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CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY
THE PRIEST, MINISTER
OF DIVINE MERCY
AN AID FOR CONFESSORS
AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS
LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA

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© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana - 00120 Città del Vaticano
Tel. 06.698.81032 - Fax 06.698.84716
ISBN 978-88-209-8549-3
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PRESENTATION
“It is necessary to return to the confessional as a place in which to
celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also as a place in which
“to dwell” more often, so that the faithful may find compassion, ad-
vice and comfort, feel that they are loved and understood by God and
experience the presence of Divine Mercy beside the Real Presence in
the Eucharist”.1
With these words, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI addressed
confessors during the recent Year for Priests, indicating to each one
present the importance and therefore the apostolic urgency of redis-
covering the Sacrament of Reconciliation, both from their viewpoint
of penitents as well as that of ministers.
Along with the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the availability
of the priest to hear sacramental confessions, to welcome penitents,
and to accompany them spiritually when they so request, is the real
measure of a priest’s pastoral charity. By their availability, priests give
joyful witness and in a certain sense take upon themselves their true
identity, redefined in the Sacrament of Holy Orders and not reducible
to a mere functionality.
The priest is a minister, which is to say that he is at the same time
both a servant and a prudent dispenser of Divine Mercy. To him is
entrusted the serious responsibility “to forgive or to retain sins” (cf.
John 20: 23). Through him, and through the power of the Spirit who is
the Lord and Giver of Life, the faithful are able to experience today in
the Church the joy of the Prodigal Son, who after a life of sin returned
to his father’s house in the manner of a servant but was welcomed
with the dignity of a son.
Whenever a confessor is available, sooner or later a penitent will
arrive. And if the confessor continues to make himself available, even
stubbornly so, sooner or later many penitents will arrive!
Our rediscovery of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, both as pen-
itents and as ministers, is a measure of authentic faith in the saving
1 BENEDICT XVI, Allocution to the participants in the Course on the Internal Forum
organized by the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, 11 March 2010.
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action of God which shows itself more clearly in the power of grace
than in human strategic or pastoral initiatives which sometimes over-
look this essential truth.
Responding to the appeal of the Holy Father and expressing his
profound intent, this aid is intended as yet another fruit of the Year
for Priests, to be a helpful instrument for the ongoing formation of
the Clergy and an aid in rediscovering the indispensible value of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation and of Spiritual Direction.
The new evangelization and the ongoing renewal of the Church,
semper reformanda, draw their life blood from the true sanctification of
each member of the Church. It is clear that sanctification must pre-
cede both evangelization and renewal, for it lays claim to and forms
the necessary precondition for every effective apostolic effort, as well
as for the reform of the Clergy.
In the generous celebration of the Sacrament of Divine Mercy,
each priest is called to experience for himself the uniqueness and the
indispensability of the ministry entrusted to him. Such an experience
will help him to avoid the “ever-changing sense of identity” which so
often marks the existence of some priests. Instead, his experience will
cultivate within himself that sense of wonder which fills his heart, for
through no merit of his own he is called by God, in the Church, to
break the Eucharistic Bread and to forgive the sins of others.
With these thoughts, we entrust the distribution and the fruits of
this aid to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Refuge of Sinners and Mother of
Divine Grace.
Vatican City, 9 March 2011
Ash Wednesday
MAURO Card. PIACENZA
Prefect
c CELSO MORGA IRUZUBIETA
Titular Archbishop of Alba marittima
Secretary
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INTRODUCTION: TOWARDS HOLINESS
1. “At all times and in every race God has given welcome to who-
soever fears Him and does what is right.(85) God, however, does not
make men holy and save them merely as individuals, without bond
or link between one another. Rather has it pleased Him to bring men
together as one people, a people which acknowledges Him in truth
and serves Him in holiness”.2 On the journey to holiness to which the
Lord calls each one of us (cf. Mt 5: 48; Eph 1:4), God deigns that we
come to the help of one another. In this way we become mediators in
Christ, as it were, to draw others near to his eternal love. This is the
horizon of charity in which the celebration of the Sacrament of Pen-
ance and the practice of spiritual direction may be found, and it is they
that constitute the object of the present document.
Some phrases of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI draw out at-
tention to the same theme: “These days, the correct formation of be-
lievers’ consciences is without a doubt one of the pastoral priorities”;
and he adds: “ ‘Spiritual direction’ also contributes to forming con-
sciences. Today there is a greater need than in the past for wise and
holy ‘spiritual teachers’: an important ecclesial service. This of course
requires an inner vitality which must be implored as a gift from the
Holy Spirit in intense and prolonged prayer and with a special train-
ing that must be acquired with care. Every priest moreover is called to
administer divine mercy in the sacrament of Penance, through which
he forgives sins in the name of Christ and helps the penitent to walk
on the demanding path of holiness with an upright and informed
conscience. To be able to carry out this indispensable ministry, every
priest must tend to his own spiritual life and take care to keep himself
pastorally and theologically up to date”.3 It is in accord with this line
2 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 9.
3 BENEDICT XVI, Message to His Eminence Cardinal James Stafford, Major Penitentiary,
and to the participants of the XX course on the internal forum promoted by the Apostolic Peniten-
tiary (14 March 2009).
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of thought that that this aid is offered to priests as ministers of the
Divine Mercy.
Any year dedicated to the memory of the Curé of Ars should leave
an indelible mark on the life and ministry of priests. This is especially
true of this year which recalls the 150th anniversary of his death (1859-
2009): “[a] Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to
interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness
to the Gospel in today’s world…”.4
Such interior renewal should reach every aspect of priestly life
and ministry and deeply permeate every aspect of their outlook, moti-
vation and concrete behaviour. Contemporary circumstances demand
witness to a priestly identity lived in joy and hope.
2. The ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is
closely connected with spiritual counselling or direction, tends to-
wards recovery of the spiritual and apostolic objectives of both the
minister and of the faithful, as a paschal return to the Father, in fidelity
to his loving plan for “the fully-rounded development of the whole
man and of all men”.5 It implies personally undertaking anew, for the
service of others, that journey of interpersonal relationship with God
and with the brethren which is realized in contemplation, perfection,
communion and mission.
The practice of the Sacrament of Penance in all its fullness, as
well as spiritual direction or counselling, allows us to live more authen-
tically in “joyful hope” (Rom 12:12). It allows us to respect and value
human life in all its aspects, to rediscover the importance of the fam-
ily and the guidance of young people, of the renaissance of priestly
vocations and of an integrally lived priesthood, and of ecclesial and
universal communion.
3. The relationship between reconciliation and spiritual direction
is based on the urgency of love: “For the love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore,
4 BENEDICT XVI, Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150th Anniversary of the
“Dies Natalis” of the Curé of Ars (16 June 2009).
5 PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967), 42: AAS 59
(1967), 278.
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all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no
longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was
raised” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This presupposes a particular commitment
since the followers of Christ truly “no longer live for themselves”
(ibidem), but live in truth and charity.
All of the pastoral activity of St. Paul, together with its many dif-
ficulties, which he compares to the travail of childbirth, can be sum-
marized in the urgency of “forming Christ” (Gal 4:19) in each and
everyone of the faithful. St. Paul’s objective was “to make everyone
perfect in Christ” (Col 1:28) without exceptions or limits.
4. The ministry of reconciliation and the service of spiritual
counsel and direction are contextualized by the universal call to ho-
liness which is the perfection of Christian life and “the perfection
of charity”.6 Pastoral charity in the truth of priestly identity should
cause the priest to direct all of his ministry and ministrations towards
holiness thereby harmonizing the prophetic, liturgical and diaconal as-
pects of his ministry.7
An integral part of priestly ministry is the disposition to guide the
baptized towards the perfection of charity.
5. The priest, as servant of the paschal mystery which he preach-
es and an instrument of Christ, celebrates and communicates, is called
to be a confessor and spiritual director, beginning also from his own
experience. He is minister of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and
servant of spiritual direction just as he is, at the same time, a benefi-
ciary of both of these means of sanctification in his own personal
spiritual and apostolic renewal.
6. This present Aid hopes to afford a number of simple, factual,
and inspiring examples drawn from numerous ecclesial documents
(cited throughout) which may eventually be directly consulted. This
is not intended as an exercise in casuistry but one of daily hope and
encouragement.
6 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 40.
7 Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millenio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 30:
AAS (2001), 287.
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I.
THE MINISTRY OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
WITH A VIEW TO CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
1. Contemporary importance, moment of grace
An urgent invitation
7. At the outset of the third millennium, John Paul II wrote: “I
am also asking for renewed pastoral courage in ensuring that the day-
to-day teaching of Christian communities persuasively and effectively
presents the practice of the Sacrament of Reconciliation”.8 He also
declared that it was his intention “to undertake a vigorous revitaliza-
tion of the Sacrament of Reconciliation…[which] is a requirement of
genuine charity and true pastoral justice” and recalled that the faith-
ful, when they have the proper interior dispositions, have the right to
receive personally the sacramental gift”.9
8. The Church not only proclaims conversion and forgiveness
but she is also the sign of reconciliation with God and man. The cel-
ebration of the Sacrament of Penance must be seen in the full context
of ecclesial life and especially in the context of the paschal mystery
celebrated in the Eucharist and in the context of a lived experience of
Baptism, Confirmation and the command to love one another. Pen-
ance is always a joyful celebration of the Father’s love who gives him-
self so as to destroy our sin when we recognise it in humility.
Christ’s Mission operative in the Church
9. The Church’s mission is a harmonious process of proclama-
tion, celebration and of communicating forgiveness. This is especially
true of the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which is a
fruit and gift of the Risen Lord who is present in his Church: “Receive
8 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millenio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 37, l.c., 292.
9 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter, given Motu proprio, Misericordia Dei on Certain
Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance (7 April 2002): AAS 94
(2002), 453.
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the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:22-23).
The joy of forgiveness leads to an attitude of gratitude and gener-
osity in the journey towards sanctification and in the mission. Those
who have experienced forgiveness want others to experience this en-
counter with Christ the Good Shepherd. Thus, the ministers of the
Sacrament of Penance who themselves experience the beauty of this
sacramental encounter are always more disposed to offer this humble,
arduous, patient and joyous service.
10. The concrete, joyful, trustworthy and committed practice of
the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a clear indicator of the level of
evangelization reached by the individual believer and by a particular
community. The Sacrament of Penance is an eloquent sign of our de-
sire for perfection, contemplation, fraternal communion and apostolic
mission. “The practice of sacramental confession, in the context of
the communion of saints, which serves in different ways to bring men
closer to Christ, is an act of faith in the mystery of the Redemption
and in its actualization in the Church”.10
In the Sacrament of Penance, which is the fruit of the Lord’s sav-
ing Blood, we experience that Christ “was put to death for our sins
and raised for our justification” (Rm 4:25). Thus, St. Paul affirms that
“Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconcili-
ation” (2 Cor 5:18).
11. Reconciliation with God is inseparable from reconciliation
with man (cf. Mt 5:24-25). This reconciliation is impossible without ar-
riving at some form of purification of heart. All reconciliation comes
from God because He forgives us our sins (cf. Ps 103:3). When we
are forgiven by God, we learn better to forgive our neighbour and be
reconciled with him.
Opening ourselves to love and reconciliation
12. Christ impels us to an ever more faithful love, to a more radi-
cal change (cf. Rev 2:16), so that Christian life may be imbued with
10 JOHN PAUL II, Bull Aperite Portas Redemptori (6 January 1983), 6: AAS 75
(1983), 96.
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sentiments of Christ (cf. Phil 2:5). Community celebration of the Sac-
rament of Penance, with personal confession of sins, can be of great
assistance in living the ecclesial reality which is the communion of
saints.
13. The Christian tends towards full “reconciliation” following
the “Our Father”, the Beatitudes and the command to love. It is a
journey of purification of sins and a journey of identification with
Christ.
Today, this penitential journey is all the more important as a cor-
nerstone and foundation for a society which lives communion. “The
Church’s wisdom has always pointed to the presence of original sin in
social conditions and in the structure of society: ‘Ignorance of the fact
that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious er-
rors in the areas of education, politics, social action and morals’ ”.11
The witness and commitment of pastors
14. In every age of the Church’s history model confessors and
spiritual directors can be found. Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (1984) men-
tions St John Nepomucene, St. John Mary Vianney, St. Joseph Cafasso
and St. Leopold of Castelnuovo. In his discourse to the Apostolic
Penitentiary,12 Benedict XVI adds St. Pio of Pietrelcina.
Referring to these priestly models, John Paul II writes: “I also wish
to pay homage to the innumerable host of holy and almost always
anonymous confessors to whom is owed the salvation of so many
souls who have been helped by them in conversion, in the struggle
against sin and temptation, in spiritual progress and, in a word, in
achieving holiness. I do not hesitate to say that even the great can-
onized saints are generally the fruit of those confessionals, and not
only the saints but also the spiritual patrimony of the Church and the
flowering of a civilization permeated with the Christian spirit! Praise
then to this silent army of our brothers who have served well and
11 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 34, quot-
ing The Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 407.
12 BENEDICT XVI, Discourse to the confessors who serve in the four papal basilicas of Rome
(19 February 2007): AAS 99 (2007), 252.
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serve each day the cause of reconciliation through the ministry of
sacramental penance”.13
15. In many dioceses, and especially in minor basilicas, in cathe-
drals, in sanctuaries and in large urban parishes, the faithful have re-
sponded positively to the efforts of pastors to provide opportunities
to approach the Sacrament of Penance. Since “through the Sacrament
of Penance (the ministers) reconcile sinners with God and with the
Church”,14 this penitential celebration can also provide an opportunity
for spiritual direction or counsel.
16. The priestly munera (duties) are closely joined to each other
for the spiritual good of the faithful: “In the Church, and on behalf
of the Church, priests are a sacramental representation of Jesus Christ
– the head and shepherd – authoritatively proclaiming his word, re-
peating his acts of forgiveness and his offer of salvation – particularly
in Baptism, Penance and the Eucharist, showing his loving concern to
the point of a total gift of self for the flock, which they gather into
unity and lead to the Father through Christ and in the Spirit”.15
17. For this precise reason, Pastores Dabo Vobis invites priests to
avail themselves of this practice, which is a guarantee of their spir-
itual life: “I would like to make special mention of the Sacrament of
Penance, of which priests are the ministers, but ought also to be its
beneficiaries, becoming themselves witnesses of God’s mercy toward
sinners. Once again, I would like to set forth what I wrote in the ex-
hortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia: ‘The priest’s spiritual and pastoral
life, like that of his brothers and sisters, lay and religious, depends, for
its quality and fervour, on the frequent and conscientious personal
practice of the Sacrament of Penance. The priest’s celebration of the
Eucharist and administration of the other sacraments, his pastoral
zeal, his relationship with the faithful, his communion with his brother
priests, his collaboration with his bishop, his life of prayer – in a word,
13 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia
(2 December 1984), 29: AAS 77 (1985), 255-256.
14 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.
15 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis
(25 March 1992), 15: AAS 84 (1992), 680.
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the whole of his priestly existence, suffers an inexorable decline if by
negligence or for some other reason he fails to receive the Sacrament
of Penance at regular intervals and in a spirit of genuine faith and
devotion. If a priest were no longer to go to confession or properly
confess his sins, his priestly being and his priestly action would feel its
effects very soon, and this would also be noticed by the community of
which he was the pastor’ ”.16 But when I am conscious that God always
forgives me, as Benedict XVI wrote, “by letting myself be forgiven, I
learn to forgive others”.17
18. Pastoral fruitfulness derives from the Mercy of God. Pasto-
ral planning would hardly be efficacious were it to underestimate the
importance of sacramental confession: “the greatest pastoral concern
must be shown for this sacrament of the Church, the source of rec-
onciliation, of peace and of joy for all of us who stand in need of the
Lord’s mercy and of healing from the wounds of sin…The Bishop
will not fail to remind all those who by virtue of office are charged
with the care of souls that they have the duty to provide the faithful
with the opportunity of making an individual confession. He himself
will make certain that the faithful are in fact being assisted in every
way possible to make their confession…When one considers in the
light of Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium the close connec-
tion between the Sacrament of Reconciliation and participation in the
Eucharist, one sees how necessary it is today to form the consciences
of the faithful so that they may partake worthily and fruitfully of the
Eucharistic Banquet, and approach it in a state of grace”.18
The example of the Curé of Ars
19. The example of the Curé of Ars remains relevant for us to-
day. The historical circumstances of his times were extremely difficult
because of war, persecution, materialism and secularism. When he ar-
16 Ibid., 26: l.c. 699 quoting the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio
et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), 31.
17 BENEDICT XVI, Letter to Seminarians (18 October 2010), 3.
18 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Gregis (16 Octo-
ber 2003), 39: AAS 96 (2004), 876-877.
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rived at his parish, few approached the Sacrament of Penance. By the
end of his life, huge numbers were coming to the sacrament even
from other dioceses. For the Curé of Ars, the ministry of reconciliation
was a “long martyrdom” which produced much abundant and healthy
fruit. When confronted with the sinful condition, he used to remark,
“what can we do, we cannot do anything except weep and pray”. He
lived “his life for poor sinners in hope of seeing them convert and
weep [with repentance]”.19 Frequent confession, even for those who
are not in grave sin, has constantly been recommended by the Church
as a means of progress in the Christian life.20
20. In his letter to priests on Holy Thursday 1986, John Paul II,
recalling the second centenary of the birth of the Curé of Ars, ac-
knowledged that “it is undoubtedly his untiring devotion to the Sacra-
ment of Reconciliation which revealed the principal charism of the
Curé of Ars and it is rightly the reason for his renown. It is good that
such an example should encourage us today to restore to the ministry
of reconciliation all the attention which it deserves”. The fact that
great numbers of people “seem to stay away from confession com-
pletely, for various reasons, is a sign of the urgent need to develop a
whole pastoral strategy of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This will
be done by constantly reminding Christians of the need to have a real
relationship with God, to have a sense of sin when one is closed to
God and to others, the need to be converted and, through the Church,
to receive forgiveness as a free gift of God. They also need to be re-
minded of the conditions that enable the sacrament to be celebrated
well, and in this regard to overcome prejudices, baseless fears and rou-
tine. Such a situation, at the same time, requires that we ourselves
should remain greatly available for this ministry of forgiveness; ready
to devote to it the necessary time and care, and I would even say giving
it priority over other activities. The faithful will then realize the value
that we attach to it, as did the Curé of Ars”.21
19 BLESSED JOHN XXIII, Encyclical Letter Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia (1 August
1959), 85, 88, 90: AAS 51 (1959), 573-574.
20 Cf. ibid., 95: l.c., 574-575.
21 JOHN PAUL II, Letter to priests on Holy Thursday 1986, 7: AAS 78 (1986), 695.
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The ministry of mercy
21. The ministry of reconciliation, when exercised with great
generosity, will contribute to deepening the meaning of God’s love, to
recovering a sense of sin and of the imperfections which are obsta-
cles to true love. Loss of a sense of sin disrupts the inner balance of
our hearts and generates contradiction and conflict in human society.
Only the peace of an undivided heart can overcome war and tensions.
“The truth is that the imbalances under which the modern world la-
bours are linked with that more basic imbalance which is rooted in the
heart of man. For in man himself many elements wrestle with one
another”.22
22. The service of reconciliation, authentically exercised, will in-
vite us to live in harmony with the heart of Christ. This is a pastoral
“priority” since it requires living the charity of the Good Shepherd,
living “his love of the Father in the Holy Spirit, his love for mankind
even to the point of giving up his life as a victim for them”.23 In order
to turn to God, we have to invite people to acknowledge their own
sins in the sure knowledge that “God is greater than our heart” (1 Jn
3:20). The paschal joy of conversion – which produced saints and mis-
sionaries in every age – derives from this.
23. This importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is also
evident in the reality of the pilgrim Church which “embracing in its
bosom sinners, [is] at the same time holy and always in need of being
purified, [and] always follows the way of penance and renewal”.24 For
this the Church looks to Mary who “shines forth on earth, until the
day of the Lord shall come, as a sign of sure hope and solace to the
people of God during its sojourn on earth”.25
22 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et
Spes, 10.
23 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis
(25 March 1992), 49: l.c., 745.
24 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 8.
25 Ibid., 68.
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2. Fundamental approach
The nature of the Sacrament of Penance
24. The Sacrament of Forgiveness is an efficacious sign of the
word, salvific action and presence of Christ the Redeemer. Through
the sacrament, Christ prolongs his words of forgiveness in the words
of the priest while, at the same time, transforming the attitude of the
penitent who recognises that he is a sinner and asks forgiveness with
the intent of expiation and a purpose of amendment. Actualized in
the sacrament is the surprise of the prodigal son as his father forgives
him and prepares a feast to celebrate the return of his beloved son (cf.
Lk 15:22).
Paschal celebration, journey of conversion
25. The celebration of the sacrament is essentially liturgical, fes-
tive and joyful in that, guided by the Holy Spirit, it is oriented towards
re-encounter with God and with the Good Shepherd. Jesus marked
this forgiveness with festive and joyful tones (Lk 15:5-7; 9-10; 22-
32). Frequent and regular celebration of the Sacrament of Penance is
therefore understandable and desirable. Christ is readily encountered
in this sacrament as he is encountered in the Eucharist, in the living
word, in the community, in every person and also in the poverty of
our own hearts.26
26. This sacrament also celebrates the call to conversion as a re-
turn to the Father (cf. Lk 15:18). It is called the Sacrament of “Pen-
ance” “since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial
steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction”.27 It is also called the
Sacrament of “Confession”, “since the disclosure or confession of sins to
a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense
it is also a ‘confession’ – acknowledgment and praise – of the holiness
26 “The Sacrament of Penance, which has such importance in the Christian
life, renders present the redemptive efficacy of Christ’s Paschal Mystery”: BENEDICT
XVI, Discourse to the confessors who serve in the four papal basilicas of Rome (19 February
2007): l.c., 250.
27 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1423, b.
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of God and of his mercy toward sinful man”.28 It is also called the
Sacrament of “Forgiveness”, “since by the priest’s sacramental absolu-
tion God grants the penitent pardon and peace”, and the sacrament of
“Reconciliation” since “it imparts to the sinner the love of God who
reconciles”.29
27. The sacramental celebration of “conversion” is closely bound
to the challenge to respond to the love of God. For this reason, the
call to conversion “is an essential component of the proclamation of
the Kingdom”.30 It is in this way that the Christian is drawn [by] “the
movement of a “contrite heart,” (Ps 51:17) drawn and moved by grace
(cf. Jn 6:44; 12:32) to respond to the merciful love of God who loved
us first (cf. 1Jn 4:10)”.31
On the journey of holiness
28. This is a journey towards holiness which is called for and
made possible by Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation and the Word
of God. This is how that ministerial reality of grace operates and
which St. Paul describes: “So we are ambassadors for Christ, God
making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ:
Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). The special motivation of Paul’s
invitation is that God “made him sin who knew no sin, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Thus, “now
that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God,
the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Rm 6:22).
29. It is possible to experience this dynamic of the merciful for-
giveness of God from childhood and even before First Holy Com-
munion. “Innocent” children, moved by trust and filial joy, can find
this experience.32 For this reason and towards this end, such souls
should be prepared with a truly adequate catechesis prior to receiving
their First Holy Communion.
28 Ibid., n. 1424.
29 Ibid.; cf. 2 Cor 5:20; Mt 5:24.
30 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1427.
31 Ibid., n. 1428.
32 Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Address to Yugoslav seminarians (26 April 1985).
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30. When we become involved with this evangelical dynamic, it
becomes easy to understand the importance of confessing venial sins
and imperfections as a conscious decision “to make progress in the
life of the Spirit” and desire the transformation of our lives into an
expression of divine mercy for others.33 In this way, we harmonize
ourselves with the sentiments of Christ who alone is the expiation of
our sins (cf. Rm 3:25; 1 Jn 2:1-2).34
31. Once the priest is conscious of this reality of grace he can-
not but encourage the faithful to approach the Sacrament of Penance.
Thus, “when he celebrates the Sacrament of Penance, the priest is ful-
filling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of
the Good Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who awaits
the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just and
impartial judge whose judgement is both just and merciful. The priest
is the sign and the instrument of God’s merciful love for the sinner”.35
“The Good Shepherd seeks out the lost sheep. When he finds him,
he places him on those same shoulders which bore the wood of the
Cross, and he carries him to eternal life”.36
A mystery of grace
32. Respect for the “sacramental seal of confession” indicates
that the penitential celebration of the sacrament is a reality of grace
whose iter is already “traced out” in the Heart of Jesus and in deep
friendship with him. Once again, the mystery and dignity of man are
made manifest by the mystery of Christ.37
33 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1458.
34 Ibid., n. 1460.
35 Ibid., n. 1465.
36 ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN, Sermons, 45.
37 Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et
Spes, 22. The ministry of reconciliation “must be protected in its sacrality both for
the theological, juridical, psychological reasons on which I have already commented
in previous discourses, but also because of the loving respect due intimate relation-
ship between God and penitent by which it is characterized”: JOHN PAUL II, Discourse
to the Apostolic Penitentiary (12 March 1994), 3: AAS 87 (1995), 76; cf. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, n. 1467.
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The effects of the grace of the sacrament are: reconciliation with
God (restoration of peace and friendship with Him), reconciliation
with the Church (reintegration with the communion of saints) and
reconciliation with self (unification of one’s own heart). As a conse-
quence, the penitent “is reconciled with his brethren whom he has in
some way offended and wounded. He is reconciled with the Church.
He is reconciled with all creation”.38
33. The dignity of the penitent emerges in the sacramental cel-
ebration in which he manifests his sincerity of his conversion and his
sorrow. In effect, he is reintegrated “in the celebration of the sacra-
ment by his acts which are completed by the words of absolution
pronounced by the priest in Christ’s name.39 Thus, we can say that “the
Christian, as he experiences the mercy of God in his life and proclaims
it, celebrates with the priest the liturgy of the Church which is con-
tinually converted and renewed.40
34. The celebration of the sacrament actualizes a history of grace
that derives from the Lord. “Down through history in the constant
practice of the Church, the ‘ministry of reconciliation’ (2 Cor 5:18),
conferred through the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance, has al-
ways been seen as an essential and highly esteemed pastoral duty of
the priestly ministry, performed in obedience to the command of
Jesus”.41
35. It is a “sacramental” journey, an efficacious sign of grace,
which forms part of the sacramentality of the Church. It is also the
journey spelled out in the Our Father in which we ask for forgiveness
while offering our pardon. This experience of reconciliation gives rise
to a desire for peace for all mankind in the penitent’s heart: “Chris-
tians long for the entire human family to call upon God as ‘Our Fa-
ther!’ ”.42
38 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1469; cf. JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apos-
tolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), 31, V: l.c., 265.
39 RITUALE ROMANUM – Ordo Paenitentiae (2 December 1973), Praenotanda 11:
editio typica (1974), pp. 15-16.
40 Ibid.
41 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter, given Motu proprio, Misericordia Dei (7 April
2002): l.c., 452.
42 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 79.
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3. Some practical guidelines
The ministry of awakening the proper dispositions in the penitent
36. From the Church’s earliest history, reconciliation and penance
or “conversion” has assumed different forms of expressions and takes
place at different times: the celebration of the Eucharist, special litur-
gical seasons (such as Lent), examination of conscience, filial prayer,
almsgiving, sacrifice, etc. However, the really privileged moment for
reconciliation and penance or conversion is with the celebration of
the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation which, on the penitent’s
part, consists in contrition, confession, and satisfaction and which, on
the priest’s part, entails absolution and an invitation to greater open-
ness to God’s love.
37. The clear, simple and integral confession of one’s own sins
restores communion with God and with one’s neighbours, especial-
ly in the ecclesial community. “Conversion” as a return to following
God’s will, implies sincere repentance on the part of the penitent and
thus an acknowledgement and disposition to amend one’s own life.
Accordingly, one’s life is reoriented on the journey of love towards
God and one’s neighbour.
38. The penitent, in the presence of the Risen Christ in the sacra-
ment (and in its minster), confesses his own sins, expresses his own
sorrow and commits himself to amend his life. The grace of the Sacra-
ment of Penance is the grace of forgiveness which reaches to the very
root of all sins committed after Baptism and heals our imperfections
and deviations by imparting to the Christian the strength of “conver-
sion” or the strength to be more open to the perfection of love.
39. The external gestures by which we give expression to an in-
terior penitential disposition are multiple: prayer, almsgiving, sacri-
fice, the sanctification of liturgical times, etc. But “daily conversion
and penance find their source and nourishment in the Eucharist”.43
In the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance we experience that
return journey described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son:
43 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1436.
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“Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father’s love
could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a
way”.44
40. This grace of God, who took the initiative in loving us, per-
mits the penitent to fulfil these gestures. The examination of con-
science is conducted in the light of the love of God and of his Word.
In acknowledging his own sins, the sinner assumes responsibility for
them and, moved by grace, manifests his sorrow and abhorrence of
sin especially before God who loves us and judges our actions with
mercy. Therefore, the acknowledgement and integral confession of
sins before the priest forms part of the action of the Spirit of love,
which goes well beyond the pain of contrition (out of love) or of at-
trition (out of fear of God’s justice).
The liturgical celebration
41. The celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a litur-
gical act. According to the Rite of Penance, it consists of a greeting
and a blessing followed by the reading of the Word of God, an invita-
tion to repentance, confession, counsel and exhortation, the imposi-
tion and acceptance of penance, absolution from sins, thanksgiving, a
blessing and a dismissal.45 The decorous and suitably positioned con-
fessional “with a fixed grill between the penitent and the confessor in
an open place so that the faithful who wish to can use them freely”46
is of great use to both penitent and priest.
