The Pope’s Audience: Re-read the story of your life to discover the presence of Christ

Charlotte Smedes – Vatican

“Reflecting on the events of our lives also allows us to understand the nuances and details that are important and yet hidden, which can be valuable tools.”

Pope Francis underscored this vision when he met pilgrims in St Peter’s Square for the general public on Wednesday.

The Pope continued his teaching on the topic of discernment, focusing his attention on how the story of our lives can reveal God’s hidden actions.

“Our life is our most valuable ‘book’, a book that unfortunately many do not read, or rather read too late, just before they die.”

The truth lives inside

The Pope recalled Saint Augustine’s reflections on this in his book confessions Where the saint in the fourth century narrates how he realized that he had been searching for God outside himself for many years before discovering him within.

As the great saint said, “Return within you. From within that truth dwell.”

Pope Francis has noted that we often falter in self-loathing and fail to see God’s work in us.

By reading about our past, we can learn to put aside “toxic” habits and find deeper meaning in each day.

We can, he said, “observe other things, make life richer, more respectful of complexity, and we can even succeed in understanding the exact ways God works in our lives.”

To reveal the hidden silence of the good

Pope Francis went on to say that the little things that seem insignificant at the moment can reveal to us something deeper upon further reflection.

These events, he said, are like “the hidden precious gems that the Lord has placed” in our daily lives.

“The good is hidden, silent, requires slow and constant exploration. And because God’s style is discreet, he is not forced, it is like the air we breathe, we do not see it but allow us to live, and we realize it. Only when it is missing.”

The Pope added that the more we read our life story, the more accurate our vision became, making it easier to discover God’s work in our lives.

The heart speaks to the heart

In conclusion, Pope Francis urged Christians to find someone to tell our life story to, helping us to enter into “one of the most beautiful and intimate forms of communication.”

Reading about the lives of the saints is another way to learn about God’s way of interacting with his friends.

The Pope concluded that “discrimination is the narrative reading of the consolation and ruin of life.” “It is the heart that speaks to us about God, and we must learn to understand the language of the heart.”