A clerical friend expressed serious concern on my Facebook today when I told him that I had no ''spiritual director.'' He asked why this was and I explained that my last spiritual director was pastorally out of his depth with me and recently seems to have just given up. I am not, technically, in communion with my parish priest and have reservations about going to him for counsel in ethical matters, having heard him preach heresy from the pulpit recently, and I would certainly take ill being coerced into joining either this church or that presently. I am wont to turn to my mother, wise with the wisdom of experience and ethical, for counsel about life and morality, but she is often disagreeable and while her advice is certainly proceeding from the conscience, it is not always in keeping with my own sense of religion. I wouldn't want a spiritual director who agrees with me about everything - I am sound in mind enough to perceive that that would be disastrous! - but they should be at least doctrinally orthodox, morally upright and pastoral (and certainly neither Roman nor Protestant). For some obscure reason I am reminded of Tom Bombadil tramping through the Old Forest, down the Withywindle Valley, having heard the cries of the Hobbits. I certainly need a sojourn in the house of Tom Bombadil; to escape and forget for a while the dreadful doom of Life...
Art: Ted Nasmith.
My dear, I sympathise entirely! I will pray for you.
ReplyDeleteSo, in short you are looking for someone black, white, up, down, left, right, and just sideways enough to satisfy aesthetics?
ReplyDeleteI fear your ideal spiritual director may not exist, and you may have to make do with imperfection. Since you won't accept a Roman, a Protestant, a heretic or someone unpastoral, that effectively rules out 90% of the possibilities. Is it just possible that an Eastern Rite Catholic might be your best choice?
Without a spiritual father you will almost certainly perish.
ReplyDeleteHeresy? Must have missed that bit.
ReplyDeleteleutgeb, I wasn't referring to the rector of your church at Sidcup but another priest, although since I have heard your priest preach devotion to the Sacred Heart I wouldn't necessarily disqualify him from having preached heresy.
ReplyDeleteMost christians do not have a formal spiritual director. Whether this is good or bad, i don't know. It is just a fact. So not to worry, you belong to the overwhelming majority, Patricius. Personally, i find it unhealthy that grown-up people have so little trust in their own inner voice that they do nothing without first consulting an oracle, which, in reality, is just another fallible human being. Many things can be talked about with friends or kin, if one is blest to have such people in one's life. I who am myself a priest, have learnt through much past experience, not to advice in serious matters from another priest.
ReplyDeleteThe last sentence in my comment should read ''not to seek advice in serious matters from another priest''.
ReplyDelete“Since you won't accept a Roman, a Protestant, a heretic or someone unpastoral, that effectively rules out 90% of the possibilities. Is it just possible that an Eastern Rite Catholic might be your best choice?”
ReplyDeleteActually being a Roman, a Protestant or a heretic rules out being a member of the Church; neither are Uniates members of the Church.
There are plenty of pastoral potential ghostly doctors; so, 100% of the possibilities are still open to you, Patricius.
Patricii!
ReplyDeleteWhy not adopt a Father of the Church as your Spiritual Director? St Bernard perhaps?
or Ludolphus the Carthusian?