42. The ordinary form of confession, that is individual confes-
sion (even when preceded by a communal preparation) is an excellent
opportunity to call people to a life of holiness and, consequently, for
spiritual direction (with the same or another confessor). “Thanks then
to its individual character, the first form of celebration makes it pos-
sible to link the Sacrament of Penance with something which is differ-
ent but readily linked with it: I am referring to spiritual direction. So
44 Ibid., n. 1439.
45 BENEDICT XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 61.
46 Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC), can. 964 § 2.
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it is certainly true that personal decision and commitment are clearly
signified and promoted in this first form”.47 “When possible, it would
be good that at particular times of the year, or whenever the oppor-
tunity presents itself, individual confession by a number of penitents
should take place within penitential celebrations as provided for by
the ritual, with due respect for the different liturgical traditions; here
greater time can be devoted to the celebration of the word through
the use of suitable readings”.48
43. “In case of grave necessity recourse may be had to a communal
celebration of reconciliation with general confession and general absolution”. Ac-
cording to the norms of law, however, “for a member of the Christian
faithful to receive validly sacramental absolution given to many at one
time, it is required not only that the person be properly disposed, but
also, at the same time, intend to confess within a suitable period of time
each grave sin which at the present time cannot be so confessed”.49
The judgement as to whether the conditions required by the norm of
law actually exist, “belongs to the diocesan bishop [who] can deter-
mine the cases of such necessity, attentive to the criteria agreed upon
with the other members of the conference of bishops”.50
Thus, “individual, integral confession and absolution remain the
only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God
and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from
this kind of confession… Personal confession is thus the form most
expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church”.51
Practical norms given by the Church: an expression of pastoral charity
44. The Code of Canon Law contains practical norms for indi-
vidual confession and communal celebrations,52 as well as on the loca-
47 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia
(2 December 1984), 32: l.c., 267-268.
48 BENEDICT XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 61.
49 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1483; cf. CIC, can. 962 § 1; Codex Canonum
Ecclessiarum Orientalium (CCEO), can. 721.
50 CIC, can. 961; cf. CCEO, can. 720.
51 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1484.
52 CIC, cann. 959-963, CCEO, cann. 718-721.
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tion and disposition of confessionals.53 With regard to the minister of
the sacrament, these norms reproduce norms drawn from the tested
tradition of the Church and from her long experience. These norms
would include matters such as the ordinary faculty to hear confes-
sions and the faculty to absolve certain special cases.54 It is therefore
necessary to comply with everything disposed by the Church in regard
to her moral teaching.55 Confessors should always behave as just and
merciful servants so that they may have “regard for the divine honour
and [for] the salvation of souls”.56
45. These norms both assist in the exercise of the due prudence
“attentive to the condition and age of the penitent”57 as well as afford-
ing practical guidance in determining “a suitable penance”.58 It is pre-
cisely in this context of the mystery of divine grace and of the human
heart that we can better understand the idea of sacramental “seal”.59
Other norms are designed to assist the penitent in making a clear
confession, such as the desire to express the number and kind of grave
sins,60 at opportune times, or under particular circumstances (use of
an interpreter), in full liberty, to an authorised priest of their own
choice.61
46. The Rite of Penance also contains doctrinal and disciplinary
norms on the Sacrament of Penance: preparation by the priest, wel-
53 CIC, can. 964: Ҥ 1. The proper place to hear sacramental confessions is a
church or oratory. § 2. The conference of bishops is to establish norms regarding
the confessional; it is to take care, however, that there are always confessionals with a
fixed grate between the penitent and the confessor in an open place so that the faith-
ful who wish to can use them freely. § 3. Confessions are not to be heard outside a
confessional without a just cause”. Cf. CCEO, can. 736 § 1.
54 CIC, cann. 965-977; CCEO, cann. 722-730.
55 CIC, can 978 § 2.
56 CIC, can. 978 § 1; CCEO, can. 732 § 2.
57 CIC, can. 979.
58 CIC, can. 981. CCEO, can. 732 § 1.
59 Cf. CIC, cann. 982-984. CCEO, cann. 731; 733-734.
60 Cf. CIC, can. 988, § 1: A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to con-
fess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted
directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession,
of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience”.
61 Cf. ibid., cann. 987-991; CCEO, can. 719.
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coming, celebration of the sacrament in all its details. These guidelines
aid the penitent in shaping his life according to the grace received in
the sacrament. Thus, the communal celebration of the Rite of Pen-
ance, with individual absolution, is also a great help for individual con-
fession, which is always the ordinary form of the celebration of the
Sacrament of Penance.
47. The Apostolic Letter, given motu proprio, Misericordia Dei, on
some aspects of the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance of John
Paul II, affords many practical norms to regulate the celebration of the
sacrament in its diverse forms and with regard to its various aspects.
Orientation on the journey of holiness in harmony with the action of the Holy
Spirit
48. In all of these various ways of celebrating the Sacrament of
Penance, the most important thing is to assist the penitent in conform-
ing himself to Christ. A simple and wise counsel can be an illumina-
tion for life or stir one to take seriously the process of contemplation
and perfection under the guidance of a good spiritual director (as we
shall see in the second part of this document). The spiritual director
is an instrument in God’s hands, to help others discover what God
desires for them in the present moment: his knowledge is not merely
human knowledge. The homily at a communal celebration or a private
counsel given in confession can have a life-long effect.
49. At every instant, attention must be paid to the process fol-
lowed by the penitent. Sometimes, it may be necessary to help him
arrive at a more radical conversion so that he can recover or re-enliven
his fundamental option for the faith. At other times, the priest may
have to assist the penitent in the normal process of sanctification
which is one of integrated purification, illumination and union.
50. Frequent confession of venial sins or imperfections is a con-
sequence of fidelity to Baptism and Confirmation, and expresses a
sincere desire for perfection and return to the Father’s plan so that
Christ may truly live in us through a life of greater fidelity to the Holy
Spirit. Hence, “in view of the fact that all the faithful are called to holi-
ness, it is recommended that they confess venial sins also”.62
62 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter, given Motu proprio, Misericordia Dei (7 April
2002), 3: l.c., 456.
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Ministerial availability and fatherly welcome
51. Above all, prayer and penance are essential for the good of
souls. It is thus, that genuine ministerial readiness and paternal accept-
ance will be possible.
52. Those, to whom the care of souls has been entrusted, “are
obliged to make provision so that the confessions of the faithful en-
trusted to them are heard when they reasonably seek to be heard and
that they have the opportunity to approach individual confession on
days and at times established for their convenience”.63 Where such
happens, as we have already mentioned, there are often many positive
results, and not only in some shrines but also in many parishes and
churches.
53. An ever increasing ministerial readiness arouses the desire for
Christian perfection. The priest’s assistance, before or during confes-
sion, can bring him to a greater knowledge of himself and, in the
light of faith, can arouse contrition and the intention of a permanent
and personal conversion of life, as well as reparation, correction and
amendment of life so as to overcome an insufficient response to the
love of God.
54. The final part of the celebration of penance, recited after the
absolution, strictly speaking, is the commendation. It contains a great
wealth of spiritual and pastoral treasure. It should always be said given
that it directs the heart of the penitent towards the passion of Christ,
the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Saints, and towards
cooperation through subsequent good works.
55. By virtue of the fact that the priest acts in the name of Christ,
the Good Shepherd, he has a compelling obligation to know the spir-
itual maladies of his flock and also to be close to the penitent. He has
a duty of fidelity to the Church’s Magisterium in matters pertaining to
Christian morality and perfection, to living an authentic life of prayer,
to be prudent in listening to penitents and in putting questions to
them. He should also be available to those who reasonably request the
sacrament and to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is a
63 CIC, can. 986. CCEO, can. 735.
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fraternal and paternal function of imitating the Good Shepherd and a
pastoral priority. Christ, present in the celebration of the sacraments, is
to be found in the hearts of penitents and calls his minister to prayer,
study, the invocation of the Holy Spirit and paternal welcoming.
56. In this prospective of pastoral charity, we see that “an unwill-
ingness to welcome the wounded sheep, and even to go out to them in
order to bring them back into the fold, would be a sad sign of a lack of
pastoral sensibility in those who, by priestly Ordination, must reflect
the image of the Good Shepherd […] It is particularly recommended
that in places of worship confessors be visibly present […] and that
confessions be especially available even during Mass, in order to meet
the needs of the faithful”.64 In the event of a “concelebrated Mass, it
is warmly recommended that some priests refrain from concelebrating
so as to hear the confessions of the faithful”.65
57. The description of this ministry by the Curé of Ars highlights
the aspects of welcome and readiness. Benedict XVI commenting on
this writes: “We priests should feel that the following words, which he
put on the lips of Christ, are meant for each of us personally: ‘I will
charge my ministers to proclaim to sinners that I am ever ready to wel-
come them, that my mercy is infinite.’ From Saint John Mary Vianney
we can learn to put our unfailing trust in the Sacrament of Penance, to
set it once more at the centre of our pastoral concerns, and to take up
the “dialogue of salvation” which it entails. The Curé of Ars dealt with
different penitents in different ways.66 In this context, we can under-
stand his comments to a fellow priest: “I will tell you my recipe: I give
sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place”.67
64 JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter, given Motu proprio, Misericordia Dei
(7 April 2002), 1b-2: l.c. 455.
65 Cf. CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRA-
MENTS, Reply Quaenam sunt dispositiones on norms relating to the celebration of the
Sacrament of Penance (31 July 2001): Notitiae 37 (2001) 259-260 (EV 20 [2001]
n. 1504).
66 BENEDICT XVI, Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150th Anniversary of the
“Dies Natalis” of the Curé of Ars (16 June 2009).
67 Ibid.
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A renewed and up to date training for priests so as to be able to guide the faithful
in different circumstances
58. One can learn from the Curé of Ars how to distinguish types
of penitents in order to be able to assist them better in accordance to
their dispositions. Although offering models of holiness to the more
fervent, he exhorted all to steep themselves in the “torrent of divine
mercy” thereby engendering the hope of amendment of life: “The
good Lord knows everything. Even before you confess, he already
knows that you will sin again, yet he still forgives you. How great is the
love of our God: he even forces himself to forget the future, so that he can
grant us his forgiveness!”68
This effort of pastoral charity “was undoubtedly for him the
greatest of his mortifications, a form of martyrdom.” Thus, “the Lord
enabled him to reconcile great sinners who were repentant and also to
guide to perfection souls thirsting for it”.69
59. The confessor is a pastor, a father, a master, teacher, a spir-
itual judge and a physician who diagnoses and cures. “In hearing con-
fessions the priest is to remember that he is equally a judge and a
physician and has been established by God as a minister of divine
justice and mercy, so that he has regard for the divine honour and the
salvation of souls”.70
60. Mary is Mother of Mercy because she is Mother of Christ
the Priest who is the revealer of mercy. She, as no other, “obtained
mercy in a particular and exceptional way...[she] is the one who has the
deepest knowledge of the mystery of God’s mercy” and thus a “par-
ticular fitness to reach all those who most easily accept the merciful
love of a mother”.71 The Marian spirituality of each priest will allow
his activities to be influenced by the maternal heart of Mary which is
a reflection of the divine mercy.
New circumstances, new graces, new fervour of priests
61. We have to recognise the present difficulties facing the min-
istry of penance due to a certain loss of the sense of sin, a certain
68 Ibid.
69 JOHN PAUL II, Letter to priests on Holy Thursday 1986, 7: l.c., 695.
70 CIC, can. 978 § 1. CCEO, can. 732 § 2.
71 JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Dives in Misericordia, 9; l.c., 1208.
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disaffection towards this sacrament, a certain blindness to the useful-
ness of the confession of sins and also the exhaustion suffered by
many priests because of their manifold duties. However, confession
is a spiritual rebirth transforming the sinner into a new creation and
unites him with the friendship for Christ. Thus, it is a well-spring of
joy for those who are servants of the Good Shepherd.
62. When the priest exercises this mystery, in a special way he
enkindles his role as an instrument of a tremendous event of grace.
In the light of faith, he can experience the actualisation of the loving
mercy of the Father. The words and gestures of the priest are a means
of realizing the real miracle of grace. While there are other ecclesial
instruments which communicate the mercy of God (the Eucharist
which is the greatest sign of his mercy), the celebration of the Sacra-
ment of Penance accomplishes this in the most complete and eminent
way.72 It is a privileged means not only of encouraging those who
receive forgiveness but also of generously following those who have
embarked on the journey of identification with Christ. The journey of
evangelical discipleship (on the part of the faithful as well as on the
part of priests) requires this assistance so as to maintain its generous
commitment.
63. This prospective of encouragement requires a greater at-
tention to the training of the priest: “In this mysterious process of
interior renewal the confessor is not a passive spectator, but persona
dramatis, that is, an active instrument of divine mercy. Therefore, it is
necessary that to a good spiritual and pastoral sensibility, he unites a
serious theological, moral and pedagogical preparation that enables
him to understand the life of the person. Furthermore, it is very use-
ful for him to know the social, cultural and professional environment
of those who approach the confessional in order to be able to of-
fer appropriate advice and spiritual practices and orientations. To hu-
man wisdom, to theological preparation, therefore, one must add a
profound spiritual disposition, nourished by prayerful contact with
72 JOHN PAUL II, Homily at Maribor (Slovenia), 19 May 1996.
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Christ, Master and Redeemer”.73 The ongoing formation of clergy is
of great assistance in this undertaking, for instance formation days for
the clergy, special courses or programmes, such as those offered by the
Apostolic Penitentiary.
73 BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Confessors who serve in the four papal basilicas of Rome
(19 February 2007); see also his Discourse to participants in the course on the Internal Forum
organized by the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, (7 March 2008). The allocutions
of John Paul II and of Benedict XVI to the Apostolic Penitentiary offer an abun-
dant catechesis on the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance while encouraging
ministers to live it themselves and to assist the faithful in this experience of pardon
and sanctification. In addition to the documents cited, the following can also be
consulted: RITUALE ROMANUM – Ordo Paenitentiae (2 December 1973); JOHN PAUL II,
Encyclical Letter Dives in Misericordia (30 November 1980); Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (2 December 1984); Apostolic Letter given Motu
proprio, Misericordia Dei on some aspects of the celebration of the Sacrament of Pen-
ance (7 April 2002); APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARY, Il sacramento della penitenza nei Messaggi di
Giovanni Paolo II alla Penitenzieria Apostolica 1981, 1989-2000 (13 June 2000); PONTIFI-
CAL COUNCIL FOR THE FAMILY, Vademecum per i confessori su alcuni temi di morale attenenti
alla vita coniugale (1997). The notes also cite the discourses of Benedict XVI to the
Apostolic Penitentiary. See also: CIC, Book IV, Part I, title IV; Catechism of the Catholic
Church, part II, article 4.
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II.
THE MINISTRY OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
1. Contemporary importance, moment of grace
Historical and contemporary itinerary
64. Spiritual counselling has been practised from the earliest his-
tory of the Church down to our own times. It is sometimes referred to
as spiritual direction or spiritual accompaniment. It is an ancient and
tested practice which has produced fruits of holiness and evangelical
readiness.
