by Sr Bernadette O’Reilly
I was blessed with having a direct experience of the spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in the year that I was discerning my vocation to religious life. It was a profound experience of God’s love for me, for us. Through it, I came to see more clearly that I have been given gifts, and that I am called by God to use those gifts in service of others.
I am called by God to use those gifts in service of others
I also became much more aware of my limitations, my sinfulness and, little by little, I came to trust that God was with me, loving me, calling me in the midst of both my strengths and my weaknesses.
At this critical time in my life, I was deeply blessed through the accompaniment of my spiritual director. Being called to pray each day with the Ignatian Exercises and to share my prayer and receive responses from my director each week was a powerful commitment and an amazing gift. I know so deeply that my own graced experience of making the spiritual Exercises and the encouragement of my director is what led me to begin to do spiritual direction.
Each experience of accompanying someone in spiritual direction is a mystery and a gift
In my final year of Theology studies, I took a class on Ignatian spiritual direction. I saw that Ignatius brought a unique wisdom and experience to prayer. He was more interested in a whole-person approach than in rules. Ignatian spirituality offers a vision of life, an understanding of God, a reflective approach to living, a contemplative form of praying, a reverential attitude to our world, and an expectation of finding God daily, of letting God find us daily.
Each experience of accompanying someone in spiritual direction is a mystery and a gift. After doing spiritual direction for more than 40 years, I still am so often amazed at the immensity of God’s love for each of us. I am deeply moved by the depth of the reflections of those who come for spiritual direction and by their profound trust in God.
Amazed at the immensity of God’s love for each of us
Spiritual direction calls us to pray with the Scriptures, to look at ourselves honestly, trusting that God knows us and loves us in the midst of our imperfect lives. God’s desires for us are for life and grace.
If you have never received spiritual direction, I encourage you to make that leap. Only God knows where it will take you, but you can be sure it will be an adventure!