Spiritual direction requires a deep human sensitivity and a great supernatural spirit; therefore, confidences “are not made to just anyone, but to those who deserve our trust because of who they are or because of what God makes them be for us.” For St. Paul, the person God chooses will be Ananias, who strengthens him on the path of his conversion; for Tobias, it will be the Archangel St. Raphael, in human form, charged by God with guiding and advising him on his long journey.
Spiritual direction must take place in a supernatural atmosphere: we seek the voice of God. To ask for advice or confide a purely human concern of no great importance, it would perhaps suffice to turn to someone who is capable of understanding and is discreet and prudent, but for matters concerning the soul, we must discern in prayer who is the good shepherd for us, "for there is a danger, if only human motives are taken into account, that they will not understand or comprehend, and then joy turns to bitterness, and bitterness leads to incomprehension that does not bring relief; and in both cases, one experiences the uneasiness, the intimate discomfort of one who has spoken too much, with whom one should not have spoken, about what one should not have spoken about." We must not choose blind guides, who rather than helping us would lead us to stumble and fall.
The supernatural sense with which we turn to spiritual direction will also prevent us from seeking advice that favors our own selfishness, that silences the cry of our own soul with its presumed authority, and even that leads us to change counselors until we find the most benevolent one. This temptation can occur especially in more delicate matters that require sacrifice, in which one may not be willing to change, in an attempt to adapt God's Will to one's own will: for example, when discovering one's vocation, which requires greater dedication; when having to give up an inappropriate friendship; in generosity in the number of children, for married couples, etc.
Let us ask the Lord to be people of upright conscience, who seek His Will and do not allow themselves to be led by human motives: who truly seek to please Him, and not a “false peace of mind” or “looking good.” Likewise, it would be a lack of supernatural vision to be overly concerned with “what they may have thought,” “what they are going to think,” or the judgment they have formed about us... Supernatural vision leads to sincerity and simplicity.
Inner life needs time to mature and cannot be improvised overnight. We will experience defeats, which will help us to be more humble, and victories, which manifest the effectiveness of grace bearing fruit in us. We will need to begin and start again many times, without discouragement and without expecting immediate results, even though they sometimes come. Sometimes the Lord wants us not to see them for a greater good.
HCD