The Fathers, the Magisterium, numerous spiritual writers and the
norms governing ecclesial life all speak of the need for spiritual direc-
tion, especially for those in training or formation, as well as for those
in certain ecclesial conditions. There are certain moments in life which
call for special discernment and for fraternal accompaniment. This
stems from the logic of Christian life. “It is necessary to rediscover
the great tradition of personal spiritual guidance which has always
brought great and precious fruits to the Church’s life”.74
65. Our Lord was close to His disciples. Spiritual direction, under
different names, has always existed in the Church. Initially, it was to be
found in the monasteries of the East and West. From the Middle Ages,
it was an essential part of the various schools of spirituality. As can be
seen from the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St.
Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis de Sales, St. Alphonsus Mary de Ligouri and
from those of Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle, it had a much wider applica-
tion in Christian life during the 16th and 17th centuries. While spiritual
direction was always imparted by monks and priests, other members of
the faithful (religious and lay) – Saint Catherine for example – have also
given spiritual counsel. Ecclesiastical legislation has drawn on all of this
74 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis
(25 March 1992), 40: l.c., 723
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experience and has applied it in the formulation of norms for forma-
tion for the priesthood and religious life. There are to be found also well
formed lay people – both men and women – who offer this service of
counsel along the journey of holiness.
Priestly formation for spiritual accompaniment
66. Spiritual direction is a help on the journey of sanctification
available to the faithful irrespective of their states of life. In present
circumstances, while there is an increasing demand for spiritual direc-
tion on the part of the faithful, there is, likewise, an increasing need to
better prepare priests to give spiritual direction. Such training would
enable them to afford spiritual counsel with greater diligence, discern-
ment and spiritual accompaniment. Where the practice of spiritual
direction is available it issues in personal and community renewal, vo-
cations, missionary spirit, and the joy of hope.
67. The study of spiritual theology and the spiritual life become
always more urgent during the period of preparation for the priest-
hood. In reality, spiritual direction is an integral aspect of the ministry
of preaching and of reconciliation. The priest is called to guide souls
along the path of identification with Christ and this also includes the
path of contemplation. Spiritual direction as a discernment of the
Spirit is part of the ministry. “While trying the spirits to see if they
be of God, priests should uncover with a sense of faith, acknowl-
edge with joy and foster with diligence the various humble and exalted
charisms of the laity”.75
68. From the first moment in the seminary, spiritual direction is
an essential part of initial formation for the priesthood: “the students
should be prepared by special religious formation, particularly through
appropriate spiritual direction, to follow Christ the Redeemer with
generosity of spirit and purity of heart”.76
69. Spiritual direction is not simply a doctrinal consultation.
Rather it concerns our relationship and intimate configuration with
75 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9.
76 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Optatam Totius, 3.
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Christ. This is always Trinitarian: “The spiritual training should be
closely connected with the doctrinal and pastoral, and, with the special
help of the spiritual director, should be imparted in such a way that the
students might learn to live in an intimate and unceasing union with
the Father through His Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit”.77
Spiritual direction and priestly ministry
70. In describing the priestly munera, one must take account of
their vital relationship with the spiritual life of the faithful: “You are
ministers of the Eucharist and ministers of God’s mercy in the Sacra-
ment of Penance. It is you who bring comfort to people and guide
them in difficult moments in their lives”.78
Spiritual direction has always ascribed great importance to dis-
cernment of the Spirit leading to sanctification, the apostolic mission
and communion in ecclesial life. The logic of the Spirit impels one to
live in the truth and in goodness after the example of Christ. It is nec-
essary to pray for His illumination and His strength in order to discern
how to be faithful to His directives.
71. It can be said that attention to the spiritual life of the faith-
ful, guiding them on the way of contemplation and perfection, and in
assisting them in their vocational discernment, is a real pastoral prior-
ity: “From this point of view, the pastoral work of promoting voca-
tions to the priesthood will also be able to find expression in a firm
and encouraging invitation to spiritual direction. … Priests, for their
part, should be the first to devote time and energies to this work of
education and personal spiritual guidance: They will never regret hav-
ing neglected or put in second place so many other things which are
themselves good and useful, if this proved necessary for them to be
faithful to their ministry as co-operators of the Spirit in enlightening
and guiding those who have been called”.79
77 Ibid., 8.
78 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis
(25 March 1992), 4: l.c., 663.
79 Ibid., 40: l.c., 724-725.
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72. The pastoral care of young people, especially in assisting
them to discern their proper vocation, also includes spiritual direction
and counsel: “As Pope Paul VI wrote before his election to the pon-
tificate: ‘Spiritual direction has a wonderful purpose. We could say it is
indispensable for the moral and spiritual education of young people
who want to find what their vocation in life is and follow it wherever it
may lead, with utter loyalty. It retains its beneficial effect at all stages of
life, when in the light and affection of a devout and prudent counsel
one asks for a check on one’s own right intention and for support in
the generous fulfilment of one’s own duties. It is a very delicate but
immensely valuable psychological means. It is an educational and psy-
chological art calling for deep responsibility in the one who practices
it. Whereas for the one who receives it, it is a spiritual act of humility
and trust”.80
73. Spiritual direction is usually connected with the Sacrament
of Penance, at least in the sense of a possible consequence, when
the faithful request guidance on the path of holiness, including the
specific journey of their personal vocation: “Along with the Sacra-
ment of Reconciliation, the priest must also exercise the ministry of
spiritual direction. The rediscovery and extension of this practice, also
in moments outside of the administration of Penance, is greatly ben-
eficial for the Church in these times. The generous and active attitude
of priests in practising it also constitutes an important occasion for
identifying and sustaining the vocations to the priesthood and to the
various forms of consecrated life”.81
Spiritual direction received by ordained ministers
74. Priests also need spiritual direction which is connected with
Christ and animated by him: “In the fulfilment of their ministry with
fidelity to the daily colloquy with Christ, a visit to and veneration of
the Most Holy Eucharist, spiritual retreats and spiritual direction are
of great worth”.82
80 Ibid., 81; l.c., 799-800.
81 CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, Directory on the Ministry and Life of
Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31 March 1994), 54: LEV 1994.
82 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 18.
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75. The reality of the ministry demands that the priest personally
receive spiritual direction, seeking it out and following it with fidelity,
so as to be better able to direct others: “In order to contribute to the
improvement of their spirituality it is necessary that they themselves
practice spiritual direction. By placing the formation of their souls in
the hands of a wise fellow-member, they will enlighten the conscience,
from the first steps in the ministry, and realise the importance of not
walking alone along the paths of spiritual life and pastoral duties. In
making use of this efficacious means of formation, so well-founded
in the Church, priests will have full freedom in choosing the person
who will guide them”.83
76. Recourse to the counsel of our brothers and sisters is always
necessary in resolving our personal and community questions. This is
especially true when we turn to those who have the gift of counsel-
ling with greater intensity and to those, who, according to the grace
of their state of life, exercise this gift in the context of the mission
given to them, remembering that the prime “counsellor” or “director”
is always the Holy Spirit, to whom we should pray constantly and with
faith and trust.
2. Fundamental approach
Theological nature and basis
77. The Christian life is a “journey.” It is a living in the Spirit (cf.
Gal 5: 25) in harmony, relation, imitation and configuration to Christ
by sharing in his divine sonship. Thus, all who are guided by the Spirit
of God are sons of God (cf. Rm 8:14). Spiritual direction assists us to
distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error (cf. 1 Jn 4:6) and
to cloth ourselves in the new man created in true holiness according
to the justice of God (cf. Eph 4:24). Spiritual direction is of special
assistance in discerning the path of holiness and perfection.
The basis for this practice of accompaniment or “spiritual direc-
tion” is the fact that the Church is a communion, the Mystical Body of
83 CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, Directory on the Ministry and Life of
Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31 March 1994), 54: LEV 1994.
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Christ, a family of brothers and sisters helping each other according
to the charisms each has received. The Church is a complex of various
“mediations” which correspond to diverse ministries, vocations and
charisms. We all have need of each other and especially in the field of
spiritual counsel. This involves seeking out and accepting a counsel
that comes from the Holy Spirit through our brothers and sisters.
We have all received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and
Confirmation. Among these gifts that of “counsel” is particularly sig-
nificant. The experience of the Church shows that some people are
favoured with this gift to a high degree and are called to serve others
by using the gift they have received. Sometimes, spiritual direction can
be exercised as an official office which has been entrusted by ecclesias-
tical authority or by the ecclesial community in which a person lives.
Specific objective
78. The principal objective of spiritual direction is therefore to dis-
cern the signs of God’s will for our journey of vocation, prayer, perfec-
tion, for our daily life, and for our fraternal mission. Normally, we speak
of discerning the illumination or promptings of the Spirit. Sometimes
this discernment can be very urgent. It is always necessary to take ac-
count of the “charism” proper to personal vocation, or to the commu-
nity in which the person seeking or receiving counsel resides.
79. In seeking to discern the signs of God’s will, with the as-
sistance of fraternal counsel, such consultation sometimes includes
themes related to the moral life or to the practice of the virtues, and
also presenting confidentially the situation which one wishes to clarify.
However, a lack of a true desire for holiness will mean that spiritual
direction has lost its objective. The objective of spiritual direction in-
heres in the process of faith, hope and charity (as configuration with
the values, standards and outlook of Christ): It should always be guid-
ed by the signs of God’s will for the charisms which we have received.
The person being directed must always assume his own responsibili-
ties and initiatives.
80. Seeking moral guidance, disclosing one’s problems in confi-
dence, exercising the means of salvation must all be seen as part of
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seeking God’s will. Without a sincere desire for holiness spiritual di-
rection would never have a specific objective or purpose in Christian
life.
Dynamism and process
81. The process of spiritual direction requires us to know our-
selves according to the light of the Gospel and therefore to trust
in God. This is a journey into a personal relationship with Christ in
which, together with him, we learn and practice humility, trust and
self-giving, according to the new commandment of love.
Conscience can be formed by teaching the mind, illuminating the
memory, strengthening the will, orientating our desires, and encourag-
ing generous commitment to sanctification.
82. Spiritual direction is structured according to stages. While
these are not strictly ordered, they do develop like concentric circles:
guide to a knowledge of self, trust in the love of God, making a to-
tal gift of self; trust in the harmony of purification, illumination and
union. This is a dynamic of life harmonized with participation in the
life of the Trinity (cf. Jn 14:23; Eph 2:18) through configuration with
Christ (standards, values, behaviour: faith, hope charity…) and under
the action of the Holy Spirit accepted with fidelity and generosity.
All this is worked out in a series of fields or areas - relationship
with God, work, social relationships, integrity of life - in which we
seek to find the will of God through counsel and accompaniment:
prayer-journey, vocational discernment and fidelity, fidelity and self-
giving in the way of perfection, harmonious living of fraternal eccle-
sial “communion” and commitment to mission. Spiritual accompani-
ment and counsel can also arrive at concrete measures to be applied in
practice. In all of this process, it can never be forgotten that the true
spiritual director is the Holy Spirit, while the individual retains his own
responsibility and initiative.
83. In the path of prayer (personal, communitarian, liturgical) we
have to teach how to pray, paying special attention to the filial disposi-
tion of the Our Father which is one of humility, trust and love. Of
much help for this pathway are the writings of the spiritual masters
since they assist us in “opening our hearts and rejoicing in his pres-
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ence” (Curé of Ars) in an exchange of glances, “I look at him, he looks
at me” (the parishioner of Ars following the teachings of the Curé). It
is thus that we accept the presence of Christ which is given to us and
it is thus that we learn to make of our own presence a “resting with
someone we know and love” (St. Teresa of Jesus). It is silence of ado-
ration, of rapture and of self-giving as a “simple gaze of the heart” (St.
Therese of Lisieux), but also speaking as Christ did in Gethsemane.
For all vocations and states of life
84. In accordance with the call of Jesus (“be you perfect then as
your heavenly Father is perfect” Mt 5:48), the priest invites the faithful
to undertake the “the path of that fullness of life proper to the chil-
dren of God84 so as to arrive at “a lived knowledge of Christ”.85 The
demands of the Christian life (lay, religious and priestly) are incom-
prehensible without this “spiritual” life, or life according to the Spirit,
which brings us to proclaim good news to the poor (cf. Lk 4:18).
85. On the journey of vocation, according to one’s state of life
special care is to be given, above all, to motivations and right inten-
tion, the freedom in choosing, formation in the realm of suitability
and qualities.
Theological experts describe the spiritual director as one who
guides in making concrete applications, inspires generosity in self-
giving, and proposes means of sanctification adapted to particular
persons and circumstances, bearing in mind their specific vocations.
Difficulties are confronted within the matrix of a serious attempt in
the authentic following of Jesus.
86. Spiritual direction can be habitual or periodic or an occasional
accompaniment ad casum. Initially, it can be more intense. It often hap-
pens that some of the faithful, in following their vocation, are encour-
aged to seek spiritual direction as a result of preaching, reading, re-
treats and prayer groups or, indeed, because they go to confession. A
careful reading of the documents of the Magisterium can also arouse
84 JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993), 115: l.c.,
1224.
85 Ibid., 88: l.c. 1204.
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a need to seek out guidance so as to live more faithfully the Christian
life. Such devotion to the spiritual life leads to greater social commit-
ment: “Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and
sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be ac-
complished in a spirit of solidarity”.86
3. Practical guidelines
Concrete itinerary or path of the spiritual life
87. Starting with this basic outline of the structure of spiritual
direction and bearing in mind today’s circumstances, the confluence
of grace and contemporary sociological and cultural conditions, some
practical guidelines can be indicated which are always open to new
graces and new circumstances.
The application of spiritual direction must always take account of
the specific ecclesial vocation of the person seeking direction or coun-
sel. It must also look to their state of life, their particular charisms, and
to the particular graces which have been given to them. Since a per-
son is “unitary”, it is necessary to know their particular circumstances:
family, work, etc. When dealing with a specific charism or vocation, it
is always helpful to note the various stages of its journey.87
At all times, special attention must be afforded to special cases
and to particular situations. These can include changes in the eccle-
siastical state of life, the desire for greater perfection, scruples, and
extraordinary phenomena.
88. The journey of spiritual direction can opportunely be em-
barked upon by a general revision of one’s life. It is always useful to
have a plan or some particular resolutions covering our relationship
with God (liturgical and personal prayer), our fraternal relationships,
the family, work, friendships, the specific virtues, our personal duties,
86 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 78.
87 In the Codes of Canon Law spiritual direction is described for seminaries
(CIC, can. 239; CCEO, cann. 337-339); in religious houses (CIC, can. 630; CCEO,
cann. 433-475, 538 § 3, 539); and in secular institutes (CIC, can. 719) Further docu-
mentation can be consulted on spiritual direction for the priesthood, consecrated life,
seminaries and novitiates in the final note of paragraph n.134 of this text.
