How do Chaplains see themselves as spiritual directors? How do spiritual directors see themselves as Chaplains?

Angela Harpham

Both spiritual directors and chaplains are ministries of deeper listening.

There are some differences between spiritual and religious care needs.

Spiritual direction is, as stated by Spiritual Directors International, ‘tending the holy around the world and across traditions’.

In chaplaincy satisfying both spiritual and specific religious care needs is required and religious care needs are usually restricted to a particular faith group.

A great deal of ministry in chaplaincy is informal spiritual direction, listening and helping people reflect on what is happening in their lives, both in group situations and one to one.

How do I integrate chaplaincy and spiritual direction and vice versa? There are subtle differences. For instance I would describe myself as a:

chaplain and informal spiritual director for patients/clients.
Here boundaries overlap
chaplain though not spiritual director when providing a listening ear (informal spiritual direction) for some staff.
Here boundaries are more distinct
chaplain and spiritual director where this had been formalised with specific staff members.
Here the boundaries are very clear
spiritual director when providing informal and formal spiritual direction with other chaplains both in my own team and externally. Chaplains sometimes want another chaplain because they understand chaplaincy.
Here boundaries are clear but can be redrawn.

When adopting both roles, chaplain and spiritual director, managing boundaries is essential to help prevent confusion and disintegration. My skills as a relationship counsellor and supervisor over many years and familiarity with group and one to one supervision have been a great asset in helping to form clarity about boundaries, including the one between empathy and sympathy.

There are at least seven different threads to chaplaincy, some in tension with one another and some with interconnections to spiritual direction.

Chaplains are sent by specific church traditions to minister as part of the church’s mission
(In my case Roman Catholic.)
Institutions both church and secular often clearly define our roles. It is easy to institutionalise ourselves with rules and regulations. Useful questions are: what are our own creeds and theology, how is our spirituality expressed within chaplaincy and what is the quality of our welcome?

Chaplains are invited in to minister often by a secular organisation
(Mine the National Health Service and specifically mental health both hospital and community bases.) These each have a set of protocols and ‘busy’ is seen as one of them. I wrote in my spiritual journal ‘A feeling of satisfaction having sat still for 20 minutes’

Chaplains require supervision
(Mine mandatory and three types. Managerial developmental, (both secular and religious/spiritual) and clinical (secular).)
Chaplains are often on the margins the edges of things; supervision provides grounding.

Chaplains are in need of spiritual companioning
(Mine a long-standing spiritual companion.)
A place to reflect on any distinction between church hierarchy and the internal landscape, spirituality of a chaplain’s particular ministry. There is a sense of being committed to uncertainty, we often do not have the answers people want and spiritual direction helps clear a cherished space for reflection.

Chaplains as spiritual companions to other chaplains
(Mine both formal and informal within the chaplaincy team and external to that.)
Often up against life and death situations having to wrestle and face the fears that haunt you, so spiritual direction can provide a place for fears and doubts to be expressed.

Chaplains in need of supervision for their spiritual companioning of others
(Mine group supervision.)
Often a lonely place being a chaplain and a spiritual director so spiritual direction supervision in groups especially; meeting with others is encouraging.

Chaplains are lay, religious, or ordained women and men
(I am a married laywoman.)
The differences between lay; religious and ordained people in both chaplaincy and spiritual direction ministries bring conflicts of interest. One in particular is between the confidentiality of confessional material and the organisation’s requirements to disclose.

Last but not least. How grounded are we in our own everyday lives? How much fun do we have? Where does the fresh air come from?

IS SPIRITUAL DIRECTION RIGHT FOR YOU?

by Kathleen Fischer

On a sunny spring afternoon, Angela arrived at my office for her first spiritual- direction session. She was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect, and was frankly a little embarrassed about her prayer life. An oncology nurse for many years, with three adult children and five grandchildren, Angela never felt she had enough time for prayer. At a retreat, she heard others talk about seeing a spiritual director, and it kindled a longing in her for that kind of support. Our initial session went well, and Angela decided to come again. After we had met monthly for more than a year, she reflected: “Spiritual direction is, for me, a place of safety and grace. I feel like it has helped me find fuller life, faith, hope, and love.”

Like Angela, you may wonder if you need a spiritual director. To help you decide, let us look at the meaning of spiritual direction, and then consider some guidelines for finding a director.

Recall for a moment how Jesus walked with others. He listened attentively to Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, sensing what was in their hearts and drawing them out with his questions. (See Jn 3:1-21, 4:7-19.) He taught his disciples how to pray and to notice God’s presence everywhere. Under Jesus’ guidance, they gradually heard the Spirit urging them to forgive enemies or relinquish possessions. Graced by these conversations, they left with a fresh awareness of God’s unconditional love, determined to carry it into their communities.

Spiritual direction is a similar conversation between a director and someone who wants to grow in the Christian life. Convinced that the Spirit lives in us, as well as in all creation, the director and directee (the person being directed) attend to God’s many manifestations: Where is God in my desire to quit my job, or in my struggle with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease? Am I being called to take a more courageous stand on justice issues? What is the meaning of this darkness I encounter in my prayer? “My director is so good at listening deeply, helping me to express what’s trying to hide,” said one ministry student. “I’m better now at allowing my life to unfold in God’s time.”

The term direction suggests that one person tells another what to believe or how to act, but a spiritual director helps others freely name what God is doing in their lives and shape their own response. To distinguish this kind of companionship from a more authoritarian approach, some prefer the term spiritual guide or soul friend. A young attorney highlights the difference: “My spiritual guide doesn’t operate like the directors of my firm, who always try to impose their own agendas on me. Instead, he helped me recognize how much I want to know Christ, then suggested I try the Jesus Prayer. Now I say it often, and it anchors me when life gets especially hectic.”

Although topics like marital conflict, depression, or troubled teenagers may arise during sessions, spiritual direction is not psychological counseling. If a person is depressed or faces other serious personal problems, a spiritual director will usually recommend psychotherapy. However, the person may also continue in regular spiritual direction in order to explore how God’s call and compassion are present during these tough times. For example, one woman in counseling stemming from childhood sexual abuse remarked: “Coming for spiritual direction as well as doing therapy this year helped me see that God really wants my wholeness and happiness. I enter into this next phase of healing at peace, though a little scared, knowing of God’s love for me.”

Spiritual direction is an honored practice whose roots lie deep in the Catholic tradition. Scholars usually trace its beginnings to the fourth-century desert fathers and mothers. In the rugged setting of the Egyptian desert, both new and established Christians sought guidance from those considered more experienced or holy.

Throughout history, noted spiritual companions have offered diverse forms of this ministry, showing us what to look for in a spiritual friend. Teresa of Avila, for example, infused her guidance with common sense and a love of laughter. Jane Frances de Chantal reassured spiritual seekers who felt inadequate, encouraging them simply to redirect their hearts when they found themselves failing often. As practiced today, spiritual direction is especially indebted to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. His Spiritual Exercises provides not only a detailed description of the director’s role (he or she should be both gentle and prudent) but also a comprehensive handbook for spiritual direction.

