Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Spiritual Direction: A Psychological Approach for Directors and Directees

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As a minister working in spiritual direction and ministerial formation I read this book with great interest. The author presents some critical points in the journey of companioning others. His understanding of the different "levels" of faith, the work of individuation, the usefulness of Jungian thought to spirituality, is a most useful consolidation of such material. What is a major disappointment is his 'technique' that assumes that spiritual growth is all about 'us.' Nowhere does he state that effective direction is as, or even more concerned with what the Holy is doing in a directee's life as what the directee (or director) is doing. This alone is enough to have me not recommend this book to ministry colleagues and students.

Cautionary comment - I have not read An Introduction to Spiritual Direction from cover to cover. My purpose in posting these brief comments is to take issue with what two previous reviewers state, which is that the author does not take sufficient notice of the work of the Holy Spirit in spiritual growth. I was surprised to read that, coming to this book as a great fan of Msgr. Michael's previous title, Arise: A Christian Psychology of Love. I found it hard to believe that the author gives the Holy Spirit short shrift. So I began to browse the book. Almost immediately, I came upon Chapter 8, "How to Discern God's Will." Under the sub-heading "Openness to the Holy Spirit", Fr. Michael writes, "The primary purpose of spiritual direction is to help us maintain a constant openness to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God's power, wisdom and love within the world and within each one of us. On the night before his death Jesus promised to send upon his apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit. He promised that this gift would remain with them always...the Holy Spirit reveals God's Will to us primarily during our daily period of personal prayer... the Holy Spirit is the invisible presence of God on earth... the Holy Spirit has an intense desire to become visibly present on Earth. "

A cursory glance through the rest of the book shows that the Holy Spirit is never far from the author's thoughts. I do not understand the criticism that says this book does not give the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity His due. The author flatly states, "Today we live in the age of the Holy Spirit and it is now the turn of the Third Person to become incarnate on Earth. This can only happen if we give ourselves over to the Holy SPirit in the same was that Mary did at the Annunciation."

I agree 100% with the reviewer "a Reader". I found the book to have more of a "self"-centered than a God-centered focus. I find it difficult to recommend this book to anyone truely looking to grow spiritually, either as a director or as a directee.