Two Essential Questions for the Mystical Journey

I was speaking with a few friends of mine who are spiritual directors recently, and we were talking about the work they do accompanying people who seek to draw closer to God.

If you are not familiar with spiritual direction, it is a ministry of interactive care, in which a person supports another in the journey into deeper intimacy with God. A spiritual director does not “direct” in the sense of giving orders, but may provide a sense of orientation or calibration, helping to keep the conversation (and the prayer) always grounded in divine love.

In the Christian tradition, it is said that the only true spiritual director is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, who is poured into each of our hearts, provides the ultimate “compass” for guiding us more and more fully and deeply into the felicity of God’s presence, love, mercy and care. Thus, the human spiritual director functions like a midwife, someone there to provide care and support and guidance, but always with a humble recognition that there role is to hold a sacred space where the intimacy of God’s love may emerge more fully in the heart of the seeker.

So back to the conversation with my friends who have a ministry of spiritual direction. One of them, I can’t recall who, suggested that ultimately in spiritual direction there are only two questions: