can be fiercely independent. . . It is a very commonly held sentiment, one heard over and over again from evangelical pulpits and a myriad of other places. And, there was probably a time in my college days when I agreed with this-- partly out of bitterness and resentment, partly out of that native "fierce independence", partly stubbornness/ Pride. I, too, would rather "do it on my own."
Of course, when it comes down to it, we all have to do it on our own-- but doing something on your own does not mean doing it alone, or completely sans guidance.
. . .When you forgo spiritual direction/ counseling, you run the risk of not discerning correctly, because all your discernment will be completely subjective, there will be no outside input for you to consider, much less disagree with.
Spiritual direction is not putting your spiritual development completely into the hands of another mortal. It is, rather, a chance to hear something outside of our own heads. While it is true that some people possess the necessary honesty and self-discipline to be pretty OK on their own, I do not think it ever wise to assume that one is among those people. Because if you have any lack in these areas and most people, very much including myself, do lack in these areas, you end up running wild on the spiritual plains.
Without something to at least serve as a guidepost, discernment quickly becomes a self-centered thing, where God's Will becomes My Will. At this point, one is simply a Jesus-oriented Fluff-bunny Wiccan, wearing a cross and proclaiming "An it harm none, do as thou wilt!" A nice sentiment, but with no room for development or growth.
Spiritual direction, formal or informal, maintains the challenge of faith. In fact, if you never disagree with your spiritual advisor, then there's no chance for growth. The church and all the opportunities for direction are not in place to force marching orders down our throats-- they exist to serve as the structure for our growth. It is in the uncomfortable disagreements that we all grow in understanding and wisdom.
But those uncomfortable disagreements cannot happen if there is no one to disagree with. Do I always agree with 100% of what any other person says? Nope. And I think this is a good thing. If I agreed completely with everything someone said all the time, then there is no growth for me to gain from having known them-- nor for them to gain from having known me.
This is not a lack of confidence in my own Faith. Not at all. It is, however, a humble (or rather, as humble as I can currently manage ^_^) admission that I am imperfect, a sin-prone mortal who needs reminding that yes, I am mortal and sin-prone, but am called and created for something greater. That's what Spiritual direction is (at least how I see it)-- that reminder of the higher standard.
Spiritual direction is a comfort in times of challenge, and a challenge in times of comfort. In my private journal, I also wrote:
But in a balance, where there is overall agreement, but a very few non-agreements-- here there is a delightful, creative tension. Here, one learns the discipline of tradition without stifling the intellect. When one submits to what they don't really like, then the few places there are true disagreements become clearer. In fact, for all three of my disagreements, I can say that I do not agree--but, I can understand and accept. Mind you, it has taken. . . years to get here. First, I had to become a God-forsaken Liberal to learn what I had disagreements with, and then, Heaven help me, I started to become a (relatively) Rabid Conservative tired of all the self-indulgence in my former associates. Good Lord, I can b***h about post-Vatican II music with the best of them (Palestrina all the way, baby!), and nothing makes me happier than a bit of St. Bernard of Clairvaux as a chaser to the latest Harry Potter. But each movement was a challenge. In my God-Forsaken Liberal days, I swore I would never become one of those "mean, tyrannical, authoritarian conservatives."
I was wrong.
Our disagreements are not just challenges for them-- they must be challenges for us. I have, at long last, come to terms with the pain of the vocation I was not allowed to answer. I took a different road, and I would not change that now. . . Had I been allowed to follow that vocation, I would have missed so many precious things. And now, I can say "Look, I understand the ban. I don't agree with it, so much, but I understand and can accept it."
. . .Of course, with these differences, the attitude should always be "I don't understand this teaching as it's been presented, it seems unjust/ insane/ etc. . . I would like to come to understanding" and not "You are wrong, I am right, the Church must change to fit my ideas!" [Likewise, rabid Conservatives who answer all things with the standard "Because the Church says so!" really need to get out more. . .]
Yes, sometimes change is needed. But more often it is we who must change, not the whole rest of the church. And that's the challenge. We should never be completely satisfied and comfortable with the hand we hold-- as soon as we smile in smug satisfaction, God will raise us two red chips, and worse, He'll smile right back.
I think you can see a theme developing. The fact is, as individuals, we are prone to resting on our laurels. We love think that because we're "filled with the Spirit!" that we can then go and do as our hearts desire because "Ohh, I'm filled with the Spirit! I must have this craving for chocolate because God wants me to!" You know, this reminds me of some Handel my church choir sings now and then. . . "Oh we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, everyone to his own way. . ."
Spiritual direction is the ongoing challenge to us. Our advisor lays down that challenge for us, to be sure that what we're filled with really is the Spirit, to be sure that we're correctly understanding what the Spirit's trying to tell us, to make sure we're not about to walk off a cliff and moreover, to always challenge us to greater degrees of perfection.
While we can all challenge ourselves, it's always better to have the interaction of two people challenging each other to grow in faith, hope, love and patience. It's one thing to tell yourself "Gee, self, we really need to work on ______." But hearing it from another makes it more real, and makes us more likely to actually act on that need to change.
|