Below is the text of Pope Francis’ weekly Wednesday audience, delivered on Dec. 14, 2022.
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Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
We at the moment are entering the ultimate phase of this journey of catechesis on discernment. We started off from the instance of Saint Ignatius of Loyola; we then considered the weather of discernment, namely, prayer, self-knowledge, desire and the “book of life”; we focused on desolation and consolation, which form its “matter”; after which we reached the confirmation of the alternative made.
Jesus insists an ideal deal on the incontrovertible fact that the great disciple is vigilant, doesn’t slumber, doesn’t let himself turn into too self-assured when things go well, but stays alert and able to do his duty.
I consider it essential to incorporate at this point a reminder of an attitude essential if all of the work done to discern for the very best and take the great decision isn’t to be lost, and this is able to be the attitude of vigilance. We now have done discernment, consolation and desolation; now we have chosen something … every thing goes well, but now, vigilance: the attitude of vigilance. Because in effect there may be a risk, and it’s that the “spoilsport”, that’s, the Evil One, can damage every thing, making us return to the start, indeed, in an excellent worse condition. And this happens, so we have to be attentive and vigilant. This is the reason it’s indispensable to be vigilant. Subsequently, today it seemed appropriate to emphasise this attitude, which all of us need for the discernment process to achieve success and stay that way.
Indeed, in his preaching Jesus insists an ideal deal on the incontrovertible fact that the great disciple is vigilant, doesn’t slumber, doesn’t let himself turn into too self-assured when things go well, but stays alert and able to do his duty.
For instance, within the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says: “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who’re waiting for his or her master to return home from the wedding feast, in order that they might open to him directly when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (12:35-37).
Keeping watch to safeguard our heart and to grasp what is occurring inside it.
That is the state of mind of the Christians who await the ultimate coming of the Lord; but it could actually be understood also as the conventional attitude to have within the conduct of life, in order that our good decisions, taken at times after difficult discernment, may proceed in a persevering and consistent manner, and bear fruit.
If vigilance is lacking, there may be, as we were saying, a really high risk that each one will probably be lost.
If vigilance is lacking, there may be, as we were saying, a really high risk that each one will probably be lost. It’s a danger not of a psychological order, no, but of a spiritual order, an actual snare of the evil spirit. Indeed, he awaits precisely the moment by which we’re too sure of ourselves, and that is the danger: “But I’m sure of myself, I actually have won, now I’m tremendous…” – that is the moment he’s waiting for, when every thing goes well, when things are going “swimmingly” and we “have the wind in ours sails”. Indeed, within the short Gospel parable we heard, it is alleged that the unclean spirit, when it returns to the home from where it left, “finds it empty, swept, and put so as” (Mt 12:44), he finds it nicely prepared, doesn’t he? All the pieces is as a substitute, every thing is so as, but where is the master of the home? He isn’t there. There is no such thing as a-one keeping watch over it and guarding it. That is the issue. The master of the home isn’t home, he left, he was distracted, I don’t know; or he’s at home but has fallen asleep, and due to this fact it’s as if he weren’t there. He isn’t vigilant, he isn’t alert, because he is simply too sure of himself and has lost the humility to safeguard his own heart. We should safeguard our home, our heart and never be distracted and go away… since the problem is here, just like the Parable said.
Once we trust an excessive amount of in ourselves and never in God’s grace, then the Evil One finds the door open.
So, the evil spirit can make the most of this and return to that house. The Gospel says, nonetheless, that he doesn’t return alone, but together with “seven other spirits more evil than himself” (v. 45). An organization of evil-doers, a gang of delinquents. But how is it possible, we wonder, for them to enter undisturbed? How come the master doesn’t notice? Was he not so good at discerning and banishing them? Did he not receive compliments from his friends and neighbours for that house, so beautiful and stylish, so tidy and clean? The home of the center, isn’t it? Yes, but perhaps precisely for this reason he had fallen an excessive amount of in love with the home, that’s, with himself, and had stopped waiting for the Lord, waiting for the approaching of the Bridegroom; perhaps for fear of ruining that order he not welcomed anyone, he didn’t invite the poor, the homeless, those that disturbed… One thing is for certain: here bad pride is involved, the presumption of being right, of being good, of being so as.
Fairly often we hear someone say: “Yes, I used to be bad before, I converted and now, now my home is so as because of God, you may rest assured…”. Once we trust an excessive amount of in ourselves and never in God’s grace, then the Evil One finds the door open. So, he organizes the expedition and takes possession of that house. And Jesus concludes: “The last state of that man becomes worse than the primary” (v. 45).
But doesn’t the master notice? No, because these are polite demons: they are available in without you noticing, they knock on the door, they’re polite. “No okay, go, go, are available in…” after which eventually they take command of your soul. Watch out for these little devils, these demons… the devil is polite, when he pretends to be an ideal gentleman, isn’t he? For he enters with ours to return out along with his. Safeguard the home from this deception, that of polite demons. And spiritual worldliness takes this route, at all times.
Dear brothers and sisters, it seems unattainable nevertheless it is so. Again and again we lose, again and again we’re defeated in battles, for this reason lack of vigilance. Fairly often, perhaps, the Lord has given so many graces, many graces, and ultimately, we’re unable to persevere on this grace and we lose every thing, because we lack vigilance: now we have not guarded the doors. After which now we have been deceived by someone who comes along, polite, he goes in and, hello… The devil has these items. Anyone also can confirm this by pondering back to their very own personal history. It isn’t enough to perform good discernment and to make a great alternative. No, it isn’t enough: we must remain vigilant, safeguard this grace that God has given us, but keep watch, because you may say to me: “But after I see some disorder, I realize immediately that it’s the devil, that it’s temptation…”. Yes, but this time he comes disguised as an angel: the devil knows the way to dress up as an angel, he enters with courteous words, and he convinces you, and ultimately, it’s worse than initially…
We’d like to remain vigilant, keep watch over the center. If I were to ask each one among you today, and in addition myself, “What is occurring in your heart?”, perhaps we’d not know the way to say every thing; we’d say one or two things, but not every thing. Keep watch over the center, because vigilance is an indication of wisdom, it’s above all an indication of humility, because we’re afraid to fall, and humility is the high road of Christian life. Thanks.