This ancient Christian ministry has experienced a resurgence in recent decades, its remarkable growth fueled by widespread hunger for prayer and a desire for greater intimacy with God. Though often considered a ministry of ordained clergy or vowed religious, spiritual direction embraces the gifts of the laity as well. In several of its documents, including the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Second Vatican Council affirmed that the vocation to holiness and ministry is universal to all the baptized. (See 33, 40). The council’s fruits can be seen in laypeople’s serious attention to their spiritual lives, as well as in the growing number of laypeople serving as spiritual directors.

Spiritual direction has been particularly important in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, but more recently people from diverse religious backgrounds—Protestant, Anglican, Jewish, Quaker—are reviving its practice. Moreover, as the popularity of spiritual direction grows, its outreach includes elders with dementia, prisoners, and the homeless.

Since not everyone is interested in one-on-one spiritual guidance, interest in group spiritual direction is also increasing. In this form of direction, three to five people and a facilitator typically meet monthly to support one another in noticing and responding to God’s ongoing presence in their lives. Group members commit to sharing their own sacred story, listening prayerfully to others, discerning what they hear in the times of silence, and offering that response to each person. Members also promise to pray for one another between meetings.

Spiritual friendship can be both formal and informal. You probably experience the spontaneous kind often, as when you and a friend ponder how best to love a difficult relative. Such informal guidance happens regularly in bible or prayer groups, and in conversations with pastors, family, and friends. But if you desire a relationship with a trained minister who practices spiritual direction in a more formal way, here are some suggestions for finding that person.

Who makes a good spiritual director? Above all, we seek faith and wisdom in such a companion. But other considerations may also matter: Would you be more comfortable with a man or a woman? Why are you looking for spiritual direction at this time, and what do you hope to gain from it? Do you want an ordained minister or vowed religious, or would a married layperson better understand your life situation? How far are you willing to travel to meet with this person?

To find a spiritual director who is right for you, ask friends, parish ministers, or the staff of a local retreat house or school of theology. Most people select a director based on the recommendation of someone they trust, the same way they choose other helping professionals like counselors or doctors. You may also use the resources of Spiritual Directors International. This organization, begun in 1989 by a group of Christian directors, is dedicated to supporting spiritual directors worldwide. Its membership now includes more than five thousand directors representing fifty countries and many cultures and faith traditions. Its Web site (www.sdiworld.org) contains a map listing regional coordinators who can recommend trained spiritual directors in your geographical location.

Interview two or three qualified directors. Ask about their training and experience, how they administer spiritual direction, whether they charge a fee and how it is established, how they handle confidentiality, and any other concerns you have. Notice especially how comfortable you feel with a possible director. The quality of your relationship, especially your level of trust, will be among the most important aspects of your journey, for spiritual direction entails an open and honest sharing of your story.

Expectations regarding fees for spiritual direction differ widely. Some directors consider it a part of their ministry and charge nothing, or they may suggest a donation to the retreat center where they serve. Others rely on their practice for income and regularly charge a fee. Almost all directors are willing to negotiate an individual fee arrangement, however.

During your first session, you and your director will determine the basic structure for your time together, including when and how often to meet. Sessions usually last about an hour and take place once a month, but their length and frequency depend on circumstances. For instance, some individuals find having a spiritual companion during life’s significant moments—retreats, important decisions, major transitions, times of illness or grief—to be enough. Since spiritual direction is a voluntary commitment, a person can stop at any time, and it is also perfectly acceptable to say that the relationship is not working. After a certain number of meetings, you and your director will usually evaluate how things are going, and mutually decide whether or not to continue.

No two spiritual direction encounters look exactly alike, for directors have unique personalities and the people they see bring a variety of experiences. However, certain elements are usually present. A session typically includes prayer, either at the beginning and end or when it arises naturally. Persons seeking direction bring what is in their hearts and on their minds: difficulties or consolations in prayer; pending decisions and significant dreams; stories of struggle or success in living the gospel. The director listens closely, sometimes mirroring back what he or she has heard or asking a question to help clarify a point. He or she may offer a suggestion, a gentle challenge, a Scripture passage, or words of encouragement. As in any conversation, both laughter and tears punctuate the sharing: “My director has been with me in so many seasons of my life—times of great growth and great loss—and all the in-between times,” said one long-term directee of her relationship with her director. “I could show her my anger, sorrow, or joy, trusting that I would be treated compassionately and not be judged.”

At times of a major decision, such as a possible call to the priesthood or religious life, meetings may focus on the pros and cons of the possible choices and on the divine promptings found in our deepest feelings and desires. Both director and directee will also watch for an abiding sense of rightness or peace about a choice and for the wider Christian community’s confirmations of an individual’s call. As in every spiritual- direction session, both persons in the dialogue listen attentively for signs of the Spirit, the final touchstone for Christian prayer and action. Paul names these signs in his Letter to the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (5:22-23).

While it is available to anyone who is serious about the spiritual journey, spiritual direction is not required for growth in one’s faith. Moreover, it does not appeal to everyone. Support for a vibrant faith comes from many sources: the Eucharist and other sacraments, personal and communal prayer, spiritual reading, and retreats.

From the earliest centuries, however, countless Christians have also searched out seasoned guides. Whether or not we choose it for ourselves, the ongoing popularity of spiritual direction testifies to a perennial truth about the pilgrimage of faith: We need the love, wisdom, and witness of other travelers. The fundamental role of community in an individual’s spiritual life was a persistent theme of Catherine of Siena, one of history’s most esteemed spiritual directors. As she emphasized repeatedly, although each of us has our own vineyard, every one of us must also be joined to our neighbors.

The Last Adventure of Life

This book review appeared in Presence, December 2006

The Last Adventure of Life: Sacred Resources for Transition
by Maria Dancing Heart Hoaglund
Clinton, WA: Bridge to Dreams Publishing, 2005
317 pages, US$ 22.95
Reviewed by Linda Douty

A bright forty-five-year-old mother of three, is devastated and afraid. Her cancer has returned, and the stable of medical miracles is empty. She faces the breathtaking journey ahead of her with uncertainty and inadequacy, and I feel unequal to the task of being her spiritual director.
Then this unusual book arrived for review—just when I needed it most. The comforting voice of Maria Dancing Heart whispers through its pages as an experienced emissary of God’s grace, listing poems, scriptures, compelling stories, guided meditations, and visceral personal experiences gleaned during her years as a seasoned hospice counselor. It is a treasure house of hope and healing, reframing the experience of death as “the last adventure of life.” Hoaglund offers this motivation for the writing of the text:

