Enrichment Session for Spiritual Directors: Reimagining Sin, An Exploration Towards Freedom

Online Enrichment Sessions for Spiritual Directors

Sundays, 1:00-4:00pm EST – Zoom

February 4: Paul Burgmayer

Reimagining Sin: An Exploration Towards Freedom

Consider the following questions:

• Is the word “sin” a comfortable part of your faith vocabulary? Does the word hold significant weight and meaning for you? Or, conversely, is it such a burden that you sidestep it in prayer and spiritual direction, maybe by substituting other words like “addiction” or “brokenness”?
• How do you understand sin? Is it an action, a state of consciousness, an inevitable part of our humanity, or – as for the Jesuit Jean Danielou – “the measure of our soul’s awareness of God”?
• If a directee raises the topic of sin, are you at ease exploring it with them?
• For you, is sin purely a personal matter, or do we sin collectively in our faith community, culture, or even looking back historically? If you recognize collective sin, do you try to connect these different levels in your own spiritual life? With your directees?
• If you are guiding someone through the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, do you ever wish for alternative approaches to addressing the concept of sin so that the process feels more liberating for the exertant (and you)?

If these questions stir something in you, we invite you to join us as we explore the topic of sin with an goal of helping make “sin” a comfortable part of your faith vocabulary. Together, we will delve into sin’s changing meanings through history, consider what constitutes sin in today’s culture, and how an understanding of sin varies across faith communities. Our journey will lead us to examine the profound and inseparable link between sin and our relationship with God, discovering how this connection can enhance our spiritual direction practice.