Pope Francis delivered his guidelines on “discernment” during a general audience on September 7, 2022. St. Ignatius of Loyola was cited by the Pope as “one of the most instructive examples” that we should follow. In his message, Pope Francis underlined the need to listen to our own hearts in order to make good decisions. This was part of the Pope’s “Catechesis on Discernment,” which was released by the Vatican Press Office:
“Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! We are continuing our reflection on discernment – in this time we will speak every Wednesday about spiritual discernment – and for this it can help us to refer to a specific witness. One of the most instructive examples is offered to us by Saint Ignatius of Loyola.” [1]
“He, Ignatius, had his first experience of God by listening to his own heart, that showed him a curious reversal. This is what we must learn: to listen to our own heart, to know what is happening, what decision to make, to make a judgment on a situation, one must listen to one’s own heart. We listen to the television, the radio, the mobile phone; we are experts at listening, but I ask you: do you know how to listen to your heart? Do you stop to ask: ‘But how is my heart? Is it satisfied, is it sad, is it searching for something?’. To make good decisions, you need to listen to your heart.” [1]
Pope Francis is incorrect. To make sound judgments, it is necessary to first listen to the truth given in the Holy Scriptures. Limiting oneself to “listening to the heart” contradicts our Lord’s teaching and suggests that truth and knowledge are subject to our feelings and that there is no external or objective truth.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105.
Listening to one’s heart has never been a rule or guide for the people of God. On the contrary, following this advice can lead to eternal damnation. Good decisions are only made when our hearts are guided by divine revelation; otherwise, following our natural hearts will only lead to ruin:
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Mark 7:21, 22.
Evil dwells in the heart, and until we strive to purify our hearts with God’s truth, our heart will decieve us:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
“Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.” Jeremiah 16:11-13.
Why does Pope Francis urge us to follow in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola? Ignatius demonstrated unquestioning obedience to whatever the church said, regardless of truth. Notice what Ignatius taught in his Spiritual Exercises Rule #13:
“Thirteenth Rule. To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed.” [2]
This is encouraging a blind loyalty and devotion to the church. If the church declares, “Black is white and white is black,” we must accept it. This is one of the guiding principles of the Jesuits. They obey without question. If the church declares Sunday to be the Lord’s day, they go along without hesitation. Pope Francis desires an obedient population that will blindly follow his every thought or proposal.
Indeed, what Pope Francis says is dangerous. He emphasizes the “feelings of our hearts” rather than the importance of listening to God’s Word and the teachings of Christ. He exalts Ignatius of Loyola as a example to follow. This exposes people to a wide range of errors. Listening to our own hearts is not the correct approach to receiving or knowing the truth. The feelings in our hearts are not an infallible guide. There is no substitute for reading and applying God’s Word into our lives. Unfortunately, for far too many Christians, the final authority is to do whatever “feels” good in their own eyes.
“The question is, ‘What is truth?’ It is not how many years have I believed that makes it the truth. You must bring your creed to the Bible and let the light of the Bible define your creed and show where it comes short and where the difficulty is. The Bible is to be your standard, the living oracles of Jehovah are to be your guide.” (Faith and Works, p. 77).
“You know how it is with the papal power. The people have no right to interpret the Scriptures for themselves. They must have someone else interpret the Scriptures for them. Have you no mind? Have you no reason? Has not God given judgment to the common people just as well as He has to the priests and rulers? … Until you can see the reason for it yourself and a ‘thus saith the Lord’ in the Scriptures, don’t trust any living man to interpret the Bible for you. And when you can see this, you know it for yourself, and know it to be the truth of God. You will say, ‘I have read it, I have seen it, and my own heart takes hold upon it, and it is the truth God has spoken to me from His Word’.” (Faith and Works, p. 77).
Sources
[1] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2022/documents/20220907-udienza-generale.html
[2] https://ccel.org/ccel/ignatius/exercises/exercises.xix.v.html
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The pope must be counting on his listeners not reading the word of God.
Why has does the world willingly endure the church of Satan? In the last century they’ve supported the Nazis who reinstated their diplomatic power through the axis alliance and by association watched millions die through that conflict. In a state in New England they saw thousands of cases of child molestation and weren’t banned from practice. That wasn’t worldwide or even nation wide, but rather one state. In Canada they’ve abused and murdered hundreds of children- which priest has been executed for that?
If there was oil under those Catholic cathedrals maybe our country might be more outraged.
Why does this band of homosexual, pedophile, and murderers walk free?
Perhaps the reason that it’s difficult for Christians in Russia or China is because they see how good we treat our Catholic priests to our children.
Why isn’t this terrorist group of depraved souls treated as the criminal cartel that they openly admit to being? Did not their ringleader do a nationwide tour of Canada openly admitting to his group killing hundreds of children?
I guess if your a pedophile you better become Catholic, they take care of their own.
How can people watch a filthy, greedy, obviously satanic organization for 15oo years kill, rape, abuse millions- and debase the name of God? AND PEOPLE STILL ATTEND AND SEND THEIR KIDS- ALONE?!? WHILE IT’S STILL GOING ON?!?
Oh please, every church has tens or hundreds of thousands of active child molesters and murderers in its ranks right? Reckon that’s why our upper leadership is so keen on being besties with them in these ecumenical meetings?
What blatant nonsense having dealings with the house of Satan. WHAT COWARDICE not calling the domicile of Satan by it’s true name. Hitler was a proud nazi, suppose uncle Frank is proud to be covering up for his master and his brothers in crime?
Down here a dozen innocent lives are extinguished and this nation of hypocrites want blood, a church up there does it and the popes greeted like a rockstar and mass goes on like usual, with a few less alter boys.
Our church has a legal team, why aren’t they assisting folks in court and in the news whose children were taken from them by the state and fed to a monstrous church that ultimately took their lives? Is it because we as an institution still don’t wanna “rock the boat, or make any waves”?
This may not have been PC, but then nether is a hoard of child raping murderous priests- oh wait, no that is PC nowadays. My bad i get it all so confused nowadays. Especially with uncle Frank telling all them gay kid killers to do what’s in their hearts.
Ya know, honestly, it’s gotta be hard being a Catholic priest and condemned to hell. We sit here and joke and make snide comments about them while they- suffering under the burden of sin, as Christ did when he became sin for us, are doomed to die eternally since only Christ was perfect and therefore capable of bearing our burden.
Thinking about it, every priest in a confessional booth is talking the place of a scape goat and taking on the sin. Though he doesn’t have the power of life like Jesus, the sinner believes in the priest who also believes he’s got the power to forgive those sins. In assuming the authority, is not the priest assuming the debt since he hasn’t got the power to transfer it to a scape goat?
So one who hasn’t life within himself, who’s taken on additional sins, doesn’t this mean more burn time for him?? Does the sinner get like a half off sale on burning, do they both just finance their own debts, or do the men of sins pay for their black sheep?
At first it seems clear cut but a talent manager profits off his client. An accessory to murder is held liable, unless you’re in Canada. And in the Old Testament an animal that got out of hand was accounted of the owner. Will these men of sin be held accountable for their sins acquired through contract of absolution?
That’s gotta be like adding convection baking to your hell tab.
What the Pope is saying is that he wants us all to be Jesuits.
No, we must be like Jesus.
Sure, Francis wants us to be his minions to do his bidding. No way.
This is what the serpent said the Eve in the Garden of Eden: “Follow your own heart.” Jesus said we must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Of all the examples in the Bible, the Pope wants us to be like the founder of the Jesuits who suffered from obsession compulsive disorders?
https://www.ocdhistory.net/firsthand/ignatius.html
We need to be like Jesus.