The next part of the foundation for spiritual combat is something few of us are able to have on a regular basis, spiritual direction.
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Unless we are a seminarian, priest or religious, we are not required to have a spiritual director. This means we have less motivation and zero obligation to ask a trusted priest. At the same time, we are also met with the reality that few priests know how to give proper spiritual direction.
To help frame the situation, here is how I put it in a blog post for the National Catholic Register:
[A] priest, religious, deacon or even a lay person are [often] charged with the task of leading troubled souls to spiritual solutions. It requires a very holy and devout person to sift through the muddy waters of life to give consoling words to someone in need.
Numerous saints recognized the importance of spiritual direction and never made a major decision without consulting their trusted advisor. One such example can be found in the life of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who deeply desired to receive Holy Communion on a frequent basis, but felt weighed down by her sins (she suffered from great scrupulosity). She made a resolution to only receive the Eucharist as much as her spiritual director allowed and never to ask for more. Saint Thérèse was uncertain about her worthiness and would not make a decision on her own. By God’s intervention, she was granted the ability to approach the altar rail much more frequently than she imagined. She writes,
“I had made it my practice to go to Communion as often as my confessor allowed me, but never to ask for leave to go more frequently. Now, however, I should act differently, for I am convinced that a soul ought to disclose to her director the longing she has to receive her God…
Our Lord, Who knew my desire, inspired my confessor to allow me to go to Communion several times a week, and this permission, coming as it did straight from Him, filled me with joy….I compared directors to mirrors who faithfully reflect Our Saviour to the souls under their care.”
Spiritual direction is a great service to the soul, clearing the constant fog that clouds our judgments. God often uses spiritual directors to speak to us and is why they are so important in life’s major decisions.
Unfortunately, very few of us are able to have a reliable and consistent spiritual director. As lay people, we do not have the luxury of a superior appointing to us a spiritual director. This is due to many factors, all of which boil down to the shortage of priests.
Most Dioceses in the United States are very generous to their priests. They give them not only one parish, but often two, three or four separate parishes to govern. This creates a great strain on the pastor, which makes them less likely to take on spiritual direction. They simply do not have the time to sit-down with every parishioner one hour each month to sort out their spiritual problems.
In addition to this unfortunate situation is the fact that many priests do not know how to be a spiritual director. They simply were not taught in seminary what to do when someone asks them spiritual advice. Thankfully many bishops noticed this reality and have been sending their seminarians to The Institute for Priestly Formation to be taught the inner workings of the soul. After a summer spent at IPF, a seminarian not only feels more confident about spiritual direction, but more importantly they experience a profound inner transformation that gives them a strong spiritual foundation.
In the end, we should have recourse to spiritual direction, especially during the most difficult times of life. This will help us with the discernment of spirits and will give us the ability to combat the many lies of Satan.
We may have to search for a good spiritual director, but we will be greatly rewarded for it and our soul will finally receive the peace it needs.
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