In a recent thread (I can’t find it now) the issue of obtaining spiritual direction during confession was raised. I made a comment that spiritual direction should never be sought during confession and as I recall, someone disagreed with me. I would now like to provide more detail about why I feel the way I do.

Confession and spiritual direction are not one and the same. Spiritual Direction is not part of, but rather, compliments the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A confessor is not a spiritual director, although one person (not usually recommended), can perform both functions. Only a priest can minister to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Conversely, while a priest is the usual quarry when seeking out spiritual direction (after all, he has been specifically trained for this function and is fully qualified), anyone can fulfill this role, including deacons, religious or lay persons.

In Confession the penitent confesses sins and seeks out absolution and penance. A good confession should take no more than 2 or 3 minutes if the penitent is receiving the sacrament on a regular basis (ie. 1-2 times per month). The majority of spiritual directors will tell you that a good program of spiritual direction, on average, should involve one session per month for about an hour.

One should choose a spiritual director wisely. Spiritual directors should be faithful to the teachings of the Church and should possess all the characteristics of a devout Christian (prayerful, active in ministry in assisting others, etc.). Spiritual directors should not give advice or counselling as confessors do (since not all have the proper training and qualifications), but rather, should provide the subject with sufficient guidance through spiritual programs etc. for them to make clear and concise decisions about which direction they should follow in their spiritual life.

When spiritual direction is sought during confession it is an inconvenience imposed on the priest, on the time he has available to hear confessions, not to mention an affront to those who are waiting to go to confession by having them wait for unnecessarily long periods of time. To seek out spiritual direction during confession shows a lack of concern and respect for others as well as a complete misunderstanding of what spiritual direction is really intended for and what is accomplishes.

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 08, 2003

Answers

Bumpity, bump, bump, bump!

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 08, 2003.

I ask the Priest after confession, if it is OK for me to ask a question, and they have always said yes.

So anyone who goes to confession, just show respect to the Priest, and ask, and if he says it's OK, there is nothing wrong with you doing it.

Remember, Priests are there to be bothered, so don't hesitate to ask, if you have an important question about your faith or morality.

-- Gordon (gvink@yahoo.com), March 08, 2003.

I doubt that asking a priest for a little direction is likely to inconvenience anyone these days. The priest is going to be there ayway, and chances are there is no-one else waiting to come in, sad to say. Asking for personal counseling during confession was discouraged thirty years ago, when you knew there was a line of anywhere from a dozen to fifty of more people waiting to go to confession. Another thing to keep in mind is that only a priest can hear your confession, but there may be other knowledgeable and spiritually mature people in your parish who could provide spiritual direction - deacons, religious brothers and sisters, or lay people, and some of them might have looser schedules than the priest.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), March 08, 2003.

If a person is having a particular problem avoiding a specific sin or tendency to sin, he should indeed ask the priest then and there for a bit of advice. And the priest should be more than willing to give a few words of advice. Obviously if you're going to confession during the "Holy Week" rush, the priest might not want to take too much time....but usually the confessional lines are empty.

I know some churches that make it very difficult to even make it to confession, scheduling it for only half an hour before a Mass, etc. THis is ridiculous. This is part of the priest's job - he should make himself as available as possible to his flock.

-- Christina (introibo2000@nospam.com), March 08, 2003.

Hi Paul, This subject came up in Caspian's (something like) "I want to change my religion, from Catholic to something else" thread.

Caspian has suffered the loss of a child, and needs spiritual direction in dealing with the grief. This individual, by accounts offered on that thread, has made "heroic" attempts to meet with a priest or nun, to no avail.

That is why the confessional was suggested. This individual is experiencing a crisis of faith, and no clergy or religious seem to be taking it seriously.

Caspian came to the Catholic forum for advice. Perhaps Paul could help???

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 08, 2003.

Ed,

So glad you explained your post about Spiritual Direction because it does involve much more than can be handled in a confessional.

If someone chooses to go to the same priest on a continual basis for confession he/she can work with that priest/confessor on sinful issues he/she is working on but Spiritual Direction, as you explained, is something totally different.

One can ask a priest in confession for advice about Spiritual Direction, though, and where he/she can go for it.

I am going to pray for Caspian that God lead her to the right priest or sister for the help she needs.

-- MaryLu (mlc327@juno.com), March 08, 2003.

THERE ARE ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT NEED SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND SOME ARE SIMPLY FRANTIC IN AN EASY, QUICK REPLY. THE BEST TYPE OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL IS TO ASK WHAT HE/SHE IS LOOKING FOR AND MAP OUT THE WAYS TO ACHIEVE THIS END. IF IT IS TO INVOLVED A CONNECTION WITH A CONFESSOR IS THE ANSWER WITH MAYBE SOME HELP/ASSISTANCE FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR DURING THIS TRANSITION. IT TAKES ALL KINDS. JESUS APPEALED TO ALL KINDS. GOOD LUCK. VAPS-LIMA,PERU

-- VINCENT PERAGINE (PAIROFJIMMIES@YAHOO.COM), May 06, 2003.