SPIRITUAL DIRECTION with the saints

Discover in a new way the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, through Divine Mercy and Love

For me, Sacred Scripture is imperative to a strong spiritual life, but spiritual direction is also very important. This is evident when we look at the lives of the Fathers of the Church, especially those who knew the apostles personally. St. Ignatius of Antioch learned from the example of St. Peter the Apostle, and St. Polycarp learned from the example of St. John the Apostle. After Jesus Himself, who better to learn from than those who best put into practice the Word of God? Similarly, three saints have deeply impacted my own life with their spiritual direction: St. Francis de Sales, St. Louis de Montfort, and St. Faustina.

Let me begin with St. Francis de Sales who wrote Introduction to the Devout Life, and published it in 1609. It is his masterpiece, and it is also a spiritual classic (my preference is the version translated by the Rev. John K. Ryan). I typically read no more than one short chapter of it per day. Then, when I get to the end of the book, I start it it all over again, because it’s so tremendously profound. I schedule the readings in such a way that it takes me close to a year to finish it. The reading time goes by very quickly, and it's filled with immensely practical spiritual wisdom. For people who don't currently have a spiritual director (and most people don’t), then this book is the next best thing. In a very thorough and comprehensive way, he covers every imaginable topic and writes in a very pleasant, engaging style. I cannot even begin to describe the remarkable impact that his book has had on my spiritual life over the years.

The book is broken down into five sections, and in the first section he actually does a preparation for consecration that is followed by a consecration prayer, not unlike the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary of St. Louis de Montfort. However, St. Francis approaches things from a rather unique perspective, one that includes meditations on “the four last things,” and this book perfectly complements the consecration according to Fr. de Montfort. But what is magnificent about St. Francis' book is that it doesn’t conclude with the consecration; instead, it essentially begins with it. Then, from sections two through five, he explains how to live it -- a devout life, a holy life -- as a lay person. Like other spiritual classics, this work is universal in nature, so although it was written approximately 400 years ago, the same life lessons still apply to us, even in the twenty-first century. 

In addition, let me briefly discuss how I prefer to read Introduction to the Devout Life. I begin on August 21 (the birthday of St. Francis de Sales), and then I read the following number of pages per day:

The First Part — two pages per day The Second Part — a half page per day The Third Part — one page per day The Fourth Part — three pages per day The Fifth Part — one chapter per day

It takes me almost a year to complete it, but it is well worth it. Then, when August 21 comes around, I joyfully do it again. When I first read it in 2007, I read it straight through, pretty much like a novel. However, in retrospect, this was a real mistake, because this book is so rich in ideas that far too much is lost. By reading it a little at a time, I am able to learn much more from him.

Next, let’s discuss St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, which comes from his classic book entitled True Devotion to Mary, which was written in 1712. I first made this consecration on January 1, 2007 (ironically, the same year I learned about St. Francis de Sales), and since then I have faithfully reconsecrated my life each and every year. But when I began reconsecrating my life more than once a year (something that St. Louis encourages), then I noticed that I experienced more rapid spiritual growth. So now I try to do it four times per year, pretty much quarterly (the original consecration is 33 days, but the reconsecration process can be done in five days). It has helped me to develop a deeper and deeper relationship with Our Lady, and she in turn continues to lead me closer and closer to Our Lord.

Lastly, let’s talk about St. Faustina’s classic book which is called the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul, which was written in the first half of the twentieth century, just before the beginning of World War II. It too is a spiritual classic. I read one paragraph each day, and when I get to the end of the book, then, like Introduction to the Devout Life, I start it all over again, too. The beauty of it is that it takes so little time, yet it is so mystical and so powerful. It reminds me of the importance of not only seeking God's divine mercy for myself, but also living divine mercy with others.

However, let’s pause for a moment. You may ask, "Why do you keep rereading these books over and over again? Wouldn’t that get boring?" Well, no, they actually don’t get boring, and the reason is this: as human beings, we oftentimes need repetition — intentional repetition. For example, I have reread St. Francis' de Sales' book for years, and yet every single time that I have reread it, I have learned beautiful new things from it. Like good navigators, occasionally we may find that we need to make course corrections to our spiritual lives, so that we don't get off track. Therefore, reading the spiritual classics over and over again can be quite productive. 

Also, think of the Sunday mass readings. It's the same thing. We repeat the three-year cycle over and over throughout our lives. Why? Because the reminders can prevent us from gradually getting spiritually lost. This is true also of St. John Paul II. When he wrote and organized his famous Theology of the Body, he didn't write in a linear fashion, from Point A to Point B. Instead, he organized it in the structure of a spiral: he talks about something, then he spirals around and returns to it again later, then he spirals around and returns yet again, each time enriching our understanding of the material more and more. 

While we are in this world, we often live in the Dark Night of the Cross and the Dark Night of Unknowing. However, when we follow the guidance of the saints, they wisely and prudently lead us to the Light, to Jesus, Our Blessed Lord. Like Our Lady at the wedding feast of Cana, they gently and lovingly point out the way that leads us to Divine Mercy and Love.