Grow Closer to God
Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Exercises and Iconography for the Modern Person
Spiritual Direction
In his book The Practice of Spiritual Direction, William Barry describes spiritual direction as “help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God and to live the consequences of the relationship.”
In spiritual direction, the goal is not so much to understand God better but to engage in relationship and deepen the lived experience of God. The real spiritual director is God; the human director helps a person become more aware and respond to God’s invitation to a deeper relationship. A spiritual director helps a person pray–in and out of formal times of prayer.
Spiritual Exercises
St. Ignatius developed the Spiritual Exercises in the 16th Century. He intended them as a means of grace to the Church and so they have been for centuries. Through prayerful meditation and contemplation of the Scriptures, the Exercises have helped people draw closer to God, discern God’s call in their lives and grow in spiritual freedom to generously respond to God. The Exercises are a 32-week commitment to daily prayer and weekly spiritual direction sessions.
Iconography
The icon proclaims the truth that the one true God made Himself visible in the human form of Jesus, the mystery of the Incarnation. Therefore, the human form of God can be represented in the image of Jesus and Christ embodied by the Spirit in the Saints. Its presence in our places of worship and prayer, whether public or private, is a proclamation of the truth and mystery of the incarnation. The icon also reminds us of the Trinitarian nature of God.
The practice of painting icons deepens my experience of being present to the Trinity as an act of prayer and worship. I am awestruck by the Holy Spirit’s guidance and grace, humbled in the shadow of the Almighty Creator, loved by Jesus, the God of the universe, who became flesh and dwelt among us and now resides in us.