In his General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on discernment and discussed the key to good decision-making. He expressed that inner peace is a sign of having made the right decisions.
Pope Francis also explained that spirituality is circular, and that finding harmony will give way to future good choices. He suggested that considering inner motivations can also inform taking right choices.
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear brothers and sisters:
In our continuing catechesis on discernment, we now turn to the signs that confirm the rightness of our decisions. The most important of these is the test of time. Decisions wisely discerned give rise to lasting peace. The spiritual life is “circular”: our decisions, as the fruit of our interior freedom and openness to God’s will, bring goodness, harmony and integration into our daily lives, our relationships and our work.
A further sign of a spiritually sound decision is the conviction that it was in fact freely chosen out of love for God and in grateful response to his grace. The wisdom and rightness of our decisions is also confirmed by an increased sense of tranquillity, order and direction in our lives. For true wisdom, as the Bible teaches and the example of the saints bears witness, is born of the fear of God, the confident assurance that our lives are in his hands and that our human freedom finds its supreme fulfilment in trusting obedience to his will.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from Australia, India, Singapore and the United States of America. I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming, at Christmas, of the newborn Jesus, Son of God and Saviour of the world. God bless you!
