The Spiritual Director for the Married and Family Life in the Light of Amoris Laetitia 313 324

Among the many areas that the married and family life is not receiving adequate attention is spiritual direction due to either ignorance of its need or lack of specialised personnel to serve as their spiritual directors. Sometimes many married people and families refer to the whole act of counseling they receive in their troubled moments as spiritual direction and the one who counsels them as their spiritual director. However, a careful consideration shows that while counseling at troubled moments with some spiritual supports may be spiritual care, it is different from spiritual direction. Counseling is about life problem solving but spiritual direction is about guiding a soul in the spiritual life towards attaining perfect union with God. Pope Francis in his Post Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia talks about the spirituality of the married and the family life. In this light, this article studies who is a spiritual director for the married and the family life What form of training such a person should receive to qualify him her as their spiritual director What role he she should be playing in their lives in the light of their spiritual life as the married and as a family. The paper states clearly that the phrase “spiritual director” in general and in particular for the married and family life should be used for one who guides them in their spiritual growth to union with God. The role of such person is not that of a counselor even if in the course of his her ministry may need to offer counsel. He is one who knows the condition and state of the married and the family life with regards to their spiritual journey towards perfect union with God. Andrew Adaeyiza Otu "The Spiritual Director for the Married and Family Life in the Light of Amoris Laetitia 313-324" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-4 , June 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50068.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/social-science/50068/the-spiritual-director-for-the-married-and-family-life-in-the-light-of-amoris-laetitia-313324/andrew-adaeyiza-otu