Spiritual Direction
& growing in prayer
What is Spiritual Direction?
The contemplative model of spiritual direction begins with the conviction that the Holy Spirit is the director, as it is the Spirit who reveals the presence of Jesus in our daily lives, He conforms and unites us to Jesus, and He prays within us at all times.
More than spiritual coaching or accountability, this model of spiritual direction is accompaniment aimed at helping the directee to notice, receive, and respond to the movements of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual direction takes place in a one-on-one setting, typically once a month for 30 minutes to an hour. During the session, the directee shares about their experience of prayer and the prominent thoughts, feelings, and desires throughout the past month. Because the spiritual life is the primary focus, a commitment to daily prayer is a pre-requisite to receiving spiritual direction.
Why should someone be in regular, individual spiritual direction?
There are four keys reasons people seek spiritual direction:
They are discerning a vocation.
They are involved in part or full time ministry.
They are experiencing a major life change (death of a spouse, change of career, move, diagnosis with chronic or terminal illness, etc).
They have a specific desire to deepen their life of prayer, to experience greater intimacy with God, and this desire is not being met through the ordinary means of growing in a deeper personal relationship with God.
The more of these that apply, the more important it is for the person to be in good individual spiritual direction.
What are those “ordinary means” of growing in relationship with God?
Frequent attendance at Mass and reception of the Holy Eucharist
Frequent (at least monthly) confession with a regular confessor
Daily diet of Scripture
Daily personal prayer
Seeking opportunities for service (think spiritual and corporal works of mercy)
Intentionally pursuing Christ centered friendships with others striving to grow in relationship with God.
A person seeking spiritual direction should first ask if they are availing themselves of these means for growth. If not, it would be helpful to first shore up any areas that are lacking and see if this results in the desired deepening of one’s encounter with the Lord.
Text from Fr. Scott Traynor, Guidelines for Spiritual Direction
Whether you’re wanting to learn more about incorporating personal prayer into your life or you’d like to meet with a spiritual director, we’d love to help you!
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Additional resources
“Have I Been With You” by Fr. Paul Hoesing
The booklet is a Primer for Young Disciples and is meant to prompt a new living experience of prayer. Right from the start, Father Hoesing shows us that this booklet can accompany a young person who wants to know some of the “how to” begin praying. This primer was written to encourage the kind of prayer that is not just another task, another thing, a mysterious technique, but, rather, a response to the presence and love of Jesus.
An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer by Fr. Timothy Gallagher
In this guide for prayer with Scripture, Fr. Gallagher offers 40 practical, directed meditations for learning the Ignatian way to pray. This book is for those learning to pray with Scripture and for those who seek new depth in such prayer.
Relational Prayer: A Small Group Guide by Jessi Kary and Jen Moser
Relational Prayer: A Small Group Guide is a book that offers a way to start or move forward in having a closer, more personal encounter with God in prayer. The book offers both key teaching points and a plan to put into practice what we learn by praying. It is divided into six sessions, each offering clear and simple teaching, a guided prayer experience, suggestions for prayer in the coming week, and thoughtful questions for discussion.