Towards a Theology of Spiritual Direction

~ N THIS S SI~I S S of Traditions of Spiritual Guidance, which has been running in The Way since 1984, most of the articles have been historical, focusing attention on the contribution which a particular individual, group, movement or school has made to the development of the art of spiritual guidance. This present article, however, is slightly different. All forms of Christian ministry have a theological foundation and raison d'gtre in the sense that they are rooted in God's self-revelation in scripture and in history and called into being by the life of the Church community. In the last twenty years in certain parts of the world, notably but not exclusively in the United States, Britain, Ireland and Australasia, there has been a growing demand for spiritual direction, with a corresponding rediscovery and development of that art. The numbers of those practising spiritual guidance has increased and training courses for spiritual directors and prayer guides have multiplied. In many cases the emphasis of these courses has been predominantly practical: they have set out to train people in the art of spiritual direction, using and developing traditional models. The practice of any ministry, however, if it is to be effective and faithful, needs to be accompanied by regular theological reflection. In the current development of spiritual guidance we have reached a point, so it seems to me, at which it is helpful to reflect once again on the theology which shapes this ministry. This article is intended as a contribution to that reflection. It sketches a possible theological framework within which current practice of spiritual guidance can be understood and discussed.