In his last catechesis before Christmas, Pope Francis concluded his series of catecheses on discernment by explaining that encountering scripture creates space to hear God's will in our lives.
The Pope then blessed the English-speaking faithful in the final days before the celebration of Christmas.
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we conclude our series of catecheses on spiritual discernment by considering some aids that can help us rightly to discern God’s will for our lives and our happiness. We begin, naturally, with an encounter with the word of God and with the Church’s teaching.
Quiet prayer with the Scriptures helps us to sense the Lord’s presence, to hear his voice, and to become conscious of the deepest desires of our heart. In this way, we grow in love and closeness to Jesus, who assures us of the Father’s merciful love and, by his death on the Cross, reveals God’s power to bring life out of death and good out of evil.
Friendship with Jesus and trust in God’s guidance of our lives is a great gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in our hearts and inspires our discernment at every stage. In the Church’s daily prayer, each canonical hour begins by asking God to come to our assistance. Trusting in that help, may we learn to discern wisely the paths that lead us to the Father and to respond each day to his loving offer of salvation.
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience. In these final days before the celebration of Christmas, I invoke upon you and your families joy and peace in the Lord Jesus, Son of God and Prince of Peace. God bless you!
JM
