Vigilance is an essential part of the spiritual life because the devil will try to sneak in when one is not paying attention or, especially, when a Christian thinks he or she is making a lot of progress on the road to
True love of God or love of another person should lead to a sense of freedom, not to a need to possess or control, Pope Francis said.
"Possessiveness is the enemy of goodness and kills affection -- pay attention to this," the pope
A daily examination of conscience is an important tool for recognizing where God is at work in one's life and where "the evil spirit" tries to lead one astray, Pope Francis said.
"Learn to read in the book of our hearts what has
The spiritual practice of discernment, of seeing where God is at work in one's life and what God is calling one to do, includes examining what brings a sense of consolation and spurs one to do good, Pope Francis said.
Spiritual consolation "is
Moments of difficulty and desolation are opportunities for praying, drawing closer to Jesus and discerning the right path, Pope Francis said.
"The spiritual state we call desolation ... can be an occasion for growth," the pope said Nov. 16 during his weekly general
Reviewing one's life is an essential step in discerning God's call because it helps one see places where God was at work, even in small things, and also helps one recognize "toxic" thoughts of self-doubt, Pope Francis said.
A daily review of one's
Complaints without any desire to do anything about the situation are poison, Pope Francis said.
Complaining can be "a poison to the soul, a poison to life" and "almost a sin" when it prevents people from building and strengthening "the desire to move
To know oneself is a gift and a grace that allows Christians to properly discern between feelings and convictions, Pope Francis said.
During his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square Oct. 5, the pope said that knowing oneself requires "patient soul-searching" and
Jesus never abandons, coerces or blackmails anyone when they stray, rather, he patiently waits and is "our greatest and most faithful friend," Pope Francis said.
"He remains at the door of the heart. We say, 'No, I do not want to know anything
God created every human being to be free to choose how to live in this world, Pope Francis said.
And those choices "will have a consequence, for you, for others and for the world; you can make the earth a magnificent garden or