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the apostolate, and spiritual instruments. Such plans can also reflect
our aspirations, the difficulties we encounter, and the desire to give
ourselves increasingly to God. It is very useful to indicate precisely the
spiritual method which one intends to adopt for the journey towards
prayer, holiness (virtue), the duties of state, mortification and for the
minor daily hardships of life.88
89. There is an initial moment in which the subject is drawn to-
wards dispositions of piety and perseverance in virtue, prayer, adhe-
sion to the will of God, exercise of the apostolate, formation of char-
acter (memory, intelligence, affectivity, will), purification, formation
to openness and a commitment to authenticity and renunciation of
double standards. Thus, cases of spiritual aridness, inconstancy, super-
ficial or transitory enthusiasm can be addressed. This is the opportune
moment to root out and re-plant (cf. Jer 1:10) so as to identify and cor-
rectly orientate a dominant passion.
90. A second moment in spiritual direction is known as the time
of progress and advancement. At this stage in the process emphasis
is placed on recollection, the interior life, increased humility and mor-
tification, the deepening of the virtues, and the improvement in the
life of prayer.
This stage leads to the stage of greater perfection in which prayer
is more contemplative. Preferences are eradicated by distinguishing an
“active” and “passive” aspect (or rather following faithfully the action
of grace which is always surprising), so as to learn to overcome the
dark night of the soul (or the dark night of faith). Deepening humility
always results in increased charitable acts.
91. Each of the virtues requires a specific attention. It is along
this path that we receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit and sense
his promptings. This path leads to greater discernment and higher fi-
delity and generosity. Concrete cases of special graces or of spiritual
or psychological weaknesses are confronted with special study, which
should also involve the collaboration of others who are more expert
and with a deep respect.
88 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi (30 November 2007), 40: AAS 99
(2007), 1018.
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It is helpful to follow a plan that can be simply divided into prin-
ciples, objectives and means. It is also useful to indicate where we want
to go, where we are, where we have to go, the obstacles we can expect
to encounter, and the means which we can employ.
92. The Eucharistic sacrifice, source and summit of the Chris-
tian life,89 has a direct impact on the spiritual life, to create the integ-
rity of life required in priests90 and the faithful.91 In addition to the
principal means for the pursuit of the spiritual life (Eucharist, Word,
prayer...) Lectio divina, diverse forms of spiritual meditation, the as-
siduous practice of the Sacrament of Penance, spiritual reading, the
examination of conscience (particular and general), spiritual exercises
and retreats are also important for their practical significance. Spiritual
reading drawn from the saints and from spiritual writers guides us on
our journey of coming to know ourselves, on the journey of filial trust
and of generous self-giving.
93. It is normal to encounter crises of growth or maturity while
travelling along the Christian path. These can be felt to differing levels
(purification, illumination, union). The “dark night” of faith can occur
at various times but especially when the person comes closer to God.
A certain “absence” of God or a profound “silence” can be experi-
enced which is in fact a profound manifestation of God’s presence
and of His speaking with us. Spiritual direction is all the more neces-
sary in these moments on condition that we follow the counsels given
to us by the great saints and the spiritual masters.
The apostolate can also experience arid moments, conflict, mis-
understandings, calumnies and persecution that can derive from error
and even from good people (the persecution of the good). Spiritual
counsel should help us to live the fertile mystery of the Cross by mak-
ing of ourselves a special offering to Christ, our friend.
89 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 11.
90 Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 14.
91 Cf. JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici
(30 December 1988), 59: AAS 81 (1989), 509.
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94. Special situations can also arise while travelling the Christian
path. These can come about though the illumination or urging of the
Holy Spirit and through a desire to make a greater commitment to the
spiritual life or to the apostolate. However, there can be other mo-
ments which are illusory and deceptive and which derive from pride
or fantasy. Those who travel the spiritual path can also experience dis-
couragement, distrust, mediocrity, negligence or tepidness, excessive
anxiety to be appreciated, false humility etc.
95. When extraordinary cases arise or extraordinary phenomena
occur, these must be referred to the spiritual authors and to the great
mystics. It has to be remembered that such phenomena can derive
from natural sources, or from psychological and cultural sources as
well as from formation and social contexts. The Church has estab-
lished criteria to judge their authenticity. These criteria are based on
doctrinal content (illuminated by the Sacred Scriptures, the Sacred Tra-
dition and the Magisterium) and on honesty of the persons involved
(especially their sincerity, humility, charity and mental condition) and
on the permanent fruits of holiness.
96. There are also illnesses and psychological weaknesses connect-
ed with the spiritual life. Usually, such take a spiritual character. They
are generally rooted in some psychological cause such as lukewarm-
ness deriving from the acceptance of habitual venial sin or imperfec-
tions, accompanied by an unwillingness to correct them. Mediocrity
(superficiality, tiredness for work without the support of an interior
spiritual life) may also produce such conditions. These weaknesses can
also be connected to temperament: anxiety about perfection, errone-
ous fear of God, unfounded scruples, rigorism, lassitude, etc.
97. Those weaknesses or neuroses most connected with the spir-
itual life require professional attention (both spiritual and psychologi-
cal). Usually, they manifest themselves in an excessive attention seek-
ing or in deep dissatisfaction with the self (hysterein) which attempts
to capture the attention and compassion of all. This often produces a
climate of euphoric agitation into which the spiritual director can eas-
ily be drawn by believing himself to be protecting a victim or a special
person. These manifestations have nothing to do with true contempla-
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tion and Christian mysticism which, while recognising human weak-
ness, does not seek attention but expresses itself in humility, trust, and
in an abnegation of self so as to serve others according to the will of
God.
Discerning of the Holy Spirit in spiritual direction
98. It is easier to discern the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of
each individual with the assistance of spiritual direction conducted in
the light of a lived faith. This inevitably leads to prayer, humility, sac-
rifice, the ordinary life of Nazareth, service, and hope. We accomplish
this in following the model St. Luke gives us of Jesus’ life which was
always guided by the Holy Spirit: towards the “desert” (Lk 4:1), the
“poor” (Lk 4:18), paschal “joy” in the Spirit (Lk 10:21).
99. The works of the spirit of evil are accompanied by pride,
independence, sadness, discouragement, jealousy, confusion, hatred,
deception, disdain of others, and selfish preferences. It is very difficult
to distinguish these areas especially in the absence of spiritual direc-
tion and taking into account temperament, culture, and natural quali-
ties. The areas or themes which are to be discerned are those which
belong to the path of vocation (as lived out in ordinary every day
circumstances), contemplation, perfection, fraternal life and mission.
There are, however, personal and community situations which require
special discernment; these would include a change in the state of life,
new insights or impulses, structural changes, some weaknesses, and
extraordinary phenomena.
100. Since the Spirit blows where he wills (Jn 3:28) it is not possi-
ble to formulate strict norms about discernment. However, the saints
and the spiritual masters continually refer to certain constants or to
signs of the actions of the Spirit of love who acts outside of human
logic.
No spiritual situation can be well discerned without tranquillity
of mind which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It seeks out not one’s own
interest or to dominate others, but the best way of serving God and
one’s brothers and sisters. Spiritual counsel (in the context of discern-
ment) operates with the guarantee of interior freedom which is not
conditioned by selfish interests nor by the fashions of the moment.
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Necessary for discernment are: prayer, humility, detachment from
preferences, listening ability, study of the life and teaching of the
saints, knowledge of the teaching of the Church, careful examination
of personal interior inclinations, ability to change, and freedom of
heart. In this way we can train a good conscience or form that charity
which wells up from a pure heart, from a clear conscience and from a
sincere faith (cf. 1 Tim 1:5).
Qualities of the spiritual director
101. Generally, it is required of the spiritual director that he
should have a great welcoming disposition. He should be able to listen
both patiently and responsibly. He should have a fatherly and friendly
approach. He should be humble since this is a characteristic of all who
offer the service of spiritual direction. He should avoid giving any im-
pression of authoritarianism, personalism, paternalism which induces
affective dependence, haste or wasting time pursuing secondary ques-
tions. He should be prudent and discreet. He should know when to
seek the advice of others with all the necessary reserve. All of these
qualities and characteristics are drawn together when giving counsel.
He should not overlook the importance of a healthy note of good
humour which, if genuine, is always respectful and helps to resolve
many artificial problems and to live more serenely.
102. In order to counsel spiritually, it is necessary to have a suf-
ficient knowledge (theoretical and practical) of the spiritual life as well
as experience of this and a good sense of responsibility and prudence.
The qualities are harmonized in closeness, listening, hope, witness, in-
tegrity, in imparting a desire for holiness, firmness, clarity, truth, un-
derstanding, broadness or plurality of outlook, adaptability, persever-
ance on the path of holiness.
In general, the spiritual director (chosen, proposed or required)
should be only one spiritual director so as to ensure continuity. Some
of the saints consulted numerous spiritual directors and sometimes
changed spiritual directors for the good of their spiritual lives. It
should always be possible freely to change spiritual directors especially
when there are serious reasons for suggesting that greater spiritual
growth may require a change.
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103. The spiritual director should know the person he is directing
very well. This allows him to be able to search out the will of God with
the person being directed so as to assist them on their spiritual journey
and at times when special graces are poured out by God. Such diag-
nosis is dependent on the way we live, our qualities and defects, and
the development of his personal spiritual life etc. The training should
correspond to the grace given. The spiritual director is not making the
spiritual journey; he follows it by assisting the person he is directing
in his concrete life. The Holy Spirit is the one who directs souls and
therefore the spiritual director should always support the action of the
Holy Spirit.
The spiritual director should always have a profound respect for
the conscience of the faithful. He should establish a relationship with
the person being directed so that there is a spontaneous openness. He
should always act with respect and delicacy. The exercise of the power
of jurisdiction in the Church should always respect the reserve and the
silence of the spiritual director.
104. The authority of the spiritual director is not one of jurisdic-
tion, rather it is of counsel and guidance which, commands basic fidel-
ity which can be a filial docility without, however, being paternalistic.
This attitude of humility and of trust leads him to prayer and to the
ability of not being discouraged when he is unable to see the fruits of
his labours.
105. In the context of formation for the priesthood and the re-
ligious life, as well as in certain apostolic initiatives, it is usual to ap-
point some spiritual directors so as to ensure an adequate spiritual
formation. This system should leave ample space for personal choice
in choosing a spiritual director, especially in matters relating to con-
science and to the Sacrament of Penance.
Qualities in the recipient of spiritual direction
106. The following qualities are required on the part of the per-
sons receiving spiritual direction: openness, sincerity, authenticity, in-
tegrity, practice of the means of sanctification (liturgy, sacraments,
prayer, sacrifice, and examination…). The frequency with which spir-
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itual direction should be received depends on times and circumstances
since there is no fixed rule about the matter. Initial stages of formation
require a more frequent and assiduous use of spiritual direction. It is
always better that spiritual direction is sought spontaneously rather
than the subjects waiting to be called by their spiritual director.
107. The freedom of choice of director does not diminish the
attitude of respect. Assistance is accepted in a spirit of faith. It has
to be expressed with sobriety, orally or reading something previously
written, taking one’s own conscience into account and taking stock of
one’s particular location on the path traced out with regard to direc-
tion. Counsel can be sought on the virtues, defects, vocation, prayer,
family life, fraternal life, proper duties (especially with regard to work),
and on the apostolate. The basic disposition of the one receiving spir-
itual direction is that of someone who seeks to please God and be
more faithful to His holy will.
108. The authenticity of the spiritual life will be seen by the har-
mony that exists between the counsels that have been sought and re-
ceived, and a life that is lived in practical coherence to these. The par-
ticular examination of conscience is very useful in its own right, as is
participation in spiritual retreats connected to spiritual direction.
109. The Christian must always enjoy complete freedom and re-
sponsibility in his life and action. It is the task of the spiritual director
to assist the individual to choose and to choose responsibly that which
he must do in the sight of God, with Christian maturity. The recipient
of spiritual direction must freely and responsibly take up the spiritual
counsel, and if he were to err he should not offload the responsibility
onto the spiritual director.
Spiritual direction of the priest
110. The ministry of the priest is linked to spiritual direction.
However, he too has need of spiritual direction so as to be able to
impart it better to others when asked to do so.
When a priest seeks spiritual direction, it is always necessary to
bear in mind the fact that his charism and his particular spirituality
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has as its fulcrum “unity of life”92 in the exercise of the sacred min-
istry. This “unity of life”, according to the Second Vatican Council, is
realised simply by priests in the concrete circumstances of their lives:
“Priests can arrive at this only by following the example of Christ our
Lord in their ministry. His food was to follow the will of him who
had sent him to accomplish his work”.93 These are gifts and charisms
lived in strict relationship of dependence on the local bishop and his
presbyterate of a local Church.
111. Above and beyond the daily celebration of the Eucharistic
Sacrifice and the recitation of the Divine Office, a personal plan for
the spiritual life of a priest could contain the following elements: dedi-
cating some time each day to meditating on the Word of God, some
time of spiritual reading, putting some time aside each day for a visit
to the Blessed Sacrament or Eucharistic adoration, having fraternal
gatherings every so often with other priests so as to be of mutual
help to one another (coming together for prayer, to share, prepare
and collaborate upon homilies etc.), putting the Bishop’s indications
into practice insofar as it pertains to the direction of the Presbyterate
(life plans, directories, ongoing formation, the pastoral work of priests
etc.), daily reciting a marian prayer, found in the Holy Rosary, that one
might remain faithful to these kinds of undertakings, making a daily
particular and general examination of conscience.94
112. In this ministry or service of spiritual direction, as in the
Sacrament of Penance, the priest represents Christ the Good Shep-
herd, who is our guide, our brother, our father, our merciful physician.
This service is closely connected with the ministry of preaching, and
of guiding the community and by the witness of life.
113. Ministerial action is closely linked to spiritual direction.
“Priests therefore, as educators in the faith, must see to it either by
themselves or through others that the faithful are led individually in
92 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 14.
93 Ibid.
94 Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY, Directory on the Ministry and Life of
Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31 March 1994).
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the Holy Spirit to a development of their own vocation according
to the Gospel, to a sincere and practical charity, and to exercise that
freedom with which Christ has made us free. Ceremonies however
beautiful, or associations however flourishing, will be of little value if
they are not directed toward the education of men to Christian matu-
rity. In furthering this, priests should help men to see what is required
and what is God’s will in the important and unimportant events of
life. Also, Christians should be taught that they live not only for them-
selves, but, according to the demands of the new law of charity; as
every man has received grace, he must administer the same to others.
In this way, all will discharge in a Christian manner their duties in the
community of men”.95
114. In fact, the one who appreciates spiritual direction and val-
ues it, not only recommends it in his ministry but also practices it
personally.
If we do not lose sight of the objective of spiritual direction ways
can always be found to ensure that spiritual direction is both given and
received.
115. The invitation to practice spiritual direction should always
be an important chapter in every pastoral plan. It should be a perma-
nent invitation which ought always to have sanctification and mission
for its objective. The faithful can be formed in this through preaching,
catechesis, confession, the liturgical-sacramental life especially in the
Eucharist, Bible groups, prayer groups, and the witness of the minister
who himself asks for counsel in due time and in opportune circum-
stances. From some of these ministries or services, it is possible to
pass to personal examination or to a personal encounter, to spiritual
reading, to the spiritual exercises in personalized forms.