Many people wait until the last minute of life to talk about death. I have come to see that talking, reading, and thinking about one’s own death—even visualizing it—can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. Facing death is definitely something we do not want to wait until the last minute to deal with, when our body strength may be dwindling, our concentration weakening, and our emotions distracted by death’s encroachment. In fact, I am convinced that facing the reality of death can be a catalyst to help us let go of our fears and live more fully in the present moment. (P. xiv)

The author’s familiarity with this natural stage of life reminds us that indeed we are all terminal. Whether the dying person is a loved one or ourselves, this book is a meaningful manual about the process. It confronts every conceivable question and dilemma from instructions on leaving a video for your family members (p. 93) to helping someone deal with the question “Why me?” (p. 84). Hoaglund’s explanation of a wide variety of healing therapies includes Web sites and addresses where the reader can acquire even more assistance.
This is not a medical compendium of information about the death process. In fact, the language is simple and uncomplicated—almost conversational in tone. It is as if the author is viewing the process through the lens of the heart and offering a helping hand to guide us through this inevitable experience. In the final one hundred pages, we are offered an array of resources, including deathbed rituals, information about unusual therapies such as music-thanatology (p. 230), and the use of aromatherapy for terminal patients. In the annotated bibliography, her candid personal comments about each book made me want to rush to the library.
The diverse offerings in the book reflects Dancing Heart’s cross-cultural background of spiritual work, including an upbringing in Japan and education at Yale, Pacific School of Religion, and Chicago Theological Seminary. She has served as a parish minister with the United Church of Christ, and transitioned into hospice ministry eleven years ago. As a result of her broad religious perspective, she embraces a wide range of healing and spiritual practices in her work.
As my dying directee comes in for her next appointment, I will feel better able to accompany her on “the last adventure of life” thanks to this splendid resource. Perhaps deepening our capacity to die with faith will somehow teach us to live with faith.

Linda Douty is a spiritual director and retreat leader from Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and a graduate of Shalem. Her book How Can I Let Go If I Do Not Know I’m Holding On? (Morehouse, 2005) includes many stories of companioning directees on their journeys of letting go. She is currently writing How Can I See the Light When It’s So Dark: Journey to a Grateful Heart (Morehouse). She can be reached at Lindadouty@aol.com.

Interview with Father James Keegan and Sister Mary Ann Scofield

By Daniel Tay

Mercy Sister Mary Ann Scofield, enjoys good films and books, such as those by Barbara King. Even at the age of 80, she is still physically very well and enjoys swimming.

Jesuit Father James Keegan, 66, prefers a good cycle down the ocean boulevard, and is the movie man for his community. Although he can place orders for movies through the internet, he can barely work a Powerpoint presentation. He enjoys good classical music and will read anything good. One of his favourite authors is John Irving.

The two facilitators for the “Tending the Holy in our Lives” series of conferences give CatholicNews an exclusive interview into their experiences in Singapore.

CatholicNews (CN): After spending 16 days in Singapore, how do you find it?

Sister Mary Ann (MA): Singapore is very hospitable. The church here is more alive and technologically advanced. When we went to Mass at St. Teresa, I was blown away that there were six flat screen TVs.

Father James (JK): Here, everyone has cell phones, and everyone demands Powerpoint. We had never used Powerpoint before the conference.

MA: Back home, we don’t have a church that has an elevator. We would be lucky to find a conference hall. Churches are not built like that back home. We only have a parish hall, rectory, sanctuary. You Singaporeans have made great use of the space available to you.

CN: What was your favourite experience in Singapore?

MA: There’s so much to do here in Singapore. There’s the Night Safari, the light show at Sentosa, the Underwater World, driving down Orchard Road, the Jurong Bird Park. It has gone far beyond what we expected.

JK: Having Indian lunch at Little India.

MA: Eating from a banana leaf! (laughs)

CN: What was your favourite food?

JK: The Thai restaurant at the Esplanade, and satay with peanut sauce.

MA: Chinese food… and kaya toast!

CN: What did you like most about Singapore?

JK: Singaporeans are a combination of being laid back and driven, you really are a fast-moving society.

MA: That Singaporeans can take time to eat, all the time. The tea breaks were like lunch, and everybody’s still thin. People here were articulate and intelligent.

JK: Singapore is a great city. All the buildings are so different, and they all seem to be competing with each other. They’re all seemed to be saying, “I’m more interesting than you are.” Like that building that looks like a stack of pancakes (Concourse).

MA: In spite of all the highness, there are still lots of green in this city. It’s amazing how much space you save.

CN: How did you find the series of conferences?

JK: It was fun, it was exciting, it was exhausting and engaging. People came by the hundreds. They wouldn’t do that in the States.

MA: It was inspiring; people were very open, which is unusual for Asian people.

JK: I remember there was one woman who shared openly about how an experience she had led her to apologizing to her daughter.

The first conference we had here was so bad because of the technical difficulties with the sound system and our accents. We thought [the people] weren’t coming back.

MA: It was hard for us to believe that we have accents. One of the highlights was the intensive four-day workshop. To be able to be with that same group and to watch the changes in the group [was wonderful].

28 people came from the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sabah. We trained the spiritual directors to be supervisors. The focus is on the spiritual directors’ growth, so that the director can grow as a director.

There are few supervisors for spiritual directors in Singapore. They are new everywhere. A lot of experience as a director is needed and they have to have supervision themselves. Sister Francisca Tan, rc, was trained for two weeks at the Mercy Center.

Just meeting all the people that came to the workshop and their desire to be there, and they hadn’t even met us before.

We could never have done this without the back-up of the Life Direction Team. They planned the prayer services, and everything down to the (cups of) water on the tables.

JK: It seems so esoteric, that 800 people came for these conferences. We tried to get people to come in Kentucky, but only 10 people came. The (Singapore) bishop came to two conferences, and stayed almost the whole time. It is good bishops who do that.

MA: He had scheduled the day of prayer for priests, but he said he would much rather have the priests come for the conference.

CN: What did you think of the Singapore Catholics?

JK: The Catholics… are real people, not just churchy people. They are more than devotional Catholics.

MA: They have solid faiths.

JK: People talk about their faith without being ‘gooey’ about it.

CN: One last question for the both of you. Mary Ann, how did you find working with James?

MA: I love it! We last worked together in 2004, for a workshop in Florida. He’s very flexible, generous, experienced, and fun. We had to adapt and put our heads together during a break, and to go with the flow. I think our respect for each other, no, one another, grounded the work we did. I liked it that he was not competitive.

CN: And you, James, how did you find working with Mary Ann?

JK: I love the way she does the grammar thing. We have worked with each other to know each other quite well. It’s not hard to work with each other. With MA, it is easy to make changes in the moment of a flight. She does not place any priority on her stuff (being spoken first). Oh, and she laughs at my jokes.

CN: What do you like most about your work?

MA: I enjoy the formation of spiritual directors. I get to teach, process, and watch them grow. I was a teacher for many years, so I like to teach.

