An Introduction to Spiritual Direction

 Introduction:

I would like you to journey with me in this systematic process of learning on what is spiritual direction. What exactly do we do? what does it consist of? Do we need it at all? Is it only for those who are in crisis? I am sure as we journey we will able to discover answers to these questions.

So what are we going to begin with:

1. What is spiritual direction?

2. Why is spiritual direction valuable?

3. Who can be a spiritual director?

4. How can you offer spiritual  direction?

* To begin with: The root of Spiritual Direction.

Spiritual direction is one of the oldest practices we have in the world. It is not just connected with religion, but it was used in all sorts of life. Today across the globe we find people seeking spiritual direction. The queen of Sheba sought out wisdom of Solomon. Jesus gave us example of Nicodemus who came to seek him at night, the women at the well, peter and all other disciples. Back in the early church people flocked to hermits to seek advice and solutions to the problems in life. Across the universe we can quote ample of examples  such as some German Benedictine nuns, in Therese of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de sales, Irish monks etc.....Even today may companies, work places seek this opportunity to sit one by one, or as a group to talk, share and understand.

Well we are all connected in life. To God, to our family, to our community, society and to our neighbor....imagine you live in a world alone without anyone, and there are moments you feel despo to talk to someone, share, sit by......this is what we are talking that we need each other, to help each other to be one with each other in God. ............God bless......assure you my prayers and blessings....

TO EMBRACE GOD....

Life I believe is beautiful gift from God. I was just sitting with fellow priest at dinner. A flash of divine touch, I decided to relax and take time to look at the diversity of faces around me. Lately, I’ve been practicing a sense of presence, of feeling connected to life as a whole. 

I gazed around the smiles, the laughter, and the orchestra of voices in this cozy dining room, a warm sense of belonging came over me. I invited myself to see the people around me as my brothers and sister.

 The opening of this poem by the 19th century poet, William Blake says : To see world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower, hold eternity in the palm of your hand, and the infinity  in an hour.....

1. Take time today to feel your connection with other people.

2. Ask yourself if you are able to surrender to God.

Jesus...Our Spiritual Guide.....

Today once again I invite each one to begin journey with Jesus.

One of the primary steps in spiritual direction is you beleive that it is God who is leading you of all that happens in your life.....so 

1 . Spend time with Jesus

      # Talk with him

      # Laugh with him

      # Share your agony,  

             

But keep praying.........

I assure you my prayers in this beautiful journey......remember the more you have time for Him the more you will discover.....best wishes on this journey of discovery...

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

An incident is said about a former American astronaut who took over as the President of a major airline. He determined to make the airline's service the best in the industry. He sought ‘commitment to work’, by all the employees in all the departments. One day, as the new president walked through a particular department, he saw an employee resting with his feet on a desk, while the telephone on the desk rang continuously. "What are you doing? Aren't you going to answer that phone?" the boss demanded. "This isn't my department, Am here, just to relax!" answered the employee, with a total indifference! (He had not recognized his new boss, and so chose to answer with apathy!) “I work in the maintenance department", he went on to say.  "Not anymore!” snapped the president, “You no longer will work in my company!” The Master, with his liking for “committed work” and “achieving excellence made sure there was no room for “people with lack of commitment and zeal!” As Christians, we are all co-workers of the Project Kingdom!  Do we work with commitment? or are we often found to be people of indifference, “lacking commitment and zeal?”

The Gospel of the Day is a strong message to examine one’s level of commitment to the Kingdom of God exhorting to do away with any “personal agenda” or “selfish motives” And seeks to impress the personality of Jesus Who desires to be the ‘Centre of our Life’!

In the Gospel today, Jesus puts forward the parable of the tenants. The tenants were entrusted with the vineyard by the Master, and were expected to provide the produce in due time. They were entrusted fully with the taking care of the vineyard. The Master places a lot of trust in the servants. He gives the freedom... a responsible freedom which could be meaningfully used and nurtured or which could be woefully misused and manipulated. However, the tenants, who were trusted immensely probably lost their focus on the real trust and diminished in their commitment and responsibility to their Master as well as their duty.Their personal interests gained greater prominence over their entrusted duties.Their selfish agenda gained the upper hand over the faithfulness to the Master. This led to them to a total denial of all the emissaries and servants of the Master, who were sent to collect the produce.This denial was extended even to the Master's own Son! This denial of the Son led to the letting loose of the anger and fury of the Just Master! A squandering away of the responsible freedom, led to the downfall of the tenants! A failure to give heed to the emissaries and servants caused them to face the Master's rage!

