Spiritual Practices & Prayer

The Spiritual Director

(Spiritual Maxims)

“He will guide the humble in what is right,
and He will teach the humble His way.”

(Psalms 25:9)

(Note:  Informally, all true Christians help other people grow closer to God by word and example, and by praying for them.)

Think of the combination of qualities which go to form a perfect spiritual director (teacher, advisor).  He should be a man of an interior spirit, experienced in the spiritual life and in spiritual things, utterly dead to self and intimately united to God, devoid of self-will, desiring neither to rule nor dominate nor enslave the soul he guides, seeking in nothing his own glory or interests but solely the glory and interests of God; susceptible of no attachment save that inspired by charity, exercising his ministry with perfect independence; above all method and system, infinitely pliable to the inspirations of grace, able to follow different approaches (eg., strict or gentle) to meet the different needs of souls and the designs of God in their regard.  He must know when to give spiritual support and food more easy to swallow to beginners, and more solid food and a deeper doctrine to those more advanced in virtue, adapting himself to each age and state of the spiritual life.  He needs to be wise with Divine wisdom, gentle without softness, compassionate without weakness, firm without rigidity, zealous without rashness, condescending, to a certain degree, to human frailty and misery, ready to exercise unfailing patience, evenness of mind and calmness; reproving, consoling, urging, curbing, yielding or resisting, as circumstances require; sustaining, encouraging, humbling, revealing the soul’s progress, or else, withholding that knowledge, according to what the soul needs.  In summary, he should be someone who does nothing of himself, in directing souls, but wholly seconds the work of grace, neither pushing ahead nor holding back souls on the spiritual journey to union with God, following grace, step by step, going as far, but no farther, than it leads.