JK: I love giving retreats, and conducting the spiritual exercises. To see that people are changed… It is wonderful to watch God’s spirit go in and change people.

Tending the Holy in Our Lives

By Daniel Tay

“Deep is calling to deep” was title of the four-day workshop that benefited 28 experienced spiritual directors from the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sabah, and enabled them to become supervisors of spiritual directors. (See interview)

The fourth conference “Were not our hearts burning?” was held at the Church of the Holy Spirit Attic on Nov 14 and 15. This conference attracted about 80 religious, priests, ordained ministers, lay consecrates, and ministers who were interested in appreciating and deepening the art of spiritual direction. Among all the conferences, this had the largest number of male religious and priests in attendance.

During this conference, the facilitators spelt out the difference between therapy, which is for problem-solving; pastoral counselling, which is counselling in the context of faith; and spiritual direction, which is helping the directee to grow in their relationship with God.

Unlike with the first two, “the focus is not the problem, but how the problem plays out in the directee’s relationship with God,” explained Father Keegan. “The spiritual director pays particular attention to the movements of the Spirit that cause a response from the directee. The movements are powerful enough to be remembered in the busyness of life. The focus is the experience of God.”

“God’s grace has moved the directee to come to the director in the first place. A director listens and gives feedback on what seems to be the movement of God in that person’s experiences,” he said. “The director is the holder of the sacred space that helps a directee to explore more. The director helps the directee to observe the impressions of God. This is where the relationship grows.”

Father Keegan revealed the presence of four realms in the life of any person. The individual is the realm of the inner life; the interpersonal the realm of friendships; the structural and communal the realm of communities such as groups, organizations and institutes; and the environmental which is the realm of large-scale and long-term systems that we are all a part of, such as history and nature.

“The arenas are separated by porous lines. They bleed into one another,” he said. “We all have our favourite comfort zones and we often take it as the only one necessary.”

He stressed that spiritual direction is not focused only on the inner life. “We might not always be comfortable in there. A spiritual director could find out how the Spirit is active in the directee’s work, on in nature, for example.”

Redemptorist Father Gerard Louis shared at the end of the conference that “spiritual direction has been very central in my life” since he became a religious. “I also felt the call to do the same for others,” he added. “The conference has given me new perspectives on what I already know.”

Father Aloysius Ong, assistant priest of the Church of the Holy Family, came for the conference “so that I may learn something that may assist me in my duties as a spiritual director in my work”. “I’ve a tendency to forget that the starting point is God,” he said. “It was timely to be reminded of it.

Infant Jesus Sister Julia Ong, who works with schools and teachers, and helps to provide “an enabling environment” for leaders to learn and grow, said that she “gained a deeper insight” into the processes of spiritual direction, and a clearer differentiation between spiritual direction, therapy, and counselling. “I also learned to respect the sacred in others, and the humility to know when I am not able to go into a guiding relationship [with another],” she added.

A counselling psychologist, Adrian Lim shared, “In my professional work, I learnt that there is a part of a person that needs spiritual guidance, but because of my professional role, I cannot go beyond that. The ultimate development of a person-helper is to bring a person to god. This conference has helped me to concretize some of my beliefs.”

Archbishop Nicholas Chia, who attended two of the conferences, was pleased with the attendance of the laity and religious. “It is good to make people aware of the need for spiritual direction, and how to give guidance. I am glad that such a conference has been organized for people to realize the need.”

If you are interested to find out more about spiritual direction, please contact the Life Direction Team at www.veritas.org.sg/lifedirectionteam, email sdiAsia67@yahoo.com.sg, or call 6353 4809.

(2,266 words)

Notes:

This song was used at the start and at the end of each day of the conferences.

Sacred is the call

awesome indeed the entrustment

tending the holy,

tending the holy.

The Holiness of Labor

Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., is CEO and Founder of Executivesoul.com.

In most religious traditions, daily work is honorable and yes, even sacred. This Labor Day, celebrate the holiness of labor.

God doesn't make the distinction between sacred and secular which humans invent and invoke to exclude God from parts of their lives. This Labor Day, let's recognize the occasion for the holy-day it is, celebrating the holiness of labor.

In most religious traditions, daily work is honorable and yes, even sacred. The Genesis creation story, for example, is about six days of work, continually recognized as good and holy, culminating in creatures in God's image to continue the work of creation and care. Work in the Genesis story is God's self-expression, revealing limitless imagination (one trip to the zoo convinces us of this) and humor (witness the ostrich).

Part of being created in God's image is being a co-creator with God and, like God, having work to do. Though some Christian traditions have associated work with the curse of original sin, a closer look at the Genesis account reveals that God gave the man and the woman work to do before sin entered the world. Work is part of God's original good intention for humans. Because humans are created in God's image, they inherently need opportunities to express their creativity. God gives them work, and entrusts the care of the garden, the animals, and children to them. Work is good, holy, and part of the image of God within us.

Of course, the Genesis story goes on to say that sin entered the world and that work became tainted. The work that we know, whether it's paid work, work at home, or volunteer work, can include dishonest bosses, lazy employees, ungrateful families, petty jealousies, office gossips, Enron-like corporate scandals, unfair treatment, and worse. All of these things are real and all-too-present in our daily work. Yet focusing solely on the results of sin in the workplace ignores God's redemptive power and presence and the continual opportunity to reclaim the holiness of labor.

What would it look like to focus on God's redemptive power and presence in the workplace? What would it look like to focus on the sacredness of work?

Barb McIntyre, a nurse at HealthEast (a hospital system in the Twin Cities in Minnesota), is a prime example of one who focuses on the sacredness of work. A Roman Catholic, Barb came to HealthEast over 30 years ago, determined to see Christ in the face of each of her patients. After several years, she was promoted to head nurse. She offers her staff and patients respect and support. She leads with a light touch, recognizing the pressure of her nurses' jobs. She communicates her care for each one of her nurses as a person, doing such things as expressing appreciation regularly and also sending annual holiday cards in which she expresses gratitude for specific ways each has served in the previous year. She finds her staff coming to her to talk when crises arise in their personal lives.

A few years ago HealthEast's CEO took Barb to lunch, asking what HealthEast could learn from her about putting people first. Her retention and continuous improvement record had caught his eye, and he knew that she was incarnating HealthEast's values. Now Barb is held up as a role model, and she teaches others how to put people first at HealthEast, just as she does.

Barb knew that she could bring God's redemptive power and presence into the workplace. Patients and staff took notice, and eventually the entire hospital system benefited. As one created in God's image, Barb was entrusted with the care of others: by staying true to her spiritual values, she was able to treat her patients and colleagues with consideration, fairness, and respect. For Barb McIntyre, there is no distinction between sacred and secular. When one person recognizes the sacredness of work, the ripple effect can be enormous.

