If we look through Scripture, we will find many instances or interactions between people where the Spirit of God is using the gifts and the presence of one to assist another on their journey toward God. For centuries the desert Ammas and Abbas would give guidance to various disciples who would seek them out on their quest to grow in Christ. Throughout church history, primarily in the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic church people would function in the capacity of spiritual director. The Protestant church carried on the practice for a season but it gradually diminished through time. Today there is a great resurgence in the ministry of spiritual direction.
Janet Ruffing writes, spiritual direction is now sought by women and men in every lifestyle within churches. Likewise, those charismatically gifted by God’s spirit with a call to offer spiritual direction to others also include men and women in every lifestyle and across the Christian denominations. The complexities of contemporary life, with its peculiar challenges to faith, and the breadth of choices Christians face daily lead many to seek individual guidance and support in their ongoing life of intimacy with God and discernment about their responses to this relationship with God and the daily concerns of life and discipleship.
Men and women gifted and led, take part in and play the role of spiritual director. But the director is only a facilitator in the process. It is the Holy Spirit who is in fact the real director. The person in the role of spiritual director watches in amazement as the Holy Spirit works in the life of another. The spiritual director provides support and discernment. He or she, points out the encounter between God and the other. In the time that they spend walking together, the spiritual director brings together spiritually the intersection of the persons intellectual, emotional, social, and cultural contexts. Ultimately, the role of the spiritual director is to assist in helping the person read the breathings and movements of the Spirit.
Picture: Prayers by the bbp
Quote: Janet Ruffing, Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings
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