116. Spiritual direction, as a ministry, is often linked to the Sacra-
ment of Penance in which the priest acts in the name of Christ, the
Good Shepherd and shows himself as a father, a friend, a physician
and as a spiritual guide. He is the servant of forgiveness and orients
the journey of contemplation and of perfection, in full fidelity to the
Magisterium and the spiritual tradition of the Church.
95 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6.
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Spiritual direction in the consecrated life
117. Consecrated persons, according to their diverse ways, follow
the same life of evangelic and apostolic radicalism by adding, “a special
consecration”96 through profession of “the evangelical counsels”.97
Within consecrated life it is necessary to take account of the specific
charism (“foundational charism”) and of the special consecration that
comes about (by profession), as well as the various forms of contem-
plative, evangelical, communitarian and missionary life, with their cor-
responding Constitutions, rules etc.
118. The journey to religious consecration provides several stages
in immediate and long-term preparation, authentic deepening of a vo-
cation with the support of evangelical convictions and motives (which
dissipate identity issues), freedom of decision, so as to arrive at true
worthiness and readiness for ordination or profession.
119. There exist specific situations that can be considered as
questions merely of “growth” or “maturity” if the consecrated per-
son devotes an assiduous attention to spiritual direction: questions
concerning physical or moral solitude, failures, affective immaturity,
sincere friendships, interior freedom in fidelity to obedience, peace-
fully assuming celibacy as a sign of Christ the Spouse for his Spouse
which is the Church, etc.
120. Spiritual direction of consecrated persons is marked by cer-
tain distinctive aspects in addition to those already mentioned with
regard to the “vita apostolica”. Apostleship, fraternal life, and mission
are encouraged by a particular charism. This occurs in the context of
a history of grace and of religious profession or special commitment
to becoming witnesses in the world to a chaste Christ who was poor
and obedient98 and to being the “living memory of Christ’s life and
activity”.99
96 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (25 March
1996), 2: AAS 88 (1996), 378.
97 Ibid., 30, l.c., 403.
98 Ibid., 1: l.c., 377.
99 Ibid., 22: l.c., 396.
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This direction of the person belonging to the consecrated life pre-
supposes a particular journey of contemplation, perfection, commun-
ion (common life) and mission which form part of the sacramentality
of the Church as mystery, communion and mission. It is therefore
necessary to receive and live out the gift since it involves “following
Christ more closely…holding to the perfection of charity in service
of the Kingdom”,100 tending towards a complete personal and spousal
love which makes it possible “to be able to be “more deeply” present,
in the heart of Christ, to one’s contemporaries”.101
121. Those priests who are invited to afford this service of spir-
itual direction will know that “that all religious, both men and women,
who certainly have a distinguished place in the house of the Lord, de-
serve special care in their spiritual progress for the good of the whole
Church”.102
Spiritual direction for the laity
122. The universal call to holiness, in whatever Christian voca-
tion, has no limits since it always involves a call to ultimate perfection:
“Love one another…be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”
(Mt 5:44,48). Spiritual direction intended for those of the faithful who
are called to the sanctity in the lay state presupposes this vocation to
Christian holiness distinguished, however, by its being an evangelical
leaven in the world and which operates within its proper sphere and in
communion with the Church.103 The spiritual director should assist the
lay faithful in their relationship with God (by making concrete their
participation in the Holy Eucharist and prayer, in the examination of
conscience in a manner that is in union with their lives), in forming
conscience, in assisting with the sanctiÀcation of the family, work, so-
cial relationships, and taking part in public life. “To work in this
way is to pray. To study thus is likewise prayer. Research done with
100 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 916; Cf. CIC, can. 573.
101 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 932.
102 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6.
103 Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen
Gentium, 31.
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this spirit is prayer too. We are always doing the same thing, for
everything can be prayer, all activity can and should lead us to God,
nourish our intimate dealings with him, from morning to night.
Any honorable work can be prayer and all prayerful work is apos-
tolate. In this way the soul develops a unity of life, which is both
simple aynd strongp”. 104
As Benedict XVI reminded us, all the baptised are responsible
for the proclamation of the Gospel: “The laity are called to exercise
their own prophetic role, which derives directly from their Baptism,
and to bear witness to the Gospel in daily life, wherever they Ànd
themselves”.105
Spiritual direction or spiritual counsel for lay persons or seculars
does not emphasize their failures or immaturity. Rather it is a fraternal
assistance from the director to work spiritually and apostolically ac-
cording to the initiatives and responsibilities proper to the laity and
in taking their place as a authentic disciples of Christ in the world of
human endeavour, of the family, of political and economic society etc.
so as to sanctify the world from within.
123. Spiritual direction for the laity tends towards the path of
holiness and mission without equivocation, given that they not only
share in the priestly, prophetical or regal priesthood of Christ, as do all
the baptized,106 but also because they live this reality by a special grace
which allows them to be in the world and which gives to them a proper
and absolutely necessary role in carrying out the Church’s mission.107
The laity “by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by
engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the
plan of God”.108 They “generously dedicate themselves wholly to the
advancement of the kingdom of God and to the reform and improve-
ment of the temporal order in a Christian spirit”.109 “It is their special
104 ST. JOSEMARÍA ESCRIVÁ, Christ is passing by, 10.
105 BENEDICT XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini, 94.
106 Ibid.
107 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, 1.
108 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 31
109 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4.
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task to order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that
they may come into being and then continually increase according to
Christ to the praise of the Creator and the Redeemer”.110
Spiritual direction tends to make them participate in “the salvific
mission of the Church”111 thereby rendering them “present and op-
erative in the temporal order”.112
124. The assistance of spiritual counsel is necessary both in the
interior life and in the various circumstances of life: social, family and
professional engagement. It is above all necessary in those times of
family and socio-political life in which it is necessary to give witness to
basic or fundamental Christian values. At the busiest times of what-
ever apostolate one may be engaged in, it is always possible to find
spiritual counsel where there is a desire to have it.
Harmonization of the various formative levels on the journey of spiritual direction
125. The person receiving spiritual direction is oriented towards
configuration with Christ. Formation can be understood at different
levels or dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual, professional, pas-
toral. These various aspects of formation harmonize reciprocally with
each other in view of ecclesial communion and mission. One always
considers the person as a member of a human and ecclesial commu-
nity.
126. The human dimension or level must be taken well into ac-
count at both a personal and community phases given that the person
must be correctly evaluated and know that he is loved and is able to
love in the truth of grace. This presupposes a journey in freedom, an
authentic set of values, motivations which are ordered towards love,
dispositions to relate and for service. The person is constituted by
relationship with the community.
110 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen-
tium, 31.
111 Ibid. 33.
112 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Apostolicam Actuositatem, 29;
cf. JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (30 Decem-
ber 1988), 7-8, 15, 25-27, 64: l.c., 403-405, 413-416, 436-442, 518-521.
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Spiritual counsel is inspired by the ministry of Christ, in the light
of which the human mystery is deciphered.113 The person has to be
trained to give and to give himself. Through this process, the person
learns to listen, to be with others, to understand, to accompany, to
dialogue, to cooperate, and to undertake sincere friendships.
In the Christian, human virtues are cultivated in the light of faith,
hope and charity. This allows us to think, to evaluate and to love like
Christ. The conciliar and post-conciliar texts of the Magisterium invite
us to undertake this process of “human” formation which takes con-
crete form in a sensibility for justice and peace, harmony in diversity,
capacity to take initiatives, admiration and openness to new values,
constancy, fortitude, readiness for new initiatives, fraternity, sincerity,
welcoming, listening, collaboration, attention to human relations and
to good friendships.114
127. The journey of spiritual direction, precisely because it is a
journey of searching and of lived experience of the truth, of the good
and of beauty, is an harmonious fabric woven of intelligence, affectiv-
ity, will, memory, and of things significant to us. Formation expresses
itself “in stability of mind, in an ability to make weighty decisions, and
in a sound evaluation of men and events”.115
It is a journey which harmonizes the fulfilment of duty, contem-
plative love, study and external action, in a necessary process for the
“unity of life” in the apostolate.
Spiritual direction helps us to know and overcome our own weak-
nesses, in the area of decision making, in memories, in sentiments, and
in sociological, cultural and psychological conditioning.
128. In spiritual direction, one finds assistance to better organize
the time of prayer, of family and community life, of commitment to
113 Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium
et Spes, 22.
114 Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 3;
Ibid., Decree Optatam Totius, 11; JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 43-44, 72: l.c., 731-736; 783-787; CONGREGATION
FOR THE CLERGY, Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31
March 1994), 76.
115 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Optatam Totius, 11.
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children, of work and of rest, valuing interior and exterior silence, as
well as discovering the positive value of difficulties and suffering.
Spiritual direction at this level answers three questions: who am I?
(identity); with whom am I? (relations); and what purpose do I have?
(mission). Under the influence of divine grace, I arrive at proper de-
sires, principles, motivations, informed and correct values and disposi-
tions, which derive from faith, hope and charity and the consequent
moral virtues which is otherwise called life in Christ. The person is
educated and formed to arrive at a self-realization by loving in the
truth of giving oneself to God and one’s neighbour.
In all of this process, account must be taken of the relationship
between grace and nature (as with the relationship between faith and
reason). This must be distinguished and harmonized since “Grace
does not destroy nature, but perfects it”.116 This is a principle of ex-
treme importance when certain orientations and certain means have to
be decided upon in matters touching psychology, cultural differences,
and on the diversity of charisms which are found in different human
conditions and especially in the content of faith.
129. It is necessary to find a unity of grace and nature. In this,
preference must be given to the latter and seeing it as a participation in
the new or divine life. “One aspect of the contemporary technologi-
cal mindset is the tendency to consider the problems and emotions
of the interior life from a purely psychological point of view, even to
the point of neurological reductionism. In this way man’s interiority
is emptied of its meaning and gradually our awareness of the human
soul’s ontological depths, as probed by the saints, is lost. The question
of development is closely bound up with our understanding of the human soul,
insofar as we often reduce the self to the psyche and confuse the
soul’s health with emotional well-being. These over-simplifications
stem from a profound failure to understand the spiritual life, and they
obscure the fact that the development of individuals and peoples de-
pends partly on the resolution of problems of a spiritual nature”.117
116 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Theologiae, I, 1, 8 ad 2.
117 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 76.
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130. Knowledge of temperament and character will help to en-
sure that aspirations to great things will not give rise to pride and in-
dependence (choleric temperament); that affability will not degenerate
into vanity and superficiality (sanguine character); that the tendency to
the interior life and solitude will not risk passivity and discouragement
(melancholic temperament); that perseverance and equanimity will not
become negligence (phlegmatic temperament).
It is at this human level, or dimension, that the question of “psy-
chological assistance” arises. This form of direction “in certain cases
and under precise conditions ... can be assisted, but not replaced, by
forms of analysis or psychological help”.118 In this regard, the docu-
ments of the Church which determine the opportunity and conditions
under which these human instruments may be lawfully used.119
131. As is evident, spiritual direction must give pride of place to
the spiritual dimension because spiritual counsel is principally con-
cerned with improving fidelity to our vocations, our relationship with
God (prayer and contemplation), holiness and perfection, fraternity or
ecclesial communion and our readiness for the apostolate.
In order to accomplish this, any programme for the spiritual life
must be guided by a specific project (guidelines for the spiritual life),
objectives to be accomplished at specific stages (purification, illumina-
tion, union) according to the maturity that has been reached by the
recipient of direction and according to the corresponding methods.
132. The human-Christian and spiritual dimension must be nour-
ished by study and reading. We could describe this as the intellectual or
doctrinal dimension of spiritual direction. Fidelity to this journey is ex-
tremely difficult without a capacity for silent study and spiritual read-
118 JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis
(25 March 1992), 40: l.c., 725.
119 See in this regard: CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION, A Guide to For-
mation in Priestly Celibacy (11 April 1974); “Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admis-
sion and Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood” (29 June 2008), Instruction Concerning the
Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in
View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders (4 November 2005): AAS 97
(2005), 1007-1013; Directives on the Formation of Seminarians Concerning Problems Related to
Marriage and the Family (19 March 1995).
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ing. The content of the faith must be studied especially in curricular
instruction. However, intellectual formation (which is essential to the
spiritual life) must continue to be broadened throughout life and be in-
spired by the saints, spiritual authors, and the by the spiritual classics.
Spiritual direction, in this intellectual or doctrinal dimension, could
be valuable in filling the void encountered in the study of ecclesiastical
material which should always be oriented towards the proclaimed, cel-
ebrated and lived mystery of Christ: “...towards the mystery of Christ.
For it is this mystery which affects the whole history of the human
race, continually influences the Church, and is especially at work in the
priestly ministry”.120 The Christological basis for the spiritual life is the
most suitable basis for a successful preaching in guiding the faithful on
the journey of contemplation, charity and in the apostolate.
Doctrinally oriented spiritual direction encourages a desire for in-
dividual and shared study as well as an assiduous reading of the great
spiritual classics of the East and West.
133. Commitment to the apostolate is a necessary part of spir-
itual counsel and direction. Thus motivations, preferences, and con-
crete realities ought to be examined so that the person receiving direc-
tion becomes more disposed towards mission. Fidelity to the Holy
Spirit infuses “them with a serene courage which impels them to pass
on to others their experience of Jesus and the hope which motivates
them”.121 Only with this spiritual liberty, will the apostolate know how
to overcome the personal and contextual difficulties of every age.
Spiritual direction, in this apostolic and pastoral dimension, in-
cludes giving witness, proclaiming Christ, celebrating the liturgy and
offering service in the various areas of charity.
If spiritual direction is absent in the journey to perfection and
evangelical generosity, it will be difficult for pastoral plans to include
the principal orientation of pastoral activity itself which is that of
bringing the faithful and communities to sanctity and identification
with Christ (cf. 1 Col 1:28; Gal 4:19).
120 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Optatam Totius, 14.
121 JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio (7 December 1990), 24:
AAS 83 (1991), 270-271.
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134. The path of Spiritual direction is to assist in making theolog-
ical and pastoral formation relational. In whatever doctrinal or practi-
cal matter we always seek to live a personal encounter with Christ (cf.
Mk 3:13-14), to live the apostolate (cf. Mt 4:22; Mk 10: 21-31.38), to
live in communion with our neighbour (cf. Lk 10: 1; Jn 17: 21-23) so as
to continue Christ’s mission and share in it (Jn 20:21). The service of
spiritual direction contributes to personal formation in order to build
the communion of the Church.122
122 On spiritual direction, besides the documents already cited, see also the fol-
lowing: SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9, 18;
Decree Optatam Totius 3; 8; 19; JOHN PAUL II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 40; 50; 81: l.c., 725, 747, 799-800; Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (25 March 1996), 21; 67; 46: l.c., 394-395, 442-
443, 418-420; CIC, cann. 239; 246; CCEO cann. 337-339, 346 § 2; CONGREGATION
FOR CLERGY, Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Dives Ecclesiae, 39, 54, 85,
92; CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdo-
talis (19 March 1985), 44-59; Circular Letter Concerning Some of the More Urgent Aspects
of Spiritual Formation in Seminaries (6 January 1980); Directives Concerning the Preparation
of Seminary Educators (4 November 1993), 55; 61 (Spiritual director); CONGREGATION
FOR INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE, Directives
on Formation in Religious Institutes, Potissimum Institutioni, (2 February 1990), 13; 63:
AAS 82 (1990), 479; 509-510; Instruction Starting Afresh from Christ: A Renewed Com-
mitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium (19 May 2002), 8; CONGREGATION FOR
THE EVANGELIZATION OF PEOPLES, Pastoral Guide for Diocesan Priests in Churches Dependent
on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (1 October 1989), 19-33 (spirituality
and priestly life).
