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Show Me Your Ways O Lord
(Psalm 25:4) THOUGHTS ON SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Christopher O'Donnell, O.Carm, an Irish Carmelite is associate professor of spirituality at the Milltown Institute, Dublin. Below he shares his thoughts on Spiritual Direction (part one)
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In the spiritual journey we are all learners-the experts are in heaven. We have to be taught how to love God and our neighbour; this love does not come naturally like breathing in or digestion. In one sense it is all there in the scriptures; God teaches his people by revelation and the lives of his holy ones, supremely in the life and mission of the Son. But there are two problems. The first in that the scriptures are not always easy to understand. The second is that the crucial application of the scripture to our lives allows for distortion and error. Thus, what are we to make of Paul's exhortation, "Pray unceasingly" (1 Thess 5:17)? Firstly, surely it cannot mean to pray for twenty-four hours per day? Secondly, what does Paul mean by "pray"? So even two simple words of scripture are hard to interpret. "I am the Way"In the scripture we find constant prayers like our title in which we ask God to show us his way. To give us wisdom in life and in serving him. These are prayers for direction. God directed his people through prophets, leaders and inspired writings. The people heard the word in their Sabbath worship. They sang the songs of Sion (see Ps 137:3), which spoke of God's ways and of the human condition. They were formed by the Word. There were also leaders, especially the priests, to interpret the Word; they should have knowledge to give to the people (see Jer 14:18). People went to them seeking God's will or divine wisdom. Jesus taught the way to God. He proclaimed the good news of conversion and of the Kingdom of God. He instructed large crowds. He also gave one-to-one advice to people such as the Samaritan Woman (John 4) and Nicodemus (see John 3:l-ca. 21). He said of himself, cc! am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Paul is presented as teaching the churches and as giving practical advice to individuals (e.g. Rom 16 and Phil 2:1-16 and 4:1-2). The role or lettersIn the early centuries the tradition continued of people, especially bishops, writing to instruct Christians in general. There are many letters of guidance from the great doctors to individuals, such as St. Augustine's letter to a lady called Proba, which is a magnificent treatise on prayer. Another tradition arose in the desert fathers-and later, mothers. The hermits and monks were very conscious of the dangers of going astray; indeed they had a saying, "He who is guided by himself is guided by a fool." In their eyes there were two sources of wrong thoughts and unwise decisions: ourselves and the devil. They therefore went to wiser, often older, monks for advice. The monks scattered in the desert were not highly literate, so they relied on an oral tradition, which has come down to us as The Sayings of the Fathers. Marks of their direction were common sense, moderation and spiritual insight. Later when monasticism was more organised, it was usually the head of the community or the abbot who was a primary spiritual advisor. In the Middle Ages people, men and women, with a reputation for holiness were eagerly sought for their advice. Most spiritual direction was probably given within the sacrament of penance. Why do people not grow?In post Reformation times there was a great revival of spirituality, especially in Spain. Here three figures stand out: Sts Ignatius Loyola (d. 1556), Teresa of Avila (d. 1582) and John of the Cross (d. 1591). Some of the teaching of Saint John of the Cross is particularly relevant for our time. In the preface to his great work. The Spiritual Canticle he has much to say about spiritual directors. Like the Carmelite school in general, he was very perplexed why more people do not reach the heights of holiness. He notes an obvious reason, namely that people do not want to engage seriously in the spiritual life; they lack generosity of spirit. Some people, he notes, think they are praying well, whereas their prayer is practically non-existent; others think they are not praying at all well, and their prayer is of a very high order. He has hard words about bad directors, who fail to enlighten people about the genuine way to holiness. Directors can delay people's progress and even lead them astray. He would be of the view that better have no director than a bad one. His companion in the reform of Carmel, St. Teresa is famous for her saying that, if put to it, she would prefer a learned director than one who was holy but unwise. Her ideal, of course, was for ones who were truly learned but also themselves experienced in the ways of God. Does everyone need a Spiritual director?
If no guide seems available, then we must try to be open to God's
will as best we can. God will not fail us. We can look around for
someone who might be helpful; word of mouth is a good means for seeking
a director. One chat with an appropriate person may be enough. In
the meantime, we should remember that St. Therese of Lisieux said
that Jesus was practically her sole director.
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The
idea of direction is rooted deeply in human nature. In fact we learn
very little all by ourselves: from using a can opener or a telephone
to finding our way, we depend on other people showing us or giving
us information. The oldest form of instruction is apprenticeship,
working with and being guided by another to acquire a skill. We are
guided by parents in social manners, hygiene, ordinary behaviour,
and human knacks like tying shoelaces. We also learn from copying
others, often unconsciously. 
Everybody
needs spiritual direction, but perhaps not always a spiritual director.
We get spiritual direction from the liturgy, from the scriptures,
from sermons, from good books, from friends (and enemies!), from the
events of life. If we are alert, the Holy Spirit can use all of these
to teach us. So we need never be without spiritual direction. Spiritual
directors are a more difficult issue. In the past people were recommended
to have a regular confessor, so that the priest could get to know
them and be in a position to offer guidance, where appropriate and
sought. Today that possibility does not exist for many people. Many
people muddle on, seeking advice when some issue arises. It is important
to get advice-even if only through books, or more focussed prayer-when
there is some marked change in one's spiritual situation. 
