Our Spiritual Resources

The late Saint John Paul II once addressed the avenues available to us for personal holiness.  He said we have confession, spiritual direction and therapy.  He taught that all three of these are good and we need them at different times on life’s journey.  But he went on to say that we should not confuse them.

Confession is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  This is to be used when grave sin is present.  It is the teaching of the Church to make a confession at least annually when grave sin is not present.

Spiritual direction involves more time than does confession.  Spiritual direction is for sorting out something personal that troubles, confuses, or stalls our trek toward holiness.  Spiritual directors can be priests, deacons, or lay people, and many are specially trained for this.  Usually when the confession line stops, it is because someone has confused confession with spiritual direction.  Most spiritual direction sessions are lengthy and, if with a priest, may include with confession – but the two are separate and distinct in themselves.

                                      

Therapy can be wonderful when faced with life’s bigger challenges.  Therapy is about recognizing and changing behaviors that hurt us or our loved ones, or hinder our journey toward holiness.  A number of lengthy sessions may be needed to help us work on and through our issues.

Therapy is not Spiritual Direction.  Spiritual Direction is not Confession.  Confession is not Therapy. 

In sorting out the distinctions between confession, spiritual direction and therapy, it is also good for us to distinguish how we tick.  We often confuse the differences between desire, temptation and sin.  Desires are part of being human.  Actually to lose our desires, or not have any, would mean we are dead.  Desires can usher us right into temptation but, we have to remember that temptation is not a sin.  Jesus was tempted and never sinned.  Because temptations can be so strong, some interpret them as personal failure.  If we are not tempted, chances are the devil probably has us right where he wants us.  To be tempted means we are fully engaged in spiritual warfare.  Jesus has already won the battle, but we are engaged in our struggles with our earthly distractions and attractions.

The hallmark of the Second Vatican Council is that holiness is not just for a few but for all.  We are all called to sainthood and holiness by our baptism.  We have many tools at our disposal to assist us on our journey of faith, we just have to remember that we are not alone.