Pope Francis shares a spiritual life hack: Know the ‘passwords’ of your heart

Courtney Mares   By Courtney Mares for CNA

 

Pope Francis greeting pilgrims on St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5 2022 / Daniel Ibáñez / CNA. See CNA article for full slideshow. 

Rome Newsroom, Oct 5, 2022 / 03:04 am (CNA).

Pope Francis shared a spiritual life hack for discernment at his general audience on Wednesday.

Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 5, the pope said that the “spiritual life, too, has its passwords.”

Just like on one’s computer, where “we know how important it is to know the password in order to get into the programs where the most personal and valuable information is stored,” the pope said that discernment requires unlocking “the passwords of our heart.”

Crowds welcome Pope Francis on St. Peter's Square, Oct. 5, 2022. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
Crowds welcome Pope Francis on St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5, 2022. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA

Pope Francis underlined that “self-knowledge” is key to discernment. When discerning who to marry or whether one is called to be a priest or religious sister, the pope said it is important to know what one’s heart is most sensitive to protect oneself from temptation.

He said the devil “knows these passwords well, and it is important that we know them too, so as not to find ourselves where we do not want to be.”

“Temptation does not necessarily suggest bad things, but often disordered things, presented with excessive importance,” the pope said

“They can be, for example, degrees, careers, relationships, all things that are in themselves praiseworthy, but towards which, if we are not free, we risk having unrealistic expectations, such as the confirmation of our worth. … From this misunderstanding often comes the greatest suffering, because none of those things can be the guarantee of our dignity,” he said.

Pope Francis recommended the practice of an “examination of conscience” to learn and note “what we give most importance to” in daily choices.

Above all, he said that it is crucial to understand what truly “satiates the heart.”

“For only the Lord can give us confirmation of what we are worth. He tells us this every day from the cross: he died for us, to show us how precious we are in his eyes. There is no obstacle or failure that can prevent his tender embrace,” he said.

The pope’s reflection was part of a weekly catechesis series on spiritual discernment that he launched on Aug. 31.

Pope Francis noted that “underlying spiritual doubts and vocational crises” is often a lack of self-knowledge.

The pope quoted Thomas Green’s book on discernment, Weeds Among the Wheat: “I have come to the conviction that the greatest obstacle to true discernment (and to real growth in prayer) is not the intangible nature of God, but the fact that we do not know ourselves sufficiently, and do not even want to know ourselves as we really are. Almost all of us hide behind a mask, not only in front of others, but also when we look in the mirror.”

Pope Francis added: “Forgetfulness of God’s presence in our life goes hand in hand with ignorance of ourselves … ignorance of our personality traits and our deepest desires.”

General audience with Pope Francis, Oct. 5, 2022. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
General audience with Pope Francis, Oct. 5, 2022. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA

At the end of his general audience, Pope Francis recalled that the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Faustina Kowalska on Oct. 5.

“Through her, God directed the world to seek salvation in his mercy. Let us remember this especially today, thinking especially of the war in Ukraine,” he said in his greeting to Polish-speaking pilgrims.

Pope Francis reminded people of his appeal for Ukraine in his Angelus address on Sunday and added: “We trust in God’s mercy, which can change hearts, and in the maternal intercession of the Queen of Peace.”


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7 Comments

  1. Hopefully I am wrong, but I fear a little of Martin Luther’s ‘Sin Boldly’, “sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery a thousand times each day”, creeping into Pope Francis’ homily.

    “For only the Lord can give us confirmation of what we are worth. He tells us this every day from the cross: he died for us, to show us how precious we are in his eyes. There is no obstacle or failure that can prevent his tender embrace,” he said.

    Anyway, let’s look at what Jesus told St. Faustina through locution. Jesus has given the passwords of Jesus’ Divine Mercy, to His ‘Representatives’ who are our Catholic Priests, and they are to use Jesus’ passwords to absolve us of our sins, in Jesus’ Sacrament of Reconciliation. According to Jesus, in His locutions to St. Faustina, the near future does not look very good for anyone who does not go to Confession.

    “At the end of his general audience, Pope Francis recalled that the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Faustina Kowalska on Oct. 5. “Through her, God directed the world to seek salvation in his mercy…””

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1146
    Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1448
    Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Reconciliation). There the greatest miracles take place (and) incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no (hope of) restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 965
    Jesus looked at me and said, Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 635, The Blessed Virgin Mary
    you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. …

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 699
    I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 299-300
    I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. Ask of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 848
    Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice.

    Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1728
    Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands.

    http://www.apocalypseangel.com/married.html

    • You echo the words of the teacher.

      Ecclesiastes 1:2 Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! Everything is meaningless.

      Yet, you will want to know that God speaks to you personally:

      Psalm 14:1 To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

      Romans 1:21- For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

      What a scathing indictment, not at all complimentary, yet there is hope.

      Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

      John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

      May the Lord draw near to you and bless you.

  2. Jesuits, after a 200-year history of admirable Catholic witness, were set upon by rationalists and were unable to master them and repel the onslaught. They could not meet the rigorous demands that presented, let alone shore up the examples of their own martyrs; and so eventualities overtook them and they got suppressed. They lost that battle and needless-to-say many souls that went down miserably.

    One of the lessons they have to draw from that is, they were effectively protected by the Russian and Prussian Monarchies. There are other lessons I could identify but I am not Jesuit; and really and truly that is a work proper to them.

    Let them catch the wind I am raising.

    Which was worse for them, being taken by surprise or being suppressed? Being outmoded or being outdone? And both occurring simultaneously in those past days and confecting together to the same end -being victim or being prey?

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252482/pope-francis-saints-do-not-come-from-a-parallel-universe

    • What is this one may postulate? Another may ask, did Saint Faustina die for our sins?
      Where is the Lord Jesus, someone may inquire, has he been left outside?

      1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

      Ephesians 6:18 Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

      Matthew 6:9-13 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

      1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

      What think you Sir? Is our fidelity to Jesus or is He a merely a footnote from a bygone era?

      May the Lord bless you with wisdom and the peace that passes all understanding.

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