by Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ

In our fumbling attempts of find God we are prone to taking all manner of wrong turns. We can find ourselves following what we thought was a star but is instead a low flying plane, leading us not to Christ but to a busy airport on the outskirts of town. We feel the call but are not sure how to go about answering it. Our life can seem a jumble and even though we visit religious websites, read spiritual books and pray the best we know how, the Way seems obscure. Perhaps a little help is needed.

A spiritual director is a companion along the way to Christ. The director is someone who will listen to the seeker, waiting to hear how God is working in the everyday life of the person. Spiritual directors are useful for men who are trying to decide whether to enter religious life or to serve God in some other way. In fact, spiritual directors are able to do their best work when someone is contemplating a change in their lives.

Oddly enough, we are not always the best suited to read the book of our lives. We are too close to see more than just a few of the words in the latest paragraphs. By meeting with a spiritual director, the seeker can describe the ways in which God seems to be reaching out to us, the content of the their prayer, and learn other ways to respond to Christ in our world.

For Jesuits, spiritual direction is an ongoing commitment to growth in the Lord. Every man who enters has been in direction for some time usually with a Jesuit who in turn continues to be in direction himself. This relationship remains confidential and outside of the process of application to the Society of Jesus, for the person might not even be called to the Jesuits. Instead the spiritual director creates a space for the man to explore how God is working in his life and to what he is being led.

So what about you? Need a spiritual director on this journey to finding God’s will for you? If so, then ask a Jesuit, he is bound to have some ideas.