INTRODUCTION
Today’s blog brings us to the conclusion of my summary/commentary on Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete Et Exsultate. There are five chapters and five posts in month of April which can be reviewed on left hand side of blog in archives. In this final chapter Pope Francis warns that Satan is a strong adversary to our path to holiness and we should make sure we are prepared to defend ourselves. Direct quotes of Pope Francis are italicized and in quotation marks.
CHAPTER FIVE
SPIRITUAL COMBAT, VIGILANCE AND DISCERNMENT
The Christian life is a constant battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of the devil and to proclaim the Gospel. This battle is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives.
COMBAT AND VIGILANCE
This battle cannot be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses and proclivities, be they laziness, lust, envy, jealousy or any others. It is also a constant struggle against the devil, the prince of evil. Jesus himself celebrates our victories over Satan. “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk 10:18).
The devil is more than a myth. He is present in the very first pages of the Scriptures, which end with God’s victory over the devil. Indeed, in leaving us the Our Father, Jesus wanted us to conclude by asking the Father to “deliver us from evil”. That final word does not refer to evil in the abstract; a more exact translation would be “the evil one”. It indicates a personal being who assails us. Jesus taught us to ask daily for deliverance from him, lest his power prevail over us.
It would be a mistake to view the devil as some kind of symbol or figure of speech. That mistake would allow us to let down our guard against a very tough adversary, smarter than us. The devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our communities. “Like a roaring lion, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).
Along this journey, the cultivation of all that is good, progress in the spiritual life and growth in love are the best counterbalance to evil. Those who choose to remain neutral, who are satisfied with little, who renounce the ideal of giving themselves generously to the Lord, will never hold out. If we become careless, the false promises of evil will easily seduce us.
The path of holiness is a source of peace and joy, given to us by the Spirit. At the same time, it demands that we keep “our lamps lit” (Lk 12:35) and be attentive. “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess 5:22). “Keep awake” (Mt 24:42; Mk 13:35). “Let us not fall asleep” (1 Thess 5:6).
Beware of Spiritual corruption where we become so complacent and not acknowledging any sin on our behalf that our conscience is frayed and distorted. Spiritual corruption can be worse than the fall of a sinner. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centredness, for “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).
DISCERNMENT
How can we know if something comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or the spirit of the devil? The only way is through discernment, which calls for something more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift which we must implore. If we ask with confidence that the Holy Spirit grant us this gift, and then seek to develop it through prayer, reflection, reading and good counsel, then surely we will grow in this spiritual endowment.
The gift of discernment has become all the more necessary today, since contemporary life offers immense possibilities for action and distraction, and the world presents all of them as valid and good. This is all the more important when some novelty presents itself in our lives. Then we have to decide whether it is new wine brought by God or an illusion created by the spirit of this world or the spirit of the devil.
We must examine ourselves closely….what is within us…our desires, anxieties, fears….what takes place around us….the signs of the times. Test everything, hold fast to what is good. (I Thess 5:21) Always in the light of the Lord!
Discernment is necessary not only at extraordinary times, when we need to resolve grave problems and make crucial decisions…We need it at all times, to help us recognize God’s timetable, lest we fail to heed the promptings of his grace. For this reason, I ask all Christians not to omit, in dialogue with the Lord, a sincere daily “examination of conscience”.
Discernment leads us to knowledge of the purpose of our life. Nobody knows that purpose better than God who knows me and loves me. The Lord speaks to us in a variety of ways, at work, through others and at every moment. Speak Lord, your servant listens!
We must remember that prayerful discernment must be born of a readiness to listen: to the Lord and to others, and to reality itself, which always challenges us in new ways. Only if we are prepared to listen, do we have the freedom to set aside our own partial or insufficient ideas, our usual habits and ways of seeing things.
In this way, we become truly open to accepting a call that can shatter our security, but lead us to a better life. It is not enough that everything be calm and peaceful. God may be offering us something more, but in our comfortable inadvertence, we do not recognize it.
We are blessed in our discernment with guides like Holy Scriptures, the Church, Jesus founded that protects and preserves Jesus’ teachings. The Holy Spirit is not to be forgotten either. The Spirit alone can penetrate what is obscure and hidden in every situation and grasp every nuance so the newness of the Gospel is always relevant to us even today.
Discernment is not about discovering what more we can get out of this life, but about recognizing how we can better accomplish the mission entrusted to us at our baptism according to God’s time-table. This entails a readiness to make sacrifices, even to sacrificing everything.
When, in God’s presence, we examine our life’s journey, no areas can be off limits. In all aspects of life we can continue to grow and offer something greater to God, even in those areas we find most difficult. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to liberate us and to expel the fear that makes us ban him from certain parts of our lives.
God asks everything of us, yet he also gives everything to us. He does not want to enter our lives to diminish them, but to bring them to fulfillment. Discernment leaves ourselves behind as we rush into the loving arms of God in order to approach the mystery of God and his benevolence to us and our neighbor. Our mission is not for ourselves alone but also for all those, a loving God has placed in our path.
I would like these reflections to be crowned by Mary because She is that woman who treasured everything in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint among the saints. She lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other. She teaches us the way of holiness and she walks ever at our side…Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need do is whisper, time and time again: “Hail Mary…”
It is my hope that these pages will prove helpful by enabling the whole Church to devote herself anew to promoting the desire for holiness. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory, and let us encourage one another in this effort. In this way, we will share a happiness that the world will not be able to take from us.
(Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 19 March, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, in the year 2018, the sixth of my Pontificate.)
Francis
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