A denial and rejection of the Master's own Son, with a cruel intent, caused their destruction! Are we also, as Christians, as tenants of the Heavenly Master failing in our responsibilities and duties? The Lord presents Himself as the cornerstone "the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.." (Mt 21:42) In ancient practices of building, the cornerstone was the principal stone. It was placed at the corner of the edifice or the building. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the whole building structure. A cornerstone gives direction to the rest of the foundation. It also is the support on which the rest of the building relies for strength and stability. Jesus is the cornerstone...of Salvation… of the Church… of His People! At the same time, Jesus can also be "a stumbling block". As it is written in Romans 9:33, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame". To those who believe, Jesus is the cornerstone of their faith and their life. To those who do not believe, Jesus is the stumbling block in their faith! Who is Jesus in our life? The cornerstone? or a stumbling block? The cornerstone to build a wonderful life in God and grow in holiness Or a stumbling block which causes us to be proud in our own merits and not depend on Him? The cornerstone to stand firm and strong in faith to withstand every storm of life Or a stumbling block which makes us uncertain, hesitant and cause a collapse in life?

 As Christians, we are indeed co-workers of the Project Kingdom! The Master has entrusted the vineyard to us our homes, our places of work, our neighborhood, our families and communities the people we meet daily, the problems we encounter constantly, the situations we are challenged with. These are “our vineyard!” Do we work with commitment? Or are we often found to be people of indifference, “lacking commitment and zeal?”Let us never have to hear from Our Master, “Not anymore! You no longer will work in my company!” Instead let us do away with any “personal agenda” or “selfish motives” as the workers of the Vineyard And seek to be impressed by the personality of Jesus making Him the Center of our Lives!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Feast of the Holy Rosary - OCT Lk 10:17-24

It was a one-day convention on inner-healing.The people who were participating were given helium-filled balloons, and told to release them, at some point during the prayer service, when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Through the day, there were some balloons that ascended. But by the end of the day, it was found that more than forty percent of the balloons were unreleased. The reason: Those people were unable to let go off their inner bitterness and sorrows.  What about us. Are we in a position to let go of our balloons, in order to witness our joy in the Lord? The Gospel of the Day invites us to reflect on the theme of "Joy in the Lord".. with two instances of rejoicing: 1. The Disciples rejoicing after their successful mission experience 2. Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit and thanking His Father for His Infinite Wisdom One of the essential hallmarks of a Christian is a Life of Joy. This was the experience of the Disciples, when they returned back from the mission. They had enjoyed success in their ministry. They had a sense of satisfaction in the works that they had done.They realized that it was the power of the Lord that enabled them to taste success and relish triumph. So they rejoiced greatly, saying: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of Your Name" (Lk 10: 17) Do we also rejoice, by seeing the hand of the Lord in the success and achievements of our lives, knowing that whatever we achieve, is ultimately not just due to our hard-work and efforts; rather, was the result of our co-operation to the grace of God!   Our Blessed Lord, however also tells the Disciples to go beyond the peripheral joys and happiness in life; instead to rejoice in the Spirit. St Luke would testify this in the words: "At that very moment, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...'" (Lk 10: 21) This then is what we too are expected to imitate from the Lord: Rejoicing in the Spirit. St Paul would beautifully explicate this, when he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phil 4: 4) Our life is to be an inspiring exhibition of the Joy in the Lord and Rejoicing in the Spirit. Do we radiate joy in our encounter with one another, and spread the cheer of life?  even in the midst of hardships, knowing that we have a God who is deeply caring for us? thanking the Lord for His blessing, above all, for the gift of Himself in the Word and the Sacraments? There is, without doubt, many reasons for us to be grumpy, to complain and to feel resentment in life. But can we allow the power of the Lord to enamour us, and realise that beyond all these, we have a reason to celebrate and to rejoice knowing that God is with us, to ensure success in our journey of life, with our wholehearted co-operation knowing that God is the greatest reason to be happy and the treasure of life Who deserves every glory. Can we let go our balloons in order to display Christian joy and happiness in life? Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. This Feast of our Lady of the Rosary was instituted by Pope St. Pius V in the year 1570. It was a sign of thanksgiving for a great naval victory over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto, obtained primarily by the recitation of the Rosary. The Feast reminds us that that the Rosary is a Powerful Weapon. The word Rosary means a "Crown of Roses". Our Lady has revealed to several people that each time one says a Hail Mary, one is giving her a beautiful rose and that completion of each Rosary makes her a beautiful crown of roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions. Like the exhibits in a museum, each mystery of the Rosary reveals much. Each Mystery that we meditate upon, is a miniature theology of the mysteries of the life of Jesus and the life of Mary, offered with a view to feeding the minds and the heart. The awesome story of our salvation is encapsulated in the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is the nutshell of our salvation history. Let us truly pray the Rosary and live the mysteries of the Rosary in our everyday life. The saying goes true..."No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary".  Happy Feast of our Lady of the Rosary!   God Bless! Live Jesus!

