Examination of conscious as a practice for growth

INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE

PART V

English-speaking Group: Amaladoss and John Baptist

Part five is an annual renewal which St. Francis recommends undergoing every year. In it, St. Francis requests us to make a special kind of retrospective walk into our lives by making a sort of mini-retreat, culminating in renewal of the resolution that we had taken towards spiritual perfection. Since the flesh is weak, it makes us to fall back to weaknesses every time blocking us from keeping up to our resolutions.  Francis encourages us to examine them closely, to give thanks for all signs of progress however tiny, and frankly acknowledge where we are lacking in progress.  Then we have to re-commit ourselves to the resolutions that we have made at the beginning of the spiritual journey.

We are asked to check ourselves the descriptions that are encountered by us and the overconfidence which has made us to fall into temptations. We have to make a examination of the soul as to its progress in the devout life. This section should bring us back to the middle sections of book at least once a year for a few weeks, and be an occasion to refresh our memory of all the good advice in the book.  We are called to examine in a special manner the condition of our soul in front of God and in front of others.  Then we are called for a daily renewal of our resolutions realizing the worth of the soul. The lives of the saints are models for us in this regard. Christ’s love for us and the eternal love of the Lord help us to be faithful to our resolutions and proceed forward in our spiritual growth.  The practice of prayer and the sacraments also help us in this spiritual growth.

Report by Amaladoss
Photography by Joe