ARCHETYPES UNDERLIE ALL RELIGIONS

Bruce Tallman

    Carl Jung, one of the great psychologists of the twentieth century, noticed that certain patterns kept coming up, not only in his patients' dreams, but also in literature, mythology, history, religion, and daily life in all cultures and all ages.
    From this he surmised that all humans must share in a level of the psyche even deeper than the subconscious mind that his mentor, Sigmund Freud, discovered. Jung called this deeper level the collective unconscious, and the contents of this part of the psyche or soul he called archetypes.
    Archetypes are spiritual energy centers and part of the imago Dei, the image of God that God created in the soul, to guide us to fulfilling lives. Jung and others claim that these primordial images are like instincts in that they subconsciously control everything we think, feel, and do.
    Four key archetypes that form the basic structure of the human soul in men and women everywhere are the sovereign, warrior, seer, and lover. Franciscan priest Richard Rohr, Robert Moore, Carol Pearson, Caroline Myss, Robert Bly, and others have written extensively about these four heroic archetypes.
    The sovereign is the benevolent leader or person in charge, the warrior is the one who fights for goodness and justice, the seer is the wise man or woman, and the lover is the one who is passionate for others whether it be a partner, friend, the poor, or the Earth.
    As an example of how the sovereign appears everywhere and in every age, consider that throughout history there have been kings, queens, maharajahs, sultans, tsars, emperors, presidents, and prime ministers in various countries, as well as chiefs in native American, Canadian, Brazilian, Australian, and African tribes. The sovereign is also manifest in daily life in the chief executive officer or manager at work, or the father or mother at home.
    There are also anti-heroic or "shadow" archetypes which involve complete possession or complete dispossession by the sovereign, warrior, seer, or lover. For example, if a person is completely possessed by the sovereign archetype, he or she becomes a tyrant. Complete dispossession means the person becomes an abdicator.
    The other anti-heroic archetypes are the sadist and masochist (warrior shadows), manipulator and fool (seer shadows), and the addict and frigid (lover shadows). These negative archetypes, working subconsciously, can cause great misery in our lives. In fact, the whole post-911 world can be explained in terms of archetypes in the form of tyrants (George W. and Saddam) and sadists (Osama and other terrorists).
    People in archetypal roles have great power because they activate the numinous archetypal energies of our souls. This explains the aura that surrounds seers such as the medical doctor, medicine man or woman, shaman, guru, imam, rabbi, priest, or minister. This also explains why the pope and dalai lama draw huge crowds wherever they go. They have double the fascinating numinous power since they are in both the sovereign and seer role.
    The Bible is eternally appealing to the human soul because it is an archetypal book, full of heroic and anti-heroic sovereigns, warriors, seers and lovers. Think, for example, in the Jewish scriptures/Old Testament of King David, Queen Esther, King Saul, Queen Jezebel, Goliath, Samson, Delilah, Samuel, Solomon, Isaiah, Ruth, and the lovers in The Song of Songs.
    The New Testament likewise is full of heroes and anti-heroes. There is Peter (the spiritual abdicator and later, spiritual sovereign), Paul (the spiritual warrior if ever there was one), King Herod, Queen Herodias, Pilate (the political abdicator), centurions and zealots, magi (seers), good and bad priests, John the Baptist, Judas (the manipulator), contemplatives (lovers of God) like Stephen and John the beloved disciple, and so on.
    Churches use archetypal language all the time, whether they know it or not, when they refer to Christ as priest, prophet, king, and supreme lover. Certainly he was in warrior mode when he cleared the moneychangers out of the temple, and there is a graphic, symbolic description in the book of Revelation (19:11-21) of Christ leading the armies of heaven against the forces of evil. To Christians, Jesus had the four foundational archetypes in perfection.
    Since these archetypes are hardwired into the human psyche, they appear in other religions as well. No Muslim would dispute the fact that Mohammed is the sovereign leader of Islam, that he was a physical and spiritual warrior in the wars against the polytheists, and a great seer in receiving the Koran from the archangel Gabriel.
    Hindus could point to Krishna as a lover when he danced with the gopi cowgirls, Arjuna as a warrior, and great seers like Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore and others. All Buddhist monks and nuns would come under the seer archetype, and boddhisattvas would be examples of agape lovers, sacrificing their own entrance into nirvana until all sentient beings are enlightened.
    Anyone interested in ministry or leadership in any religion, or in spirituality in general, would do well to familiarize themselves with the heroic and anti-heroic archetypes which have the power to fulfill or destroy any individual, religious tradition, or even whole societies.

Bruce Tallman is author of Archetypes for Spiritual Direction: Discovering the Heroes Within (Paulist Press, 2005). See www.brucetallman.com.

Spiritual direction: Finding the key to our inner souls

By Ellie Hidalgo

Inside each human person, say pastoral ministers, is a deep desire to connect with what is most beautiful, joyful, peaceful and true about the world and about each person's unique call from God to be of service. But the noise, busy-ness and pressures of contemporary life often leave many people too frazzled to experience God's presence for more than a nano-second here and there.

"In our fast paced, changing, post-modern world, so many things are falling apart," said Father James Clarke, director of spiritual formation at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. "How do people maintain virtues of hope, joy and love and not be overrun by becoming bitter, despairing or resentful?"

Enter the spiritual director--a skilled spiritual companion assisting a person of faith to discover God's presence in his/her life, build a vibrant prayer life, learn spiritual tools for discernment and decision-making, and develop a close relationship with God.

The interest in spiritual direction has mushroomed worldwide in the last 20 years. What used to be a spiritual tool practiced by almost exclusively priests and nuns is now being enthusiastically embraced by laity.

"There's a deep hunger in the world for spiritual friendship and companionship," said Christopher McCauley, executive director of Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality in Pasadena.

Sunday liturgies--with its focus on word, Eucharist and communal prayer--do not offer opportunities for Catholics to converse about grace-filled moments in their day-to-day lives.

"People are needing to talk about their experiences of God," said Mercy Sister Mary Ann Scofield, founder of Spiritual Directors International. In nearly 17 years, Spiritual Directors International has grown from less than a hundred people to more than 5,000 members from 30 different countries. A conference in Costa Mesa this April drew 600 participants from five continents. As the desire for spiritual direction swells in dioceses around the globe, so has the need to train and certify skilled spiritual directors.

Everyday holiness

"Catholics who are serious about their faith recognize they can't do it alone," said Father Clarke, who has been receiving spiritual direction since 1974 and has been offering spiritual direction to others since 1980, when he was ordained. "Many lay leaders now consider spiritual direction a necessity."

Joy Jones, a married mother of three sons, began spiritual direction as part of her formation process to become a pastoral associate for Holy Trinity Church in San Pedro. Growing in her relationship with God has allowed her to become a more effective minister, she said.

"It has helped me to be more present to people at the parish and to listen to them better," said Jones. "It has helped me teach catechesis and lead RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation] in a deeper and more profound way."

As parishioners started asking Jones for help with their prayer lives, she decided to complete a three-year training program with the Spirituality Center in Los Angeles to become certified as a spiritual director. Now she also provides spiritual direction at archdiocesan sponsored directed retreats.

