Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love

by Boniface Hicks, Thomas Acklin

The need for spiritual direction—or the accompaniment of a spiritual guide—is becoming more prominent in a world where so many are suffering from so many wounds. With a harmonious integration of both timeless spiritual wisdom from the Catholic Church’s tradition of prayer and direction, and the insight of the psychological sciences, Fathers Thomas Acklin and Boniface Hicks offer a comprehensive guide for all who provide or seek spiritual direction.

Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love fortifies priests, religious, and lay faithful who embrace the ministry of spiritual direction and accompany the wounded, assist men and women in hearing the voice of God, and model the love and mercy of the Father for the many who are seeking Him but do not know Him or have false images of Him. This book also shows how various aspects of the spiritual life can emerge from and be fostered by a one-on-one relationship with a spiritual director.

Together with concrete guidelines and numerous examples from personal experience, this book refers extensively to Sacred Scripture as the foundation for spiritual direction. Furthermore, since the practice of spiritual direction goes back to the first centuries of the Church, the authors turn for guidance to the Doctors of the Church, the writings of the saints, and the papal magisterium in developing and supporting their insights.

Spiritual Direction will call spiritual directors to deeper holiness even as they assist others in growing closer to the Father through His loving gaze of mercy.

Genres: Spirituality, Catholic, Nonfiction, Prayer

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2018

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for my SD class. Highly recommend for folks interested in learning more about Spiritual Direction.

[Fr Paul Gros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read on the Art of spiritual direction

[Dcn. Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritually accompanying one another in vulnerability and truth is the future of the Church in this age, and this book is leading the charge as a beautifully compiled help and guidebook on the way.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good spiritual director has some significant advantages which can make him good speaker or a good homilist because he is in touch with the dialogue between God and His people and because he has developed a sensitivity for the heart-to-heart communication that God wants to have with each one of us. In another sense, the dynamics of public speaking are very different from the dynamics of spiritual direction. Public speaking requires certain ability to project oneself to many people at once. The courage and confidence required to speak to a large gathering of people, as well As the stamina and detachment of not receiving feedback or seeing results, make demands on the speaker that are not as burdensome in spiritual direction.

p. 15



For example, a young man might experience helplessness at watching his best friend make bad decisions and suffer as a result. Identifying with Mary at the foot of the Cross, as she stands by helplessly watching and praying our bad decisions, may give him as her Son suffers from all of strength. When a make a painful offering, like letting someone must vocation go of a child with a religious or letting go of a failed relationship, it can be helpful to connect the experience to Mary in the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. Likewise, when a cannot understand how person suffers from confusion and things got so bad or why something is happening, it can be comforting to know that the Mother of God also experienced this when she lost Jesus in the temple.

p. 121

[Diana]

A continual learning resource for spiritual directors

Author tells it as this ministry is. As a spiritual director, I found myself being reminded in many parts of the book what this ministry is about, how to sit with another with attentive ears, why it is important to be in ongoing formation and education, the inevitable lows sometimes and more. In this helping ministry of souls, we should never be so proud as to think we already know everything. Thus it is a blessing to be reminded of our sacred calling.

[Sister Ignatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent and thorough treatise on spiritual direction. I highly suggest this book for anyone engaged in spiritual direction, but also for anyone in a mentor or spiritual advisory role. This will serve as a helpful reference as specific topics or issues come up. The headings make things easy to find.

[Kevin W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of our textbooks for Spiritual Direction class but we had only read certain sections of it. Great foundational insights for spiritual directors, but also some helpful lessons on prayer and the spiritual life for a directee.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really explains the process of relating to individuals meaningfully while also, and in all ways, directing them into a deeper and more significant relationship with God.

[Brian Hohmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most complete book on spiritual direction I've read to date.

[Enrique]

Highly recommend it.

[Reuben Nuxoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete and orthodox presentation of spiritual direction with a basis in experience and the saints. A must-read for anyone who desires to become a spiritual director.

[Pete Orsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a broad work whose ambition is to inspire its reader to

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tone was a little too impersonal at times, but it contained some valuable insights. I also really liked the appendix with saints for spiritual directors.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book, but quite deep in places so not an easy read.