May 20, 2008
Direction
Complete with foot-in-mouth, I started a weekend retreat at a nearby mountain convent by asking Sister Mary Anonymous, whom I thought to be my assigned spiritual director, What is a spiritual director. She claimed that she didn’t know what is a spiritual director. Further, she added that she was not one, and, with emphasis, that she was certainly not mine. With that refreshing opener, off we went in some not altogether obvious spiritual direction.
I had only a few weeks previous been named to the short list as a nominee for the coming episcopal election in our diocese and was feeling a bit heady about it. After two sessions, Sister answered a question that I had not asked nor had we discussed as she informed me that I was in no way episcopal material. What she knew about bishops was clearly more than she claimed she knew about spiritual direction. If she was right about that, she was surely right about me. That was considerable relief, though my vanity hardly agreed and was not at all pleased.
I suppose I’ve enough vanity left to recount this story largely because of the compliment she gave me at the end of our last session and because its relevance may seem obvious shortly. I am surprised and much pleased, she said, finally to find a priest who is so well in touch with his feminine consciousness.
This almost daily essay named for one of our band’s favorite tunes depends a lot on muses. Muses are neither always that dependable nor generous and more often of late just plain hard to get. But wouldn’t you think they’d know along with the Sister how well-aimed is my spirit in their direction and maybe give me some slack now and then?
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