"As people build up their relationship with God, they find peace and enjoyment in life, and their relationships with other people increases," said Jones. A personal benefit has been more patience in listening to her sons.

Deacon Gary Becker of San Roque Church, Santa Barbara, said he used to "run over" the moments when God broke into his life.

"Spiritual direction helps me look at my own experience in a contemplative way," he explained. "I'm paying more attention to the real holiness in every day."

The experience led Becker and his wife to train to become spiritual directors, a ministry the couple offers from their home office.

A spiritual director "keeps you honest," added Deacon Jerry Cellner, director of the archdiocesan Office of Diaconate Formation, who has met with his spiritual director once a month for 20 years. His director will ask about the deacon's prayer life, spiritual reading, decisions he might be facing, or how relationships--work or personal--are being formed with God's guidance. The question "What is God calling you to do?" might encourage a meaningful dialogue between Cellner and his spiritual director about a particular family or work issue.

Ancient beginnings

Spiritual direction is an ancient Catholic tradition dating from the fourth century when some Christians took to living in the desert as a way of making a more radical commitment to Christianity and to their prayer life. Desert fathers and mothers, like St. Anthony of Egypt, began offering spiritual guidance to new desert dwellers struggling with prayer and temptations, said Wilkie Au, professor at Loyola Marymount University in the practice of spiritual direction.

When monasteries were developed in the 6th century, senior monks or abbots helped new monks to internalize the Benedictine rule and embrace a rigorous spiritual path, added Au. St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century developed the 30-day spiritual exercises as a way of helping new seminarians discern God's will in their lives.

"He formed the exercises to help a person make a free decision, and to make major life decisions with as much freedom as possible from compulsions or attachments," said Au, who recently, with Noreen Cannon Au, authored "The Discerning Heart: Exploring the Christian Path" (Paulist Press).

Vatican II emphasized that the call to holiness is universal, creating a new understanding that the spiritual path is offered to men and women in all walks of life--lay, religious or ordained, married or celibate.

Responding to God

"How do you respond to that call to holiness in the concrete context of your life?" Au might ask a directee. "What does the call to holiness require of me? How might I discern that?"

A spiritual director offers a helping relationship to a directee seeking answers to those questions and wanting to develop a spiritual practice that supports their call. The director doesn't offer advice about solving problems as a pastoral counselor might, but rather helps a person tap into God's guidance and to sort out God's voice from other pulls or tugs that come from the culture or elsewhere, said Au.

Spiritual direction is not counseling or therapy, emphasized spiritual directors. "A counselor's role is to help individuals deal with a particular issue where they feel stuck. A counselor is using a microscope," said Father Clarke. "A spiritual director asks, 'Where is God in this particular situation?' A spiritual director is using a telescope."

Many lay people become interested in spiritual direction when facing life-altering decisions like whether to change careers, move to another city, or choose a marriage partner.

"God has given each one of us the key to understand our inner souls. I don't think we were taught to trust that," said St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Carol Quinlivan, director of the archdiocesan Office of Parish Life. "A good director helps you find your key."

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles pastoral associates, parish life directors and deacons in the process of discernment and formation are required to be in spiritual direction.

"We want to strongly emphasize the need for them to develop their own spirituality and a spirituality that will sustain them in ministry," said Sister Quinlivan.

Choosing a director

Choosing a spiritual director should also be guided by faith. At the Spirituality Center, Sister Thomas Bernard MacConnell, director, meets with potential directees to get a sense of the person and then to recommend three to five people who could serve as spiritual directors. People are encouraged to talk by phone or meet each spiritual director in person to ascertain with whom do they feel the most comfortable and are able to sense that person's authenticity.

"People ask me, 'How will I know?' And I say, 'I don't know how you'll know, but I know you'll know,'" said Sister MacConnell.

The center, started under Cardinal Timothy Manning in 1983, also offers a three-year training program to become a spiritual director. About 200 people have completed the program, operated from the Doheny campus of Mt. St. Mary's College. Some spiritual directors offer their services pro-bono or are hired for ministry by their parish, while others offer a negotiated fee, said Sister MacConnell.

Societal impact

Spiritual direction will be limited if it only directs people inward, said directors. "Spiritual direction helps people to become friends of God and eventually prophets," said Sister Scofield. With time, many directees integrate their experience of contemplation with their social conscience. Ultimately, she said, spiritual direction "has to have an effect on the world."

It's already moving out into the world as spiritual directors apply their ministry in hospitals, homes for the elderly, prisons or homeless shelters.

Since the early 1980s Mercy Sister Mariana Clifford Rodriguez has worked with Mexican American and Central American communities in the Mission District of San Francisco. "We need to get in touch with our spirituality in two cultures," said Sister Clifford, herself a daughter of a Colombian mother and a father of Irish heritage.

Immigrants often lack extended family and trust the church as a place where they can be listened to, she said. Sister Clifford has created a three-year training program for Latinos to serve their community as spiritual directors.

The hunger for spiritual direction is spreading to people of other faiths, including Protestants, Jews and even some Muslims, who have sought out Catholic spiritual directors. More ministers from other faith traditions are training in spiritual direction to be able to offer it to their congregations. "It's a great ecumenical bridge," said Father Clarke, who chairs the archdiocesan Spirituality Commission.

College students are also exploring spiritual direction in greater numbers. Sister of St. Joseph of Orange Joanna Carroll is becoming certified in spiritual direction through the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange and serves as a full-time campus minister for spiritual direction at Loyola Marymount University. She meets monthly, twice a month or even weekly on an individual basis with students from diverse faith traditions who want to integrate their spirituality into every aspect of their life--their studies, relationships with peers or parents, and career decisions.

"I'm a listening presence, witnessing to students that God is wanting to journey with them through this process and loving them along the way," said Sister Carroll. "Students come to a sense of their own answers within."

Students' deepest dreams or desires are planted by God, said Sister Carroll. She helps students to sense God's deep love for them.

"What will bring someone the greatest fulfillment, greatest joy and peace? A student's desire, a dream, if they really listen, is not going to go against who they are and who God has created them to be in their uniqueness," said Sister Carroll.

While most spiritual direction happens on a one-to-one basis, Sister Quinlivan also directs two lay women's groups in spiritual direction. "We listen in such a way that reverences someone else's experience of God and allows their experience to speak to us," said Sister Quinlivan.

"What we notice as we move in spiritual direction together is a tapestry--threads of people sharing, somehow mysteriously beautifully blending together to create a landscape of our souls. The good weaves in with the bad and we're in awe at the grace of God working in one another's lives."

[Reprinted with permission of The Tidings (www.the-tidings.com).]

Spiritual Companion Program for Hispanics

Gerry McCarthy

Six years ago Sr. Mary Ann Clifford was providing spiritual direction for people living in the Mission District of San Francisco, which is the Spanish-speaking district of the city.

