Pope Francis entered the Paul VI Audience Hall with his cane to the sound of applause. Before beginning his catechesis, he asked for prayers for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
POPE FRANCIS
Before we begin this catechesis, I would like us to join with those next door who are paying tribute to Benedict XVI and address my thoughts to him, as he was a great teacher of catechesis.
Pope Francis said that the Pope emeritus' thought was not self-centered but deeply Church-oriented. He helped Christians get to know Jesus by 'taking them by the hand.' With his advice, people were able to 'rediscover in Jesus the joy of believing and the hope of living.'
The Pope dedicated his last catechesis on discernment to spiritual accompaniment. Although he had prepared a text, he gave a great example of the work of a spiritual director with an impromptu speech.
POPE FRANCIS
Looking in the mirror by yourself does not always help because one can fantasize with the image. Instead, looking in the mirror with the help of another can help so much because they can tell you the truth.
Pope Francis explained that, for true discernment, it is essential to know oneself. And to do this well, a guide is indispensable. He encouraged those present to share the weaker parts of their lives without fear of judgment. He said that our fragility is our most precious treasure.
POPE FRANCIS
Be careful of people who don't feel fragile. They are harsh, controlling. Instead, people who, with humility, recognize their own weaknesses are more understanding of others. Fragility, I would say, makes us human.
The Pope recalled that Jesus' first temptation in the desert was to be famous and to renounce his fragility. He emphasized that Jesus became incarnate as a child to embrace our weaknesses.
Pope Francis also invited Christians to entrust their darkest and most unhappy thoughts to a trusted friend to remind them how wrong these thoughts are. He even called them 'poisonous.''
POPE FRANCIS
So many times, in dark moments, we get thoughts like this: 'I've done everything wrong; I'm worthless. No one understands me; I'll never make it. I'm doomed to fail.' How many times do these thoughts come to us? These false and poisonous thoughts. But speaking with others can help unmask them, so that we can feel loved and valued by the Lord for who we are.
At the end of his catechesis, Pope Francis greeted some of the cardinals who have come from around the world to bid farewell to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI.
Rodrigo Moreno Quicios
TR: KG