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CONCLUSION:
“LET CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU”
(Gal 4:19)
135. The priestly munera (duties), when exercised in the spirit of
Christ, leaves a mark of “paschal joy”123 and of “gladness of hope”
in our hearts (cf. Rm 12:12). John Paul II recalled this when com-
memorating the bicentenary of the birth of the Curé of Ars: “Always
be convinced of this, dear brother priests: this ministry of mercy is
one of the most beautiful and most consoling. It enables you to en-
lighten consciences, to forgive them and to give them fresh vigour in
the name of the Lord Jesus. It enables you to be for them a spiritual
physician and counsellor; it remains “the irreplaceable manifestation
and the test of the priestly ministry”.124
136. The ministry of being a “spiritual counsellor and physi-
cian” is not just one of forgiving sins but of guiding and orienting the
Christian life to correspond generously with God’s loving plan for us.
When the priest responds generously to this plan, that effective flow-
ering of the graces which the Holy Spirit gives to his Church in every
age becomes possible. The Second Vatican Council affirms as much
when it states: “Hence, this holy council, to fulfil its pastoral desires
of an internal renewal of the Church, of the spread of the Gospel in
every land and of a dialogue with the world of today, strongly urges
all priests that they strive always for that growth in holiness by which
they will become consistently better instruments in the service of the
whole People of God, using for this purpose those means which the
Church has approved”.125
The prophetic, liturgical and diaconal munera, exercised in this
spirit, will ensure that the contents of the four constitutions of the
Second Vatican Council will be applied in the Church which, being
“sacrament” or transparent sign of Christ (Lumen Gentium) is the
Church of the Word (Dei Verbum), of the Paschal Mystery (Sacrosanc-
tum Concilium), present in the world and in solidarity with it (Gaudium et
Spes), is the mystery of communion for mission.
123 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 11.
124 JOHN PAUL II, Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1986, 7: l.c., 696.
125 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 12.
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As was the always the case in the implementation of the Councils,
all of this implies a commitment of the baptized in their journey of
holiness and their undertaking of the apostolate.
137. The pastoral care of holiness, which is proclaimed and re-
alized in a special way in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation and in spiritual
direction, and always in relation to the Holy Eucharist, is principally
carried out by the priestly ministry, as the ministry that builds up unity
(communion) at the heart of the human and ecclesial community.
138. The values of progress and technology need to be invested
with a “soul” or a “spirituality”, as Benedict XVI says: “Development
must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth, since the human
person is a “unity of body and soul”, born of God’s creative love and
destined for eternal life. The human being develops when he grows in
the spirit, when his soul comes to know itself and the truths that God
has implanted deep within, when he enters into dialogue with himself
and his Creator.... There cannot be holistic development and universal common
good unless people’s spiritual and moral welfare is taken into account, considered
in their totality as body and soul”.126
Spiritual direction of the baptized is an enthusing journey which
impels the confessor or spiritual director to live joyfully his spiritual
journey of giving to the Lord. “[This] requires new eyes and a new
heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable
of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot
give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human
development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity
in truth”.127
Thus, priests experience that “in their work they are never
alone”.128 They have been sent by the Risen Christ; they are accom-
panied by him and attended by him. Who journeys with them in the
saving plan of God “which is only brought to fulfilment little by little
through the collaboration of many ministries in building up the Body
of Christ until it grows to the fullness of time”.129
126 BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 76.
127 Ibid., 77.
128 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 22.
129 Ibid.
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139. The perennial reform of the Church’s life needs an unequiv-
ocal note of hope. The growth of priestly and religious vocations and
of ecclesial commitment on the part of the laity in the path of holiness
and in the apostolate, requires a renewal of the ministry of penance
and spiritual direction which should be exercised with well grounded
enthusiasm and generous self-giving. This is the new Springtide which
John Paul II hoped for: “Today, as never before, the Church has the
opportunity of bringing the Gospel, by witness and word, to all peo-
ple and nations. I see the dawning of a new missionary age, which will
become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest, if all Christians,
and missionaries and young churches in particular, respond with gen-
erosity and holiness to the calls and challenges of our time”.130
140. New situations and new graces nourish our hope for an ap-
ostolic fervour: “Like the apostles after Christ’s Ascension, the Church
must gather in the Upper Room ‘together with Mary, the Mother of
Jesus’ (Acts 1:14), in order to pray for the Spirit and to gain strength
and courage to carry out the missionary mandate. We too, like the
apostles, need to be transformed and guided by the Spirit”.131 The
ministry of reconciliation and the service of spiritual direction are
decisive aids in this constant process of openness and fidelity to all the
Church and, especially, of the ministerial priesthood’s actualization of
the activity of the Holy Spirit.
Vatican City, 9 March 2011
Ash Wednesday
MAURO Card. PIACENZA
Prefect
c CELSO MORGA IRUZUBIETA
Titular Archbishop of Alba marittima
Secretary
130 JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio (7 December 1990), 92:
l.c., 339.
131 Ibid.
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SUBJECT INDEX
Absolution of sins: 36-47.
Apostle: 133-140.
Apostles: 9-11, 110-120
Apostolate: 133-140.
Apostolic life: 117-121.
Apostolic zeal (see apostolate, ministerial readiness).
Associations (see ecclesial communities): 117-121.
Balance between grace and human nature (see grace): 64-65; 125-134.
Baptism: 25-27, 32-35.
Blood of Christ: 9-11; 110-116.
Call to Holiness: 28-31; 48-50; 87-97; 110-116; 122-124.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (see documents of the Church): 25-31;
39-43.
Character: 125-134.
Charity: 64-65.
Christ, priest and Victim: 61-63
Christ the Good Shepherd: 28-31; 51-57; 110-116.
Christian perfection (see charity, holiness).
Church (see ecclesial communion, ecclesial communities): 7-11; 14-18.
Code of Canon Law: 44-47; 58-59 (penance); 87-97 (spiritual direction).
Community life (see ecclesial community): 74-76; 78-80; 87-97; 101-105; 117-
121; 125-134.
Confession and spiritual direction: 41-42; 74-76.
Confession of sins: 25-27.
Confessional: 41-47.
Configuration to Christ (see imitation, sanctity, evangelical following): 48-50.
Conscience (see examination of conscience): 14-18 (formation); 81-83.
Consecrated life: 117-121.
Contemporary difficulties: 61-63.
Contemporary questions concerning spiritual direction: 64-76.
Contemporary questions concerning the Sacrament of Penance: 7-23; 61-63.
Contemporary situations: 7-23; 64-76.
Contemplation (see prayer): 81-83.
Contrition, sorrow for sins: 36-43.
Conversion: 12-13; 21-27.
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Cross (see paschal mystery): 87-97; 117-121.
Curé of Ars: 1-6; 19-20; 28-35; 51-59; 74-76.
Diocesan priest: 110-121.
Discernment of the Spirit: 66-69; 78-80; 98-100.
Discernment of vocation: 70-73.
Disciple, discipleship: 106-109.
Disciplinary norms for the Sacrament of Penance: 44-47.
Documents of the Church: see the bibliographical notes, especially at the
end of the first part (61-63) and of the second part (125-134).
Ecclesial Communion (see Church, community, norms, community life): 70-
73; 125-134.
Ecclesial community (see Church, community life): 14-18; 25-27; 36-42; 51-
57; 74-76; 78-80.
Eucharist: 14-18.
Evangelical counsels: 117-121.
Evangelization (see apostolate, mission).
Examination of conscience: 36-40; 87-97.
Expiation: 36-40
Extraordinary phenomena: 87-97.
Faith: 9-11; 25-40.
Family (see marriage): 32-35. See also bibliographical note at the end of the
first part.
Father (see the love of God, God as love, mercy, Our Father): 25-27.
Fidelity to Christ and to the Church: 61-63.
First Confession and Communion: 28-31
Following in the evangelical footsteps: 110-124.
Formation for spiritual direction: 66-69.
Formation of the faithful: 14-18; 58-59.
Formation of ministers: 14-18; 58-59.
Fraternal Love (cf. charity)
Freedom of choice: 44-47; 74-76.
Glory of God (see holiness, will of God).
God as Love (see Love of God, mercy): 21-23.
Good Shepherd: 28-31; 51-60; 111-116.
Grace: 32-35; 61-63; 64-65; 87-97; 125-134.
Grace – in relation to human nature: (see grace) 64-65; 125-134.
Heart of Christ: 22; 32; 61-63.
History of salvation (see liturgy, paschal mystery, salvation).
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History of spiritual direction: 64-65.
Holiness: 28-31; 48-50; 87-97.
Holy Confessors: 14.
Holy Spirit (see discernment): 36-40; 78-83; 98-100.
Human formation: 125-134.
Human virtues: 125-134.
Initial formation: 66-69.
Intellectual formation: 125-134.
Journey of holiness, of spiritual life: 28-31; 48-50; 87-97.
Journey of prayer: 81-83.
Journey of perfection (see holiness): 28-31; 81-83; 87-97.
Joy: 7-8; 21-23.
Justice: 74-76.
Justification (see Grace).
Kerygma: 9-11.
Laity: 122-124.
Lent (see penance): 36-40.
Liturgical celebration of the Sacrament of Penance: 41-43.
Liturgy: 41-43.
Love of God (see charity, mercy, forgiveness): 51-57.
Love of neighbour (see charity).
Magisterium of the Church (see documents of the Church).
Matrimony: 32-35: see the bibliographical notes at the end of the first part.
Mary: Introduction; 1-6; 21-23; 60.
Meekness: 61-63.
Mercy of God and of the Church: 21-23; 58-60.
Ministerial priesthood: 110-121.
Ministerial readiness: 48-57.
Ministry, ministers of reconciliation (penance): 24-63.
Ministry and spiritual direction: 70-73; 110-116.
Mission (see apostolate): 125-134.
Mission of Christ prolonged in the Church: 9-11.
Model Priests and confessors: 14-15.
Morality (see virtue): 61-63; 125-134.
Morality of marriage (see family, marriage).
Novices (see initial formation).
Our Father: 32-35.
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Pardon: 25-27.
Paschal mystery (paschal celebration, journey to the resurrection): 9-11; 21-23.
Pastoral charity: 44-47; 51-56.
Pastoral renewal: 7-8.
Pastoral work: 7-8; 14-18.
Pastoral work for vocations: 66-69.
Pastors (see Good Shepherd, pastoral charity): 14-18.
Peace (see reconciliation): 14-18.
Penance: 25-27; 41-43.
Penitent: 36-40.
Permanent formation: 66-69.
Personal and community celebration: 41-43.
Plan for priestly life: 117-121.
Prayer: 81-83.
Priest: 110-116.
Priestly life (cf. ministerial priesthood).
Priests and consecrated life: 117-121.
Priest as penitent and spiritual disciple: 14-18; 74-76; 110-116.
Proposals: 41-43; 51-57; 87-97.
Prudence: 44-47.
Psychology: 87-97; 125-134.
Qualities of the spiritual director: 101-105.
Qualities of spiritual disciple: 106-109.
Reconciliation: 12-18.
Radical, radicalism (see evangelical discipleship).
Redemption (see cross, paschal mystery, blood): 9-11; 64-65.
Reserve (secret): 32-35.
Resurrection (see paschal mystery).
Ritual of Penance: 41-47.
Sacrament of Penance: Institution (9-11); nature and theological bases (24); mis-
sion of Christ prolonged in the Church (7-8); mystery of grace (14-18);
importance and necessity (7-23); paschal celebration (25-27); fruits of
sanctity (25-35); minister: confessor, attitude, quality, welcome, invitation
to holiness, duties; father; master, judge, physician, pastor (36-40); cel-
ebration: liturgy, acts of penance and ministry of the confessor (41-43);
personal and community celebration (41-47); penitents: types, situations,
qualities (32-40; 44-47); confession of sins and contrition, sorrow for sins
(36-40); expiation and proposals of amendment (24; 36-40); terminol-
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ogy of the sacrament: confession, penance, reconciliation (25-27); the
priest as penitent (14-18); present difficulties (36-40); liberty in choice of
confessor (44-47); pastoral guidelines (58-59); ministry of mercy (21-23;
58-60); fidelity to disciplinary norms as an expression of pastoral char-
ity (44-47); paternal welcome (51-57); witness and teaching of the Curé
of Ars (19-20; 51-59); urgent invitation to ministerial readiness (48-57);
documents of the Church (61-63); permanent formation of confessors
and penitents (58-59). See other aspects under various headings in this
subject index.
Sacrament of Penance and spiritual direction: 41-43; 70-76.
Sacrifice: 36-40.
Saints and spiritual direction: 64-65.
Salvation, dialogue of salvation (see grace): 110-116.
Second Vatican Council (passim as cited in documents): Conclusion (synthe-
sis of the Constitutions).
Seminary, seminarians (see initial formation): 66-69; 87-97; 125-134.
Service (see ministerial readiness).
Signs of the times: 98-100.
Sin, sense of sin: 25-31; 35-40.
Social doctrine: progress and development: 70-73; 135-140.
Sorrow for sins (see contrition).
Special cases in spiritual direction: 87-97.
Special examination: 106-109.
Spirit of evil: 78-80; 98-100.
Spiritual life: 81-83; 87-97.
Spiritual counsel (see spiritual direction): 70-73.
Spiritual direction: historical iter (64-65); current issues and importance (64-76);
nature and theological foundation (77); objective (78-80); terminology:
spiritual direction, spiritual counsel, spiritual accompaniment (77); action
of the Holy Spirit, personal and community discernment of the Spirit,
prayer to the Holy Spirit (66-73; 78-80; 98-100); seeking the will of God
(78-80; 98-100); journey of prayer and perfection (81-83; 87-97; 125-134);
universal call to the holiness-perfection of charity (81-83); the spiritual di-
rector: qualities(84-86); the disciple: qualities, docility, circumstances, free
choice (74-76; 110-116); priest disciple (74-76; 110-116); ministry of the
priest (70-73; 110-116); means of sanctity for the priest (74-76); spiritual
direction according to vocation (84-86): priests (110-121), consecrated
life (117-121), laity (122-124); free choice; levels and dimensions: human,
spiritual, intellectual, apostolic (125-134); training to give and receive spir-
itual direction (66-69); in pastoral projects (74-76); witness and teaching
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of the Curé of Ars (74-76); documents of the Church (125-134). See
other entries in this index.
Spiritual direction and confession: 41-43; 70-76.
Spiritual direction and the priest: 74-76.
Spiritual director, qualities: 101-105.