But she soon realized the overwhelming need for what she was offering. "In the city of San Francisco there were only two Spanish-speaking spiritual directors besides me that we know of," she says. "People started saying to me: You have to start preparing us, because you can't see all the people that want to see you."

That's when Sr. Clifford (who is a Sister of Mercy) started thinking about launching a spiritual direction program for Spanish-speaking people.

Her vision was realized in September 2004. That's when a Spiritual Companion program was first started for Hispanics in the San Francisco Bay Area. Funding came from two sources: A Mercy Action Grant (made possible by the Mercy Sisters international order) and the Ministry for the Poor Fund operated by the Mercy Sisters in Burlingame, California (where the Mercy Center is located).

Sr. Clifford is the director of the program which has 14 people enrolled. She teaches and mentors the group with assistance from Sr. Diane Clyne (a fellow Mercy Sister) and laywoman Barbara Jimenez.

For many years, Sr. Clifford witnessed the benefits of spiritual accompaniment or mentoring. Since 2000 she has worked full time at the Mercy Center. The Center has been operating for 25-years, and has built a solid reputation for their training of spiritual directors.

But Sr. Clifford also saw the importance of spiritual accompaniment when she did missionary work in Peru for 16 years. "In the work that I was doing with the Aymara people I realized that this type of listening was very helpful to people and their personal freedom," she explains. "Because of that they were able to make unique contributions to their society, family, and the future of their own life and the Church."

She adds that: "I learned this at Mercy Center, but found this wasn't just for wealthy people in the U.S. It was also a wonderful gift towards freedom for the poor. I figured that since I have some skills in working with the poor as well as Spanish-speaking people --I wanted to make spiritual direction available to the Spanish-speaking."

Sr. Clifford received her Master of Theological Studies from the Franciscan School of Theology at Berkeley, California. Prior to her missionary work in Peru, she taught elementary school and was involved in lay, religious, and clergy formation.

It's the diversity of the people in the Spiritual Companioning program that has particularly impressed Sr. Clifford. For example: There is a religious educator, small businessman, a mother of four, and a permanent deacon. Their spiritual work has already involved arranging to see people by appointment in conventional settings. But it goes further. Some are working with gang members in San Francisco, homeless people, and visiting jails.

Forty-four-year-old Sr. Norberta Villasenor is the director of Religious Education at a Catholic parish just outside of San Francisco. She was eager to enrol in the Spiritual Companioning program. "I thought --this is what I need. This is what I'm looking for. Because in my ministry working with a Hispanic community we don't call someone a spiritual director," she explains. "We haven't heard of that term."

Sr. Villasenor emigrated from Mexico to California with her family when she was 16. She is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity. She's grateful for different things she has learned in the program. "All their teaching in the program has been very helpful," she says. "I'm overwhelmed sometimes and think: Oh my God that's what they taught us yesterday and I've already put into practice."

But she stresses what's at the heart of spiritual direction. "We're not there to solve problems or advise people," she says. "We're put there to listen, to be open, and help the person to become closer and find peace with God."

Reina Parada is a mother of four children. She emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 1981. Currently she works for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

I reach Parada by telephone at her workplace. She's glad to be enrolled in the Spiritual Companioning program, but realizes the dilemmas spiritual directors sometimes face. "There's a tendency to fix problems," she says. "But we're just there to be present."

She adds that: "I've found through my experience in life that everybody has the answers within. It's just a matter of letting it out. Sometimes they come to a conclusion themselves. That's where it's so important to be that listening presence in somebody's life and story."

At first, Parada says she saw the program as a way to learn more about spiritual direction. But her thoughts run deeper now "The longer I'm in the program I realize it's a calling from God," she says.

Both Sr. Villasenor and Reina Parada say Sr. Clifford has launched a "pioneering" program. "We've encouraged her to start the program in other areas," Sr. Villasenor says. "The need is great and overwhelming. A lot of people have no one to share with."

Antonio Ambriz is in the Spiritual Companioning program with Sr.Villasenor and Parada. He's also a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. While studying to be a deacon, he had the opportunity to see how important it was to be prepared for spiritual direction.

Among other things, Ambriz was pleasantly surprised how the themes and teaching in the program have been adapted to the Hispanic culture. He's also impressed with Sr. Clifford. "Sr. Mary Ann is someone who inspires confidence. She knows how to listen and how to guide you in understanding our human reality," he says.

Sr. Villasenor recognizes Sr. Clifford's work too. "She's a wonderful woman and witness to the Gospel," she says. "She's a great mentor."

In my conversation with Sr. Clifford, I return to the question of individuals wanting spiritual directors to fix their problems. "Yes, they want you to solve their problems," she says. "But when you don't --a lot of good things can happen inside of them. They start to recognize their own resources and gifts. Sometimes by not solving their problems --although you're listening to them-- they become more empowered to go and look for other resources."

Currently Sr. Clifford is trying to establish Spiritual Companioning programs for Spanish-speaking people in Oakland and Miami. She also realizes there is a continuing need in the San Francisco Bay Area. "We know there are more people that want this, but because of personal and finances we can only do one program at a time," she adds.

As we conclude our conversation, I ask Sr. Clifford about signs of hope she's observed since the program was launched. She mentions the "fidelity" the participants have to the work and the teaching. And she recognizes that the Mercy Center staff took a risk in allowing her to start the program. But she is particularly moved by the actions of the people in her class. "They want to do this for others that really are on the margins and poor," she says. "It's amazing to me how God is moving among them."

This article first appeared in The Social Edge an online social justice and faith magazine.Gerry McCarthy is editor of The Social Edge.

Reflections on Spiritual Direction in Hong Kong

Pandora Khor

I was asked by Lucy Abbott-Tucker to take part in the presentation which she gave on March 30, 2005. The purpose of which “is to articulate what we have/can learned about international, cross-cultural training from the participants at ISL (Institute for Spiritual Leadership).”

The following is adapted from the reflection I gave in response to some of the questions she put out for us.

What does spiritual direction look like in your country?

Soon after I returned to Hong Kong in 1993, after my year at ISL and a year of study in Toronto, I found myself talking to a priest whom I got to know when he was the head of the Justice and Peace Commission in Hong Kong. In the course of our conversation he learned that I was hoping to do spiritual direction; his response was this, "It will be very difficult to do that since you do not belong to any religious community, nor attached to any retreat centre. Besides, I think the work of spiritual direction should be left for the retired priests. " Why don't you come and work at the parish, we would be happy to have you.'

Though it was the last thing I wanted to hear, there was truth in what he was saying. As of that time in Hong Kong spiritual direction was something only given by priests and sisters. I was probably the first lay woman to be giving spiritual direction per se. It is noteworthy to mention that not only those in the hierarchy had problem with a lay woman doing spiritual direction — other lay people too. There was a friend of mine who 'jokingly' referred to my practice of spiritual companioning at home, after work as 'receiving client' which is a euphemism for 'prostitution' in Hong Kong.

