Robert E. ALVIS, ed. A Science of the Saints: Studies in Spiritual Direction. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2020. Pp. 213 + xx . $24.95, pb. ISBN: 978-0-8146-8804-5. Reviewed by Rachelle LINNER, Spiritual Director, Medford, MA 02155.

This impressive volume of nine essays by faculty members of St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology deserves a wide readership.  The writing is uniformly excellent, the ideas are cogently argued, and the historical context is clearly presented. 

The book opens with rich discussion of spiritual direction in major schools: the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Benedictine monasticism, Carmelite and Salesian spirituality.  Within the context of each tradition the authors offer insights for contemporary spiritual directors.  This includes showing how the human sciences, particularly psychology, can become “a means of facilitating the spiritual life.” (48)  In an excellent chapter on Benedictine direction (Gregory, Marmion, Merton and Louf) Fr. Christian Raab, OSB offers a thoughtful analysis of the role of transference and countertransference in the direction relationship and how “two typically Benedictine values … humility and hospitality” (p 48) can lead to growth for both directee and director. 

Dr. Alvis’s essay “Spiritual Direction and Private Revelations: Learning from the Life of St. Faustina Kowalska” discusses the role of priestly confessors who direct people who receive private revelations.  Much of what he writes is specific to St. Faustina, but he implicitly raises questions about the influence of institutional authority figures in direction. 

The book concludes with two creative chapters that help us pay attention to the Spirit in cinema and literature.  Fr. Guerric DeBona, OSB shows how the first two of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s rules of discernment are exemplified in characters in “On the Waterfront” and “Diary of a Country Priest.”  “In my estimation, cinematic narratives, which shape our lives in so many ways, also provide us with a road map of how we intuit the work of the Spirit in everyday life.” (p. 171)

Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB has a compelling chapter on Spiritual Direction and Literature, highlighting works by George Eliot, Flannery O’Connor, Muriel Sparks, and Robert Hugh Benson. “A great novel has the ability to make one think, fulfill an emotional catharsis, inspire and provoke.  In this way, novels and fiction became authentic vehicles for spiritual formation.” (p. 202)

This book is a testament to the depth and richness of the Catholic tradition of spiritual direction, and would be a worthwhile addition to the practical material used in many training programs.  More importantly, it offers an antidote to the pervasiveness of a quasi-therapeutic professional model of spiritual direction.  As Fr. Thomas Gricoski writes in his essay on “The Spiritual Correspondence of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.” “Spiritual direction is, therefore, not a self-chosen profession, but a vocation that must be confirmed by the people of God before it can bear fruit.” (p. 144)

Although specifically recommended for spiritual directors, all seekers of holiness will benefit from the treasures in this wonderful book.