Useful for those extremely serious about their spiritual progress

books:

	• Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within Thomas Dubay Servant Publications, 1994 - 301 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Useful for those extremely serious about their spiritual progress

"Seeking Spiritual Direction: How to Grow the Divine Life Within" is a difficult book in the sense that it calls the reader to a full accounting of his or her life. Fr. Thomas Dubay writes for those "who wish to scale the heights, to leave mediocrity far behind." It is a challenge to face one's own sinfulness, to be reminded of just how far one needs to go to be holy. Yet, Dubay is correct that Jesus did not call us to a mediocre spirituality. He is also correct that Jesus (and Vatican II reconfirmed this) did not differentiate between those out in the world and those living a clerical life. All are called to holiness.

The specific topic of this book is how to find a competent spiritual director and what to do if a competent one cannot be found. The list of qualities Dubay wants to see in a spiritual director is quite exhaustive and one doubts how many people could actually meet all these expectations. The goal of spiritual direction, however, is clear: to help "the directee to love God with the whole heart, soul, and mind, and the neighbor as oneself." While acknowledging that there may be times when one will be without a human spiritual director, Dubay encourages people to have one whenever possible. When a spiritual director is not available, Dubay recommends reading scripture, following the example of the saints and adhering to Church teaching. He also suggests questioning a priest or other respected person if there is a particular problem one is faced with.

Part two of "Seeking Spiritual Direction" is arranged in a question and answer format which covers many of the concerns one might have regarding spiritual direction. Part three deals with assessing one's spiritual progress, a difficult task to be sure. A spiritual director provides an objective viewpoint and he or she may see faults in us that we have become blind to.

As someone who has had a spiritual director for the past three years and benefited greatly from it, I fear that this book may discourage some from beginning the process. That would be an unfortunate consequence. Anyone who feels that he or she would benefit from spiritual direction should seek it. The director and directee can then move on from there.

"Seeking Spiritual Direction" will make you feel uncomfortable, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is good to be reminded that the way to holiness is difficult and that we are all works in progress. I wish Fr. Dubay could have seen his way to offering more hope for those who are attempting to travel the road, however, especially lay people. While it is definitely true that we are called to holiness just as those committed to religious life are, the way we get there involves different tools and different challenges. This book is for those very serious about perfecting their spiritual lives.

for more information click here

Finally

This is a very helpful book on spiritual direction and it does get into specifics. I've looked for a long time for a book with some meat and this is it.

for more information click here

Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Adultery

For anyone, especially a Catholic, seeking the nults and bolts on "spiritual direction" with the intent of placing him or herself under this discipline, this is the book to get. It is clear, direct, and very readable. Dubay is an excellent writer. However, a protestant reader, especially an evangelical or reformed one not familiar with Catholic teaching or, perhaps, one who romaticizes the Roman Catholic Church, should approach this book with a ton of caution and skepticism.

Spiritual direction may be a useful practice, say, in the life of a young priest or a single layperson recovering from an addiction or a difficult divorce. Bowever, for married people, especially a married woman, a spiritual director creates a menage a trois in the marriage and is all too likely a source of spiritual adultery, much as the confessional in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is likely a place of spiritual adultery for the married woman with a sensitive well formed conscience who truly believes the confessor has the authority to forgive sin.

Spiritual direction requires, says Dubay, obedience to the director and requires full disclosure. For a married woman this likely means disclosure of intimate and personal details that should only be shared with her husband or details that come out of their life together and which must remain between the two of them. It also requires, if direction is to serve its purpose, the directee to truly obey whatever the director demands in any area of life requiring action. This husband finds the idea of a third party male who is privy to his wife's secrets and presumes to tell her what to do, utterly unacceptable and highly offensive.

The issue is not overt physical unfaithfulness, which can be miles away. The moment a married woman opens her heart, her innermost thoughts and beliefs and feelings to another man, spiritual adultery is close at hand, if not actually present. The same is true of a man in his relationship with a woman not his wife. The unique one-fleshness of the marriage bond is broken.

The source for this lies in the Catholic view of the role of the husband in marriage. He is not, as he is in biblical Christianity, the spiritual "head" of his wife. That role is reserved for the priest. Protestants cannot accept this and it was a major struggle for Scott and Kimberley Hahn in their conversion to Catholicism.

Spiritual direction, a la Dubay, may have its legitimate and useful, if limited place in the spiritual growth, i.e., sanctification, of certain kinds of people. Married believers, especially those who have known the freedom of Christ's liberating power in their life together should avoid this and be fully content with the only spiritual director who really matters, the Holy Spirit.

for more information click here

Much Needed Book

I have dealt with so man horrible issues in my life and have been in search of a book that could show me the way out of the darn hole I have myself in. This inspirational read does just that, lending me the shoulder I needed to begin to heal. Other books that have helped pave the way for this remarkable book were "Nightmares Echo", "A Child Called It" and "Lost Boy". Giving me the courage I needed to realize I needed help to begin with.

Practical and thorough guide

This is an immensely practical and thorough guide for anyone seriously seeking spiritual direction. The advice given will help you determine who would be a good match for you as a spiritual director. It also covers quite thoroughly the tendency to be our own guiding light and how to watch out for that tendency when seeking a spiritual director. There are several sections with handy question/answer format to quickly give the reader a grasp of the intent of spiritual direction and the benefits/demands this discipline entails. A good place to start when counting the cost of being a disciple.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

A guide for Christians who are considering spiritual direction or who are already engaged in the process. It explains what spiritual direction is, the qualities to look for in a director, the process of finding a director and ways to develop a deeper prayer life.

hot