Spiritual exercises: 117-121.
Spiritual formation: 66-69; 125-134.
Spiritual life: 81-83; 87-97.
Spirituality: 125-134.
Spirituality of consecrated life: 117-121.
Spirituality of the laity: 122-124.
Spirituality of the priestly minister: 110-121.
Stages in the spiritual life: 81-83; 87-97.
States of life: 84-86; 110-124.
Study (see intellectual formation): 66-69.
Suffering: 125-134.
Temperaments: 125-134.
Temptation (and spirit of evil): 98-100.
Theology of Perfection (of spirituality): 66-69.
Terminology of spiritual direction: 64-65; 77.
Terminology of the Sacrament of Penance: 25-27.
Trinity, trinitarian life: 12-13; 51-57.
Unity of the Church (see reconciliation).
Unity of life: 110-121; 125-134.
Vatican II (see documents of the Church, citations in the documents).
Vocation: 70-73; 84-86.
Virtue: 110-134.
Welcome (see mercy): 51-57; 109-113.
Will of God: 78-80; 98-100.
Witness of pastors: 14-18.
Youth: 74-76.
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APPENDIX I
EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE FOR PRIESTS
1. “It is for their sakes that I sanctify myself, so that they, too, may be sanctified by the
truth” (Jn 17:19).
Do I really take holiness seriously in my priesthood? Am I convinced that
the success of my priestly ministry comes from God and that, with the
grace of the Holy Spirit, I have to identify myself with Christ and give my
life for the salvation of the world?
2. “This is my body” (Mt 26:26).
Is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the centre of my spiritual life? Do I
prepare well to celebrate Mass? Do I devoutly celebrate the Mass? Do I
make an act of thanksgiving after Mass? Is the Mass the centre of my day
in giving thanks and praise to God for his blessings? Do I have recourse
to his goodness? Do I make reparation for my sins and for those of all
mankind?
3. “Zeal for your house consumes me” (Jn 2:17).
Do I celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the rites and
rubrics established by the Church? Do I celebrate Holy Mass with a right
intention and according to the approved liturgical books? Am I attentive
to the sacred species conserved in the tabernacle and careful to renew it
periodically? Do I pay due attention to the sacred vessels and ensure their
conservation? Do I wear in a dignified fashion all of the sacred vestments
prescribed by the Church? Am I conscious that I act in persona Christi Ca-
pitis?
4. “Remain in my love” (Jn 15:9).
Do I enjoy being in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, in
meditation and in silent adoration? Am I faithful to the daily visit to the
Blessed Sacrament? Is the tabernacle my true treasure?
5. “Explain the parable to us” (Mt 13:36).
Do I carefully make a daily meditation and try to overcome all distrac-
tions which separate me from God? Do I seek illumination from the Lord
whom I serve? Do I assiduously meditate on the Sacred Scriptures? Do I
carefully say my habitual prayers?
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6. It is necessary “pray always and without tiring” (Lk 18:1)
Do I celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours every day in an integral, digni-
fied, attentive and devout manner? Am I faithful to my commitment to
Christ in this important aspect of my ministry, praying in the name of
the entire Church?
7. “Come and follow me” (Mt 19:21).
Is the Lord Jesus Christ the true love of my life? Do I joyfully observe
my commitment to love before God in celibate continence? Am I given
to impure thoughts, desires or actions? Do I indulge in improper con-
versation? Have I allowed myself to be in the proximate occasion of
sin against chastity? Do I observe custody of the eyes? Have I been
prudent in my dealings with the various categories of persons? Does my
life represent for the faithful a true witness to the fact that holy purity is
possible, fruitful and joyful?
8. “Who are you?” (Jn 1:20).
In my daily life, am I weak, lazy or indolent? Do my conversations con-
form to a sense of the natural and supernatural that a priest should have?
Am I careful to ensure that there are no elements of vanity or superficial-
ity in my life? Are all my actions consistent with my priestly state?
9. The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Mt. 8:20).
Do I love Christian poverty? Does my heart belong to God? Am I spirit-
ually detached from everything else? Am I prepared to make sacrifices to
better serve God? Am I prepared to give up my comforts, personal plans,
and legitimate contacts, for God? Do I possess superfluous things? Do I
make unnecessary expenditure or am I taken over by consumerism? Do I
use my free time so as to be close to God remembering that I am always
a priest – even at these times of rest or vacation?
10. “You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to mere
children” (Mt 11:25).
Am I guilty of the sins of pride: spiritual difficulties, susceptibility, irrita-
tion, unwillingness to forgive, tendencies to despondency, etc.? Do I ask
God to give me the virtue of humility?
11. “And there flowed out blood and water” (Jn 19:34).
Am I convinced that when I act “in the person of Christ” that I am
directly involved with the same Body of Christ, the Church? Can I sin-
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cerely say that I love the Church? Can I sincerely say that I strive with
joy for her growth? Am I concerned for her interests, those of all her
members and for the whole human race?
12. “You are Peter” (Mt 16:18).
Nihil sine Episcopo – nothing without the Bishop – was a saying of St
Ignatius of Antioch. Are these words at the root of my ministry? Do I
receive orders, counsels or correction from my Ordinary with docility?
Do I pray often for the Holy Father? Am I in full communion with his
teaching and intentions?
13. “Love one another” (Jn 13:34).
Have I been charitable in dealing with my brother priests? Does my ego-
ism leave me indifferent to them? Have I criticised my brother priests?
Have I supported those who are morally or physically ill? Am I com-
mitted to fraternal action so that no one is ever left alone? Do I treat all
my brother priests and all of the laity with the charity and patience of
Christ?
14. “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).
Is my knowledge of the teaching of the Church as comprehensive as it
should be? Do I assimilate and transmit her teachings? Am I conscious
that to teach something contrary to the Magisterium, solemn or ordinary,
is gravely abusive and causes damage to the faithful?
15. “Go and sin no more” (Jn 8:11).
Proclamation of the Word leads the faithful to the Sacraments. Do I
regularly go to Confession? Do I frequently go to Confession in accord-
ance with my state of life and because of the sacred things with which I
am involved? Do I generously celebrate the Sacrament of Penance? Am
I reasonably available to the faithful for spiritual direction and do I set
particular times aside for this purpose? Do I carefully prepare to instruct
in catechesis? Do I preach with zeal and with the love of God?
16. “He called those to himself whom he willed and these went with him” (Mk 3:13).
Am I careful to promote vocations to the priesthood and to the religious
life? Do I promote a greater awareness of the universal call to holiness
among the faithful? Do I encourage the faithful to pray for vocations and
for the sanctification of the clergy?
17. “The Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28).
Have I sought to devote myself to others and serve them every day ac-
cording to the demands of the Gospel? Do I give witness to the Lord’s
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charity by good works? Do I see the presence of Christ in the Cross and
do I see in it the triumph of love? Is my daily activity marked by a spirit
of service? Do I consider the exercise of authority as a form of serv-
ice?
18. “I thirst” (Jn 19:28).
Have I prayed and generously made sacrifices for the good of the souls
entrusted to my care by God? Do I discharge my pastoral duties? Am I
solicitous for the Holy Souls?
19. Behold your son. Behold your mother (Jn 19: 26-27).
Do I entrust myself, full of hope, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of
Priests, through love and to love all the more her son Jesus Christ? Do
I practice Marian devotion? Do I say the Rosary every day? Do I have
recourse to her maternal intercession in my struggles with the devil, con-
cupiscence, and the world?
20. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:44).
Am I solicitous in assisting and in administering the sacraments to the
dying? In my personal meditation, in catechesis and in my ordinary
preaching, do I give consideration to the Church’s teaching on the Last
Things? Do I ask for the grace of perseverance? Do I ask the faithful to
do likewise? Do I make frequent and devout suffrage for the souls of the
faithful departed?
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APPENDIX II
PRAYERS
ORATIO SACERDOTIS ANTEQUAM CONFESSIONES EXCIPIAT
Da mihi, Dómine, sédium tuárum assistrícem sapiéntiam, ut sciam iu-
dicáre pópulum tuum in iustítia, et páuperes tuos in iudício. Fac me ita tractáre
claves regni cælórum, ut nulli apériam, cui claudéndum sit, nulli claudam, cui
aperiéndum. Sit inténtio mea pura, zelus meus sincérus, cáritas mea pátiens,
labor meus fructuósus.
Sit in me lénitas non remíssa, aspéritas non sevéra; páuperem ne despí-
ciam, díviti ne adúler. Fac me ad alliciéndos peccatóres suávem, ad inter-
rogándos prudéntem, ad instruéndos perítum.
Tríbue, quæso, ad retrahéndos a malo sollértiam, ad confirmandos in
bono sedulitátem, ad promovéndos ad melióra indústriam: in respónsis matu-
ritátem, in consíliis rectitúdinem, in obscúris lumen, in impléxis sagacitátem,
in árduis victóriam: inutílibus collóquiis ne detínear, pravis ne contáminer;
álios salvem, me ipsum non perdam. Amen.
PRIEST’S PRAYER BEFORE HEARING CONFESSIONS
Grant to me, O Lord, that wisdom which stands beside Your throne, that
I may know how to judge Your people with justice, and Your poor ones with
equity. Let me so use the keys of the Kingdom of heaven that I may open to
no one upon whom they should shut, nor close them to any for whom they
should open. May my intention be pure, my zeal sincere, my charity patient,
my labour fruitful.
Let me be gentle without weakness, severe without harshness. Let me not
disdain the poor; nor fawn the rich. Make me kind that I may attract sinners,
prudent in questioning them, adroit in directing them.
Grant, I beseech You, skill to lead them back from sin, zeal in confirming
them in good, diligence in elevating them to better things. Grant me good
judgement in answering questions, correctness in counselling. Give me light
when things are obscure, wisdom when they are entangled, victory when they
are difficult. May I myself be not lost.
ORATIO SACERDOTIS POSTQUAM CONFESSIONES EXCEPERIT
Dómine Iesu Christe, dulcis amátor et sanctificátor animárum, purífica,
óbsecro, per infusiónem Sancti Spíritus cor meum ab omni affectióne et cogi-
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tatióne vitiósa, et quidquid a me in meo múnere sive per neglegéntiam, sive
per ignorántiam peccátum est, tua infiníta pietáte et misericórdia supplére
dignéris. Comméndo in tuis amabilíssimis vulnéribus omnes ánimas, quas ad
pæniténtiam traxísti, et tuo pretiosíssimo Sánguine sanctificásti, ut eas a pec-
cátis ómnibus custódias et in tuo timóre et amóre consérves, in virtútibus in
dies magis promóveas, atque ad vitam perdúcas ætérnam: Qui cum Patre et
Spíritu Sancto vivis et regnas in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Dómine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi, súscipe hoc obséquii mei ministérium
in amóre illo superdigníssimo, quo beátam Maríam Magdalénam omnésque
ad te confugiéntes peccatóres absolvísti, et quidquid in sacraménti huius ad-
ministratione neglegénter minúsque digne perféci, tu per te supplére et satis-
fácere dignéris. Omnes et síngulos, qui mihi modo conféssi sunt, comméndo
dulcíssimo Cordi tuo rogans, ut eósdem custódias et a recidíva præsérves
atque post huius vitæ misériam mecum ad gáudia perdúcas ætérna. Amen.
PRIEST’S PRAYER AFTER HEARING CONFESSIONS
Lord Jesus Christ, sweet lover and sanctifier of souls, I pray You, through
the infusion of the Holy Spirit, to purify my heart from every dissolute feel-
ing or thought and to replace, through Your infinite compassion and mercy,
everything in my ministry which may be a cause of sin, due to my ignorance
or neglect. I commend to Your amiable wounds all the souls whom You have
brought to repentance and sanctified through Your precious blood so that
You may guard them from every sin and keep in Your love all who fear You,
promote in them each day more virtues, and bring them to everlasting life.
You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, receive this performance of
my ministry with that surpassing love with which You absolved blessed Mary
Magdalene and all sinners flying to You. Whatever in the administration of
this Sacrament I may have performed negligently and unworthily, deign to
supply and satisfy. I recommend to Your most Sacred Heart all and each who
have now confessed to me, asking You to guard them from relapse. After the
misery of this life lead them with me into the joys of eternal life. Amen.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
INTRODUCTION: TOWARDS HOLINESS [1-6] . . . . . . . .
5
I. THE MINISTRY OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
WITH A VIEW TO CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
1. Contemporary importance, moment of grace . . . . .
8
An urgent invitation [7-8] . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Christ’s Mission operative in the Church [9-11] . . . .
8
Opening ourselves to love and reconciliation [12-13] . . .
9
The witness and commitment of pastors [14-18] . . . .
10
The example of the Curé of Ars [19-20] . . . . . . .
12
The ministry of mercy [21-23] . . . . . . . . .
14
2. Fundamental approach . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
The nature of the Sacrament of Penance [24] . . . .
15
Paschal celebration, journey of conversion [25-27] . . .
15
On the journey of holiness [28-31] . . . . . . . .
16
A mystery of grace [32-35] . . . . . . . . . .
17
3. Some practical guidelines . . . . . . . . . . .
19
The ministry of awakening proper dispositions in the peni-
tent [36-40] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
The liturgical celebration [41-43] . . . . . . . . .
20
Practical norms established by the Church: an expression of
pastoral charity [44-47] . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Orientation on the journey of holiness in harmony with the
action of the Holy Spirit [48-50] . . . . . . . .
23
Ministerial availability and fatherly welcome [51-57] . . .
24
A renewed and up to date training for priests so as to be able
to guide the faithful in different circumstances [58-60] .
26
New circumstances, new graces, new fervour of priests [61-63] 26
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II. THE MINISTRY OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
1. Contemporary Importance, moment of grace . . . . .
29
Historical and contemporary itinerary [64-65] . . . . .
29
Priestly formation for spiritual accompaniment [66-69] . .
30
Spiritual direction and priestly ministry [70-73] . . . .
31
Spiritual direction received by ordained ministers [74-76] .
32
2. Fundamental approach . . . . . . . . . . . .
33
Theological nature and basis [77] . . . . . . . . .
33
Specific objective [78-80] . . . . . . . . . . .
34
Dynamism and process [81-83] . . . . . . . . .
35
For all vocations and states of life [84-86] . . . . . .
36
3. Practical guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . .
37
Concrete itinerary or path of the spiritual life [87-97] . .
37
Discerning the Holy Spirit in spiritual direction [98-100] .
41
Qualities of the spiritual director [101-105] . . . . . .
42
Qualities in the recipient of spiritual direction [106-109] .
43
Spiritual direction of the priest [110-116] . . . . . .
44
Spiritual direction in the consecrated life [117-121] . . .
47
Spiritual direction for the laity [122-124] . . . . . .
48
Harmonization of the various formative levels on the journey
of spiritual direction [125-134] . . . . . . . . .
50
CONCLUSION: “LET CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU” (Gal 4:19) [135-140]
56
Vocabulary, subject index . . . . . . . . . . . .
59
APPENDIX I – Examination of Conscience for Priests . . .
65
APPENDIX II – Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . .
69