General Audience of Pope Francis on October 26: Catechesis on Sadness

During the general audience on Wednesday, October 26, Pope Francis returns to the theme of discernment, addressing a dimension that unites them all: sadness. But faced with this feeling, the Holy Father invites us never to give up and to face the desolation by learning to read what “the important thing has to say”.

The catechesis on the occasion of the General Audience on Wednesday October 26 returns to the theme of discernment to which the Holy Father has decided to devote a cycle of reflections. Pope Francis emphasizes, on this day, the importance of being able to learn lessons even from moments of sadness.

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Recognizing moments of desolation as a dimension that (almost) everyone has faced at least once in their lives, the Pontiff urges us to read everything he has important to tell us, even the most dark.

Pope Francis explains how to deal with sadness

“I believe – confesses Pope Francis – that we have all known desolation. But maybe we don’t all know how to read him because he too has something important to tell us and therefore he is not lost”. Although everyone is looking for a life without sadness and desolation, many are aware that this is not possible. And it is by reading this aspect that the Holy Father invites us to understand how, even in the darkest things, good can be grasped. “In fact, the change of a life oriented towards vice can start from a situation of sadness, of remorse for what has been done”. The Pontiff therefore invites us to learn to read sadness.

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“In our time, it is above all considered negatively, as an evil to be avoided at all costs, and on the contrary it can be an essential alarm bell for life, inviting us to explore richer and more fertile landscapes than the ephemerality and avoidance do not allow”. And speaking of sadness, Pope Francis also dwells on another aspect. Indeed, if he considers this dimension as a point to benefit from, he also describes it as an obstacle to doing good.

Never escape the evidence

Desolation, indeed, is a temptation that can engender discouragement. But as the Pontiff suggests, in this case: “We must act exactly against what has been suggested, I have decided to continue what we had proposed to do”. And this is how it happens in work, study and even in prayer. “If we leave them when we are bored or sad, we will never accomplish anything. It is also an experience common to the spiritual life: the path to goodness, the Gospel reminds us, is narrow and steep, requires a fight, a conquest of oneself”.

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Pope Francis, during his catechesis in St. Peter’s Square, insists on the importance of never giving up. Face life’s choices with determination and firmness and meet all challenges with a resolute attitude, even those that seem the most complicated. This is strong encouragement from the Holy Father who, although aware of human fragilities and weaknesses, reiterates: “No evidence is beyond our reach; no evidence will exceed what we can do. But don’t run away from hardships. “To move forward – concludes Pope Francis – if we cannot overcome temptation today, we walk and we will overcome it tomorrow”.