Courtesy of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network. All rights reserved. Used with permission.[/caption]
In the newest Pope Video, the Holy Father points out that the Church needs to grow in spiritual discernment. Pope Francis doesn’t offer any “recipes,” but invites us as individuals and communities to discern, in order to hear the voice of the Lord.
“Let us pray together that the Church may appreciate the urgency of formation in spiritual discernment, both on the personal and communitarian levels,” he invites. “To discern, from among all the voices we hear, which is the Lord’s voice, which is the voice of Him who guides us to the Resurrection, to Life, and the voice that frees us from falling into the ‘culture of death.’”
Already in September of 2017, in a formation course for new bishops, the Pope noted his concern about this issue, and made an insistent invitation to those in the course, to discern with humility and obedience, with the people and for the people: “Discerning therefore means humility and obedience. Humility with regard to one’s own projects. Obedience to the Gospel, the ultimate criterion; to the Magisterium, which safeguards it; to the norms of the universal Church, which serve it; and to the concrete situation of the people, for whom we want nothing other than to draw from the treasure of the Church what is most fruitful for their salvation today.”
“The times in which we live demand that we develop a profound capacity of discernment,” the Pope says in the video. We need to ‘read within’ what the Lord is asking us, so as to live in love and continue his mission of love.
Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos, international director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said: “Spiritual discernment is the compass that enables us to recognize the Holy Spirit in our lives, in our communities, and in the world. Today, as yesterday, God continues to act, and to accompany his Church. But many times we do not recognize his voice. “Formation in discernment, as Francis says, is urgent, because it helps us to listen, to recognize, and to be docile to the Spirit of the Lord in the great challenges of the world and the mission of the Church.Without spiritual and pastoral discernment, we are blind.”
https://youtu.be/DY2ZA9iSznY
Courtesy of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network. All rights reserved. Used with permission.[/caption]
The papal prayer intentions are entrusted each month to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. The Pope Video is produced by La Machi Communication for Good Causes with the support of the Society of Jesus, IndigoMusic, GettyImagesLatam and the collaboration of the Vatican Television Center. It also has Aleteia as a media partner.
Copyright 2018 The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network
Copyright 2018 The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network
About the Author
The Pope Video
The Pope Video is a global initiative developed by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) to disseminate the monthly intentions of the Holy Father concerning the challenges facing humanity. The videos seek to unite people in praying with Pope Francis for those challenges. The Project has the support of the Vatican Television Center (CTV), sole owner of the rights. For more information: ThePopeVideo.org.
Comments