杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

杏MAP导航 Francis picked up his catechesis series on vices and virtues at the Wednesday General Audience, focusing his reflections on spiritual combat.

The 杏MAP导航 said that our Christian life is never 鈥渓inear or devoid of struggle,鈥� but rather requires 鈥渃ontinuous combat.鈥�

He pointed to the oil with which Christians are first anointed at Baptism, saying it contains no fragrance, as if to announce that 鈥渓ife is a struggle.鈥�

鈥淭he anointing of the catechumens immediately makes it clear that the Christian is not spared from struggle,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur existence, like that of everyone else, must enter the arena, because life is a succession of trials and temptations.鈥�

Temptations and grace

However, temptations are really a chance to allow God鈥檚 grace to work in us.

As St. Anthony, the first abbot, said, 鈥淩emove temptations and no one will be saved.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 said that Christians who 鈥渁bsolve themselves鈥� of their own sins risk living in darkness since they can no longer distinguish good from evil.

鈥淲e must all ask God for the grace to recognize ourselves as poor sinners in need of conversion, keeping in our hearts the confidence that no sin is too great for the infinite mercy of God the Father,鈥� he said.

Challenges and mercy

Even Jesus, noted 杏MAP导航 Francis, presented Himself for Baptism despite being free from all sin, so that we might follow His example and never be afraid to ask for God鈥檚 mercy.

After His Baptism, Jesus withdrew into the desert where He was tempted by Satan.

鈥淗e has experienced what we too must always prepare to face,鈥� said the 杏MAP导航. 鈥淟ife is made of challenges, trials, crossroads, opposing visions, hidden seductions, contradictory voices.鈥�

Spiritual combat and the Holy Spirit

杏MAP导航 Francis invited Christians to walk the daily tightrope between opposite extremes: 鈥淧ride challenges humility; hatred contrasts charity; sadness opposes the true joy of the Spirit; the hardening of the heart rejects mercy.鈥�

By reflecting on the vices and virtues, he said, we can overcome our nihilistic culture in which the 鈥渃ontours between good and evil remain blurred鈥�.

At the same time, he added, our reflections on vice and virtues 鈥渞eminds us that the human being, unlike any other creature, can always transcend itself, opening up to God and walking towards holiness.鈥�

鈥淪piritual combat,鈥� concluded 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渓eads us to closely look at those vices that chain us and to walk, with the grace of God, towards those virtues that can bloom in us, bringing the spring of the Spirit into our life.鈥