WHAT’S
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AND A
CONFESSOR? *** A confessor and a spiritual director could easily be one and the same person. All confessors should give spiritual direction. They direct the penitent along the road to conversion and holiness. Of course, they may not be able to give much detailed direction due to time constraints and limited knowledge of their penitents. This is one of the reasons why we make a distinction between these two ministries: that of the confessor, who gives absolution for our sins in the sacrament of reconciliation, and that of the spiritual director who provides appropriate guidance in spiritual ways. You may be aware that in our day and age, laypersons – women as well as men - act as spiritual directors. They can be very good at it. This is quite acceptable as long as these laypersons have the proper preparation in theology and spirituality. Of course, they cannot be confessors as they did not receive the priestly ordination. The role of the confessor is very important: he is the proxy of the Lord who went about forgiving sins while he walked on earth, and who transmitted the same power to his legates, the priests (Jn 20: 22-23). A spiritual director also has a divine mission: to guide souls through what may seem to be the labyrinth of spiritual life. To each one of us, God says: “Put out into deep water...” (Lk 5: 4). A confessor invites the soul to break the moorings and cast off. A director is the experienced pilot who leads the boat through the channel into the deep sea of holiness; he makes sure the soul will arrive in heaven safe and sound.
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