Living the Spiritual Way;
The Path to Self-Discovery.
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE
Encountering Love Through the Divine
The often-used quote: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You” from St. Augustine clearly describes the inner longing that everyone has; the longing for love. Augustine knew that such longing is only satisfied when one engages a spiritual journey that involves seeking the presence of the mysterious other; the Divine, whom we call God.
The spiritual life is an ongoing experience of the powerful love relationship that happens between humanity and divinity. It is in the profound mystery of this connection that we find our truest selves.
Introducing
BEVERLEY FOURNIER,
SPIRITUAL COMPANION & DIRECTOR
Personally, and professionally, Beverley has dedicated her life to companioning those who desire to experience relationship with the God of their understanding, where only the truest and deepest love can be found. This is the love that opens one up to a full experience of the spiritual life described as:
“The life that is concerned with the whole person, for the spiritual life is not just the life of the mind, or the affections, or of the ‘summit of the soul’ – it is the life of the whole person” (Thomas Merton).
You are not alone
Many seek to deepen self-knowledge;
experience love differently, and satisfy a
longing for “I know not what…
The Connection
The Journey of Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is best defined as interaction between one believer (the spiriutal director) to another (the directed) “that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship”
(Bill Barry, SJ and Bill Connelly, SJ).
The spiritual director serves as a companion and guide who helps one to:
- Experience God as within reach (God’s divinity in connection to our humanity)
- Discover the reality of relationship with God that comes alive through prayer, scripture, sacramental participation, contemplation, meditation, poetry, art, music and journaling
- Acknowledge that relationship with God leads to true self-discovery that is graced with authentic divine love
- Be attentive to God’s presence in all things (experiences of pure joy and deep sorrow)
- Savor, linger with, and relive an experience of God
- Help each individual to process emotions and feelings that come from past realities and share these with God in sacred communication
- Assist the directee’s attentiveness to God’s presence in the midst of their personal realities and discern how God might be speaking to them
