In his presentation to the general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis emphasized that prayer is the foundation of discernment.
On September 28, he declared in St. Peter’s Square, “To discern, we need to be in a setting, in a state of prayer.
The pope said, “We continue our catechesis on the topic of discernment because the concept of discernment is really vital to know what is going on inside of us—feelings and ideas—we have to determine where they come from, where they take me, and to what choice.”
Because “life is not always rational” and people are not machines, Francis highlighted that discernment does not result in total certainty, but “prayer is a necessary assistance.”
Giving orders to carry out is insufficient, he said. “We want to know exactly what has to be done, but even when we do, we don’t always do it. How often have we also encountered the situation that the apostle Paul spoke of: “For I do not do the good I desire, but the evil I do not want.”
He emphasized that an exorcism is the very first miracle recorded in the Gospel of Mark by Jesus. Jesus frees a man from the devil in the synagogue in Capernaum, “deliver[ing] him from the false image of God that Satan has been promoting from the beginning: that of a God who does not desire our pleasure.
Even Christians, according to Pope Francis, might fall into this trap: they may think that Jesus is the Son of God, but they question that he desires our pleasure.
In fact, some people worry that accepting his proposal would mean wrecking our life and embarrassing our deepest ambitions and aspirations. We sometimes get the idea that God is asking too much of us or is trying to take away the things we value most. In essence, Francis remarked, “He doesn’t truly love us.
However, encountering the Lord in prayer should bring about pleasure, not dread or grief, which are indications of separation from him, he said.
He urged individuals to offer straightforward prayers to God. They may welcome God throughout the day in the same way they would a friend.
He said, “True prayer is familiarity and trust with God. Prayer is understanding how to transcend beyond thinking, to come into connection with the Lord, with a genuine spontaneity. It is not saying the prayers aloud like a parrot, etc.
He said, “To be in prayer is to open my heart to Jesus, to get closer to Jesus, to allow Jesus enter into my heart and let us feel his presence. It is not to utter words, words, no; it is to be in prayer.
This is how we can tell when Jesus is speaking to us and when it is simply our own ideas, the pope said.
The dread or uncertainty that God’s purpose is not in our best interests, “a temptation that sometimes passes through our thoughts and makes the heart restless and uneasy,” is another thing Francis claimed intimacy with the Lord helps us to overcome.
The lovely statement of Saint John Henry Newman goes, “Discerning is not simple, because appearances are misleading, but familiarity with God may melt doubts and worries in a gentle manner, making our lives more sensitive to his ‘soft light’.”
To perceive Jesus as our friend, our greatest friend, and our loyal friend—one who does not demand payment from us and who, most importantly, never deserts us—is a favor that we must each seek for from the other, he added. He continues to wait at the heart’s entrance.
Pope Francis acknowledged that the Church would be celebrating the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on Thursday, Sept. 29, in his farewell greeting at the conclusion of the audience.
Each of us is inspired to adhere sincerely to the divine designs by these saints. Learn to hear and obey the inner Master’s voice, which speaks in the depths of our awareness, he stated.