Woe To You..in Greek is "oh-hoo-aai" or "ouvai".

God is the Great Gift Giver. He loves to lavish gifts on his creation and especially on Human Beings, the Crown of His Creation. Among the gifts that He has showered, one of the greatest gifts is the Gift of Freedom. God has bestowed this precious treasure of Freedom to each and every human being. He regards the worth and value of this gift. God respects our yes or no, to this gift!

The Gospel of the day presents to us a classic example of Freedom being lavished, but sadly being squandered away. The towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were given the freedom and the choice to become part of the Kingdom of God but they chose to reject and refused the Saving Message. The Gift of Freedom is a double-edge entity: The gift of freedom can be used....to obtain life. The gift of freedom can be misused...to obtain death.The gift of freedom can be abused...to receive troubles. The gift of freedom can be utilized...to receive blessings.The gift of freedom can be exploited destructively...to acquire sadness. The gift of freedom can be employed constructively...to acquire happiness.The triple cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum failed to use, utilize and employ constructively their freedom rather, they misused, abused and exploited destructively their opportunity to find peace and salvation. And Jesus has harsh words reserved for such kind of an attitude - "WOE TO YOU!“

The word "woe" in Greek is "oh-hoo-aai" or "ouvai". The figure of speech is onomatopoeia - it means what it sounds like. It is a word of pain. It is the sound someone makes when they are hurt or are grieved. When the Lord proclaims a WOE over these cities, there’s a great deal of anguish amplified with a sense of pain.The Lord was pained that these cities received wonderful opportunity to hear God's saving message but failed to turn to God in repentance. The Lord was pained that these cities received great chances to see God's miraculous deeds and wonders but failed to turn to God in penance. The Lord was pained that these cities received exclusive occasions to receive God's salvific graces but failed to turn to God in humility. The Lord today challenges us to make an examination of our lives: God lavishes many graces on me through regular chances to hear God's word through the Bible, retreats, recollections, talks, spiritual magazines etc Am I using these chances to grow in my spiritual life? Or am I wasting away many of such chances? Is freedom used?  Or misused?

God showers many opportunities for me to avoid sin by giving me inspiring and holy thoughts by a constant urging to be good through my parents, superiors, family and community members and other people in my life Am I using these opportunities to foster my holiness? Or am I frittering away much of such opportunities? Is freedom used? Or Misused? God bestows many occasions to become a powerful witness to His love and His Gospel through different means like preaching the Word celebrating or participating in the Eucharist and in the other Sacraments helping others in their needs and difficulties... praying for various people living a integral life in the society based on the Gospel values etc.

Am I using these occasions to strengthen my Christian life? Or am I throwing away many of such occasions? Is freedom used? Or Misused? The example of the three cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum is before us and the condemnation of Jesus, because of their lackluster response is also before us. Freedom is the great gift of God and God totally respects the use or the misuse of this precious gift. Are we going to use this Gift to gain life, blessings and happiness? Or are we going to misuse this Gift to receive death, troubles and sadness? 

