Follow your conscience, not your ego, said Pope Francis in an Angelus address in which he said Jesus does not want “remote-controlled” Christians who are not free.
He gave the example of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, as a model of attention to the voice of one’s conscience.
“When the Lord had made it clear, in prayer, what was the step he had to take, he followed, with a great sense of discernment and courage, his conscience, that is the will of God speaking to his heart,” Pope Francis said.
The Pope said Jesus wants neither selfish Christians, who follow their egos and do not speak with God, nor weak and “remote-controlled” Christians, who have no will and are incapable of creativity, “who seek ever to connect with the will of another, and are not free”.
“Jesus wants us free, and this freedom — where is it found? It is to be found in the inner dialogue with God in conscience.
“If a Christian does not know how to talk with God, does not know how to listen to God, in his own conscience, then he is not free — he is not free.
“So we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful, however: this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not conscience.
“Conscience is the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. It is the inner place of our relationship with him, who speaks to our heart and helps us to discern, to understand the path we ought to take, and once the decision is made, to move forward, to remain faithful.”
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Image: Pope of Hearts