Listen with Love

Season finale! In this episode, Mary and Suhail reflect on the podcast and find themselves smiling—grateful for the joy, light, and sense of purpose these episodes have brought. They also explore why spiritual direction is resonating with so many people today, and what this growing interest might reveal about the desire for a deeper, more personal engagement with God. Mary and Suhail also offer pr...

Recorded on a sunny afternoon with light streaming into the monastery, Mary and Suhail begin talking about stained glass, wood-sculpted Stations of the Cross, and beauty as a pathway to God. The focus of the episode is the practical rhythms and dynamics of spiritual direction—from how often people meet and where sessions take place, how directors and directees prepare (or don’t prepare!) for their...

In a second installment on scriptural foundations for spiritual direction, Mary and Suhail sit with a post-resurrection story in Luke 24 as a lens for how people experience God in real life. They notice how Jesus comes alongside the disciples with patience and intention—joining their journey and conversation, listening, asking questions, and letting things unfold before offering clarity or instruc...

Scripture has always been at the heart of Christian spiritual direction. It offers a rich portrait and living witness of who God is, as well as what human experience of God is like. In this episode, Mary and Suhail listen to the story of young Samuel hearing God’s voice in the night and explore its implications for spiritual direction. Together, they reflect on a loving and initiating God who pati...

Further exploring what a “directee” is, Mary and Suhail begin with an incredible story from prison chaplaincy, leading to a reflection on tears as both a feature of spiritual direction and a thread within the Christian spiritual tradition. The heart of the episode considers what allows someone to enter into and sustain spiritual direction over the long haul. Mary and Suhail highlight dispositions...

Having finished six episodes and being halfway through the season, Suhail and Mary begin by reflecting on how they’re feeling about the project, including some of the nervousness that comes with receiving encouraging early feedback. They then turn their attention to defining the word “directee,” exploring who embodies this reality in the Gospels, and sharing how directees exemplify humility by ack...

Suhail and Mary explore what it means to be a spiritual director and the qualities that shape who directors are. They discuss the importance of training—highlighting specific competencies relative to offering spiritual direction—along with intentional, ongoing formation, and the value of being people who are sought and live lives of discernment. They also share their personal definitions and image...

Recorded shortly after the announcement of a Gaza ceasefire in October 2025, Suhail and Mary begin by talking about how they would relate to people in Ukraine and Gaza as spiritual directors, and what “spiritual” really means. The focus of the episode is on defining what a spiritual director is. Drawing on the definitions and imagery of Sue Pickering, Margaret Guenther, and others—as well as their...

Following their preceding discussion on suspicions and distinctives, Suhail and Mary turn their attention to defining what spiritual direction actually is. They reference several classic and influential definitions from Margaret Guenther, Thomas Merton, William A. Barry, William J. Connolly, Francis Kelly Nemeck and Marie Theresa Coombs. They also share their own definitions, explore a Jesuit-insp...

Recorded on the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (October 1), Suhail and Mary begin by reflecting on their experience of the podcast so far and on “the Little Flower,” especially her autobiography, Story of a Soul . In anticipation of clarifying terms, they then explore common suspicions people may have about spiritual direction: questions about power dynamics, concerns about trendiness, what “...

Suhail reflects on his first encounters with spiritual direction—how it seemed to “want” him, resonating deeply with who he was and awakening an unfamiliar joy and desire. Together, Suhail and Mary explore how spiritual direction showed up within their respective Protestant and Catholic upbringings, how they discerned their vocation as spiritual directors, and were invited into the work of trainin...

Beginning with a land acknowledgement, Mary and Suhail introduce Listen with Love , recorded at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. They reflect on how the monastery shaped their friendship and led to the creation of the podcast, including the origin of its name. Mary shares how spiritual direction found her and her journey into becoming a spiritual director, and how experiences of b...

Recorded at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winnipeg and hosted by good friends Suhail Stephen and Mary Coswin, OSB—both seasoned spiritual directors and teachers of spiritual direction—Listen with Love explores the ministry of spiritual direction within the Christian tradition. With personal stories and meaningful (often humorous) dialogue, the podcast aims to deepen understanding about spiritual dir...