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Picture courtesy

The Need of Trustful Obedience to the Master. Oct 5 (Lk 10:1-12) 26th Ordinary Time - Year A

Arabian horses are made to go through painstaking and meticulous training in the dry deserts of the Middle East. One of the most important aspects that the trainers expect from the horses is of "absolute obedience". This final test to assess their level of obedience is quite extreme.The trainers compel the horses to be without water for many days. A few days later, they turn the horses loose towards a pool of water. The highly thirsty, parched and dehydrated horses, of course start running towards it. But just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. Screech..The horses are to stop mid-way..The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience, stop!

They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there trembling, wanting water… but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience, he gives them a signal to go back to drink. Complete obedience  from the horses is a sign of their being completely trained. Well.. this sure sounds hard and severe. But perhaps, we need to learn an important aspect: the need for trustful obedience to our Master!.

When we are in the dry deserts of life, we got to be totally obedient to God. When we are in the parched phases of life, we ought to fully heed the voice of the Lord. The Gospel of the Day is an exhortation by the Lord to listen to Him, to give heed to His Word and to be obedient to Him. "Jesus appointed seventy (two), whom He sent ahead of Him, in pairs to every town and place He intended to visit" (Lk 10:1)

They were "chosen and appointed". Why were these chosen?..and not others? Well... we can only make some guess-works... because the bottom-line is:"They were 'chosen". Choice is always a gift, and not a merit.This gift cannot be demanded…. it is given by the Lord, out of His Will. Therefore, it demands a sense of "gratitude" and a spirit of "responsibility". The choosing of the seventy (two) also reflects Jesus as the New Moses. Moses had chosen seventy elders. We read this in the Book of Numbers: "The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people." (Num 11:16) The "seventy" were chosen from the elders of the tribes of Israel to assist Moses. They were to become an extension of the work that was entrusted to Moses, by Lord Yahweh

 In the Gospels, the seventy (two) disciples are also called, by Jesus, for the similar task: They were to become an extension of the work that was entrusted to Jesus by the Heavenly Father. In this task of "becoming an extension", one of the most important essentials was that of "listening to the words of the Master". Obedience to the Word is a necessary criteria to become a true extension of the Lord. Jesus very specifically lays downs rules and regulations to be followed in their mission journey and task: "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road…." (Lk 10:4). These exhortations by the Master would cause. A sense of insecurity for the disciples. A feeling a being stranded in the problems that they could encounter. Yet, the disciples were strongly urged to Listen to His Exhortation to Trust in His Providence… and to be obedient to His Word. The disciples were to listen to Jesus, the Beloved Son and grasp His teachings for life· The disciples were to listen to Jesus, Beloved Son's commitment in the path of suffering·The disciples were to listen to the Beloved Son's trust in God's Will at every moment

Each one of us is called and chosen, as Christians, to be a disciple of Christ - "an extension of the Lord's tasks in this world". You did not choose me, but I chose you; and appointed you to go and bear fruit; fruit that will last" (Jn 15:16)· Life will take us through many deserts and desolation of difficulties. Life will put us through various storms and hurricanes of hardships. But in all such moments, are we ready and open to listen to the Voice of the Lord? 

Yes, when we are in the dry deserts of life, we better be totally obedient to God. When we are in the parched phases of life, we ought to fully heed the voice of the Lord. The Lord will take us through.. every crisis... every desert... every darkness. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8: 31) May we seek the special intercession of St Maria Faustina- the Great Saint of Mercy - on her Feast Day. 

Let us give heed to the words of our Blessed and Merciful Lord, as mentioned in her Diary: " My daughter, know that you give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience than by long prayers and mortification's.” “Yes.. when you are obedient I take away your weakness and replace it with My strength. I am very surprised that souls do not want to make that exchange with Me.” Let us grow in our efforts to be completely obedient to our Master. Let us pray for His grace to be truly listening and following the voice of our Master. Are we ready to listen and obey the voice of the Lord? 

God Bless! Live Jesus!

picture cutesy
http://www.ellenwhite.info/images/chapt-illus/MH/RH-JesusAndDisciples_DSC_0014.jpg