Over the last several weeks, I’ve mentioned that I’ve been teaching two courses on Spiritual Formation. It’s been a lot of fun, but with over 70 participants between both courses, it’s also been a tremendous amount of work.
As I’ve gotten to know the participants through their coursework, I’ve come to realize an important piece that’s missing from many of their lives.
That missing piece is spiritual direction, and in my responses to them, I’ve mentioned the importance of finding a spiritual director to every single person. Why?
Why? Simply because I’ve gained so much from spiritual direction myself. Over the last twenty years, I’ve had four directors. Three of them were priests, and one was a lay woman who led me through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. All met me right where I was, and, with their help, I went deeper with my relationship with God, far deeper than I could have done on my own.
I think everyone could benefit from meeting with a Spiritual Director on a regular basis. I found two YouTube videos that will give you a very good idea as to what you should look for when seeking someone to help you grow in your spiritual life.
This first video takes you step by step through the process:
This second video clip is really good too. Although the priest speaks about spiritual direction in the seminary at Oxford College, he also talks about what spiritual direction is like for laypeople.
I hope these clips are helpful to anyone seeking a spiritual director. The four people who have guided me these past twenty years have made a remarkable contribution to my life, and I will be forever grateful for their help and guidance.
NOTE: Since there are two videos to download, it might take a few minutes to access them. Open them one at a time. Patience is a virtue 🙂
