Like St. Francis de Sales, Pope Francis Reminds us of Humility
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As we make our New Year’s resolutions, we are reminded that the path to holiness follows the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
In his homily on January 7th, Pope Francis speaks of the path of Jesus, and the path of death. He says:
“That is the path of Jesus Christ: abasement, humility, humiliation as well… If a thought, if a desire takes you along the road of humility and abasement, of service to others, it is from Jesus…. if it brings you to the road of sufficiency, of vanity, of pride, along the path of an abstract thought, it is not from Jesus.”
Quoting the Pope’s homily, the National Catholic Register comments:
Observing that there are some spirits which help us to “remain in the Lord” and others that “take us away from him,” the Pope urged those in attendance to “test the spirits to see if they really come from God, because many false prophets have come into the world.”
Recalling the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, the Pope explained that “all three proposals the demon makes to Jesus are proposals that intended to take him away from this path, the path of service, of humility, of humiliation, of charity.”
“To the three temptations, Jesus says No: ‘No, this is not my path!”
Inviting those present to question themselves about what is in their own hearts, the Holy Father asked: “Do I test what I think, what I want, what I desire? Or do I accept it all” without discerning?
“So many times, our heart is a road; everything passes there,” he said. “Put it to the test: Do I always choose the things that come from God? Do I know which are the things that come from God? Do I know the true criterion by which to discern my thoughts, my desires?”
To prepare for Sunday’s chat, please read the article, Pope Francis: The Path of Humility Leads Christians to Jesus”, from the National Catholic Register.
In our Living Jesus Chat Room this Sunday, we will discuss these points:
- As Visitation Sisters, our two key virtues are humility and gentleness; St Francis de Sales founded the Order on the passage where Jesus says “I am meek and humble of heart.” Why is humility so important in following Christ? Why is it often overlooked?
- How do we “test the spirits” to determine if they come from God. Should we do this privately in prayer, or with the support and opinions of others?
- Even Jesus was tempted by Satan, which shows us Christ does not ask us to do what he has not done. In what other ways has Christ shared our experiences?
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