The Role of Spiritual Director in Suffering

Divine Appeal Reflection - 242

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 242: "I will let your sufferings be increased. I also will shower My Apostle with graces to strengthen your soul. Try to use it well."

In the spiritual life, suffering is never wasted. It is allowed by God not to crush, but to purify and elevate. Yet, amid the confusion that suffering brings—questions, inner darkness, and vulnerability—God, in His mercy, appoints someone to walk with us: the spiritual director, a human echo of divine wisdom. When Jesus allows our trials to increase, as He sometimes does for the greater good of our soul, He does not leave us orphaned. He sends His "Apostles"—priests, confessors, directors—who act as channels of clarity and strength. Their mission is not to remove the cross, but to help the soul carry it fruitfully, with eyes fixed on Heaven.

The wisdom of the saints confirms this divine pattern. Saint Teresa of Avila, a mystic and reformer, was firm in her teaching: no matter how elevated the soul’s experiences, no spiritual progress should be trusted without guidance and obedience to a spiritual director. Likewise, Saint John of the Cross taught that the soul without direction is like a lone tree in a storm. It may look firm, but it is vulnerable. In God’s design, the graces to endure and interpret suffering well are often mediated through another soul—one entrusted with discernment and insight, often at the price of their own hidden suffering and prayer.

The spiritual director, however, is not a substitute for God but an instrument. The Catechism reminds us that every Christian is called to discern God's will in all things (cf. CCC 2706–2709), and spiritual direction helps train the heart to listen rightly. Christ promises to "shower" His apostles with graces to strengthen those under their care. This spiritual dynamic mirrors the early Church, where the apostles did not merely preach but guided, corrected, and built up individual souls (cf. Acts 8:26–31). Their ministry was one of accompaniment—an extension of Christ’s own heart toward the weak, the wounded, and the seeking.

But Jesus also asks something of us: to “try to use it well.” Grace can be poured out, but if the soul resists, remains proud, or seeks to direct itself according to emotion or ego, even divine help bears little fruit. To "use it well" means to cooperate humbly with the guidance given, to trust when understanding is dim, and to be docile when God speaks through the director, even if the message is difficult. In times of suffering, the temptation is to turn inward—but the path of Christ is always relational. His grace comes through the Eucharist, through the Church, and often, through the listening ear and discerning heart of the one He sends to walk beside us.

Prayer:

O Adorable Jesus, Teacher and Shepherd, thank You for the gift of spiritual direction. Strengthen those You call to guide souls, and grant to those who suffer the grace to listen, trust, and grow. May every trial become a doorway to deeper union with You through the wisdom of Your chosen servants. Amen.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.