How has what I learned at ISL influenced my practice of spiritual direction?

What have I learned at ISL? I can still remember after presenting Lucy (my spiritual director, Lucy Abbot-Tucker) with my 12-page writing on my learning, she summarized it with one sentence, by quoting Paul Robb: That I have learnt to live comfortably in the skin that I was created with.

So my greatest learning was to be able to accept my human condition — warts and all. This has helped me to share vulnerability with those who come to me for spiritual direction. Some of my directees had the tendency to put me somewhat on a pedestal, by regarding me as a spiritual master, a great teacher, St. Catherine of Siena and even the Blessed Mother - but for me I am with them as their companion on their journey.

[It is important to note that Hong Kong has a very vibrant and viable culture, even in the realm of spiritual direction. In less than ten years, some non-Catholic Christian seminaries have begun to offer training courses in spiritual direction.]

During the nine months at ISL I was able to go through the process to become a more real person to a large extent it was because I was empowered (in particular during spiritual direction) to do the inner work, to make this journey on my own -- companioned but not rescued. I remember one time I got in touch with my inner child — and 'she' was crying like hell, I would love to be hugged. In fact I was hoping and waiting for Lucy to give me that hug, but I was given a pillow with which I could hold and hug. Somehow this has a tremendous impart on me — I learned that Lucy trusted me to have the ability to go through the process.

This experience has helped me to recognize the inner strength in my directees, and empower them to do their inner work. Came to mind is one of my directees, Mary Y., who had a miserable childhood, and suffered much from a very abusive mother. When she came to see me she had been suffering from insomnia for years, and would be crying involuntarily in those sleepless hours. After a number of sessions, when she had begun to open up her wounded past, she was crying all the more — especially after the session with me; and a couple of times she was taken to Emergency. But she pulled through and within less than a year she felt she could continue the journey on her own. One day, out of the blue I got a phone call from her telling me that it was her birthday — not her biological birthday — but the birth-day of her new self. I felt both happy and proud for her. She considered me to be her midwife in the birthing of her new self.

How has my God image changed/developed during my time here?

From the sharing of stories —

I remember at the beginning of our ISL program, we spent two weeks sharing our own story and listening to the stories of others. I was much bewildered by the ways God works in each of our lives. I was also made to realize that 'my God' is also the God of these people — from different parts of the world. Although in the days to come I had yet to integrate this 'universal God' with my experience of God as a Chinese.

From the mystics' experience of God —

As a Chinese Christian in Hong Kong I had had difficulty reconciling my Christian identity with my ethnic identity. Unlike the Chinese in mainland China, those of us born and raised in Hong Kong tend to have a problem with our ethnic identity — we had described ourselves as a people living in a borrowed time, in a borrowed place — in short, we were like a people in exile. Hong Kong was a British colony since 1842, up until the 1970's; English was the only official language. The God that I came to know through the missionaries, was a 'white male' God — a God who has a 'pointed-nose' (as the Chinese theologian, C.S. Song, put it) as opposed to the flat nose which most of us Asians have — hence a foreigner. In the 60'a when I was in school (run by missionaries from Europe), prayers were said in English, masses were conducted in Latin, and much later in English — for the longest time, I thought that God could not understand Chinese.

At ISL I was introduced to mystics like Teresa of Avila and Ignatius of Loyola. As I listened to their experience of God and their teachings, I found the possibility of integrating my ethnic identity with my Christian identity — to heal the alienation. ISL whetted my appetite for the spirituality of these mystics. From them I was struck to learn that God's dealing with each individual is direct and personal; and that God is not the 'monopoly' of the hierarchy in the institutional Church. As I furthered my studies in spirituality at Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, I began to reclaim my spirituality as a lay person. Teresa's and Ignatius' testimony gave me the opening to individuate from the mainstream theology (both European and patriarchal). In the course of writing my final thesis on doing Christology with Teresa of Avila, I was eventually able to find the face of Christ in my people — in our history — in the Tiananmen demonstrations that began in May and ended in the massacre on June 4, 1989. The death of millions is the birth of an ever new consciousness. The whole event awakened the spirit of the Chinese in Hong Kong and overseas. It is the same spirit that has dwelled in the life of a people reared and nurtured by the same rivers, the descendants of the Dragon. The process of finding Christ in my own culture is also the process of re-finding / integrating my identity as a Chinese Christian.

Commentary on Revelations

Read Teresa Blythe's commentary on Beliefnet about NBC-TV's mini-series, Revelations. It is part drama, part thriller and all about mythology and terror surrounding religion and the “end of days.” Click here to read “The Divine Ick Factor: How creepy religion heightens television dramas.”

Listening for God with Others

Sandra Lommasson

Discernment is not something that just happens; rather it is the intentional exploration of one's living and one's personal relationship with God. This intentional exploration may begin in private prayer and a process of personal discernment, but it is only brought to completion through a testing of decisions with others in the faith community. All discernment is aided by the shared wisdom of the faith community. Our yes's and our no's will be strengthened through sharing with others our hearts' desires and how we are holding these in the light of our deepening connection with God and others. And when we share, we must be open to hear and respond, even reconsider our yes or our no.

—Jean Stairs, Listening for the Soul: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction

As I began to enter the deeper waters of relationship with God, the desire to align myself with God's longing for me and for the world grew. I knew that choice-aking mattered, and I wanted to choose well. I prayed, I studied, I worshipped, and I sought to make decisions based on all of those good practices. But something was missing. There's an ancient wisdom that says: “The eye cannot see itself.”

As much as I wanted the journey to be just about me and God and to flow into the world from this protected place, I found that I needed other people. Not just other people to worship alongside or to pray with, but others with whom I might open the landscape of my soul and listen deeply for the Spirit's invitation. Darn! This potentially meant letting go of hard-won perceptions about myself and my choices. Feeling vulnerable and exposed was a certainty, but, beyond this, I didn't know where such opening might lead.

I know more now. I think of discernment as a 'sifting of the currents' within life. Some currents draw into fuller life while others distract from or even destroy life. And it's not always easy to tell the difference. I've been learning how to listen for the truly life-giving currents of my life with other committed companions on the way, rather than only bringing them the results of my personal discernment. One thing it means is liberation from the narrow confines of my own experience and perspective, no matter how valid. It also means growing in comfort with my own human nature, and finding it to be the place of deepest encounter with Grace. This piece from Jean Stairs speaks to me of the communal nature of the spiritual journey and practices like discernment. While the journey is intensely personal, it can never be cut off from community without distortion and significant loss. There is a vulnerability in opening to depth spiritual community, but I truly believe there's a wholeness and a maturation that cannot happen any other way.

Sandra Lommasson serves as the president of the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She has a passion for supporting the spiritual growth processes of individuals, groups and communities. Sandra can be reached at sandra@breadoflife.org.