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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

This article also raises an issue that may cause some feel- Imagining a New Old Church. Herndon, VA: Alban
ings of disquiet or discomfort within spiritual directors: Institute, 2004.
what theology is operating at the level of their foundational Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of
thinking and what might be the source of the theology Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. San
they have appropriated. Christian spiritual directors may Francisco: Harper, 1995.
need to consider whether and to what degree it is possible Griffiths, Liz. “We Fall Down and Get Up Again.”
to integrate the eschatological hope that is embedded in Sermon preached January 11, 2009, at Saint
the Bible with the place from which they sit and listen to Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London,
their spiritual directees. This eschatological hope provides a UK. Accessed February 28, 2013. http://www.
paradigm that not only incorporates suffering and trauma stmartin-in-the-fields.org/wp-content/uploads/we-
and affirms God’s ongoing work within both the creation fall-down-and-get-up-again.pdf.
and people, but also offers hope and eventual transforma- Haase, Albert. Coming Home to Your True Self. Downers
tion for those in the place of recovery by affirming that Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008.
God is with us in our mess we call life. Jamieson, Alan. Journeying in Faith. London: SPCK,
Finally, both we and those who invite us to come 2004.
alongside them on their journey are like the monks who Jones, W. Paul. The Art of Spiritual Direction. Nashville:
keep falling down. This, too, is a helpful paradigm of Upper Room Books, 2002.
commonality. We fail, we sin, we condemn ourselves, we Lucien, Richard. “What Really Matters: Suffering and
give way to self-loathing, we live with our deceptions, Spirituality.” In Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers,
suspicious that we are being hoodwinked by our com- Volume 2, edited by Robert J. Wicks, 69–85. New
pulsions. And like our pilgrims, we are undertaking the York: Paulist Press, 2000.
journey of our lives, conscious of our own wounds and McDonald, Patrick J., and Claudette M. McDonald.
the influence of our past trauma upon our relationship Out of the Ashes: A Handbook for Starting Over. New
with God and our prayer life. Our experience and hard- York: Paulist Press, 1997.
won reflection on our journey is our gift and provides an McKissock, Mal, and Norman Swan. “Bereavement
alternative paradigm to the plethora of paradigms which and Grief.” The Health Report, Radio National,
flood our spiritual direction community (Jones, chapters Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), origi-
1 and 5). Such a paradigm is authentic (a uniquely con- nally broadcast January 14, 2002. Transcript avail-
structed work, as the etymology of the word implies); able online. Accessed January 13, 2014. http://www.
and it is uniquely our own, our own story, our gift. bereavementcare.com.au/articles/health_report.htm.
Our spiritual directees come because they recognise this Merton, Thomas. The Inner Experience: Notes on
authenticity and because they are often perplexed and feel Contemplation. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco,
alone on their journey and seek someone who knows the 2003.
strange landscape they now traverse, which I have called Morrill, Bruce T. Divine Worship and Human Healing.
“in recovery.” Few in their family or church communities Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009.
understand this place they now live in. In this sense, they Saint John of the Cross. The Ascent of Mount
are, as the word monk originally meant, alone. And they Carmel. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio
keep falling down and becoming dispirited. Our role as Rodriguez. Washington: ICS Publications, 1991.
spiritual directors, when all the listening is done, is to act ———. The Dark Night. Translated by Kieran
like the baptist of the gospels: directing their attention to Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez. Washington: ICS
the One who heals, sustains, calls, and comforts; the One Publications, 1991.
who called Lazarus out of death and into life. ■ Yancey, Philip. What’s So Amazing about Grace. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997.
References
Bass, Diana Butler. The Practicing Congregation:

42 Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction