I once visited the abbey of Melk in Austria. I was struck, on the altarpiece of the church, by a huge golden crown held by angels with this registration: "No one can know himself unless he is tempted, nor can he be crowned unless he has conquered, nor can he conquer unless he has fought, nor can he fight unless he has an enemy and temptations" (St. Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 60).

At the same time, Christians, in order to gauge the reality of their status before God and in every moment of life, need discernment, from the point of view of staff as well as from the family, social and ecclesial points of view.

The last chapter of the exhortation Gaudete et exsultate presents these two indispensable means for every Christian who wishes to seriously follow the call to holiness: spiritual combat and discernment.

What is the meaning of this "spiritual combat"? The Pope points out two objectives: the struggle against temptations and keeping alive the disposition to proclaim the Gospel. This struggle," he observes encouragingly, "is very beautiful, because it allows us to celebrate each time that the Lord wins in our lives" (n. 158). The Christian tradition uses for this the Greek term ascesis, from the Greek askesis: "exercise or training" to free the spirit and attain virtue.

From an anthropological point of view, Romano Guardini writes that asceticism means that "man decides to live as a man," that is, to direct the various aspects of his life correctly. He decides to make an effort and even sacrifice himself in some things, in order to achieve others that he proposes to himself as more valuable in any field: in the professional or sporting sphere, in friendship or marriage. This requires a sense of responsibility, self-control, Education of values (which are not the same as tastes), eagerness to excel. It requires exercise in the right life and in the search for truth. And thus the human spirit can lead us to a freer, fuller life (cf. La esencia del cristianismo-Unaética para nuestro tiempo, ed. Cristiandad, Madrid 2007, pp. 213ff.)

On this basis, Christian asceticism is situated at framework of a response of love to Love with capital letters: the Christian "fights" spiritually to let God write his story. It is the Lord who "wins" in our life. This is why Francis writes: "Do not be afraid to aim higher, to let yourself be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit" (n. 34).

The Christian tradition itself considers that the main enemies in spiritual combat are temptations. Man is tempted by the seductions that come from the world, the flesh and the devil. To confront the first two, we must keep in mind that it is not a matter of fleeing from the created world, which is good in itself. Nor should we reject material or corporeal realities, which are also good in themselves. Rather, it is a matter of fighting against a worldly mentality "which dulls us and makes us mediocre" (n. 159) and against one's own frailty and evil inclinations. But then there is the third, the devil: the Pope warns that he is not a myth, but a real being and staff. And test is that when Jesus taught us to pray, he invited us to ask the Father to "deliver us from evil" in the sense of the Evil One.

The path to holiness, Francis observes, is a constant struggle: "Whoever does not want to recognize this will be exposed to failure or mediocrity. For the struggle we have the powerful weapons that the Lord gives us: faith expressed in prayer, meditation on the Word of God, the celebration of the Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental reconciliation, works of charity, community life and missionary commitment" (n. 162).

In this struggle the Pope points out three horizons: "the development of the good, spiritual maturation and the growth of love" (Ibid.). The path becomes twisted when the one who has undertaken it becomes complacent or falls asleep in mediocrity (lukewarmness). Although, by the grace of God, he does not commit serious sins, he gets used to flying low, and this is the origin of "spiritual corruption". And of this Francis writes: "Spiritual corruption is worse than the fall of a sinner, because it is a comfortable and self-sufficient blindness where everything ends up seeming licit" (n. 165): deceit, slander, selfishness.

Regarding discernment (from the Greek diákrisis, to distinguish beneath appearances), it has to do with the general framework of the virtue of prudence (or wisdom internship) and the more concrete judgment of conscience. In Christian spirituality the term discernment is used to express the distinction between good and evil. When we speak of discernment "of spirits" we are talking about knowing if something comes from the Holy Spirit or, on the contrary, from the devil. In the day-to-day Christian life, it is a matter of knowing where God's will is leading us. And to find out, we have to look at what is inside us and also outside. And a Christian must always look at reality with the eyes of faith.

Discernment can be staff or communitarian (family, social, ecclesial). In the first case, it is a matter of a particular person (to whom financial aid a spiritual advisor or another person who knows her well and is prudent and mature in her actions and judgments). In the second case, it is a group of persons (a family, a center educational, a business and, in the ecclesial framework , a parish, a religious community, etc.) who have the responsibility to decide about certain questions or actions.

Discernment staff and ecclesial discernment mutually support each other and need some fundamental criteria to reach a correct conclusion, such as: if what we perceive is in conformity with the Word of God and the Church's teaching , if we are rendering a service to the Church and to society. Ecclesial discernment also requires a series of attitudes (humility, detachment from oneself, ability to observe and listen, etc.) and makes use above all of prayer, study and dialogue. 

Regarding discernment, Pope Francis highlights five points that he considers to be of importance today:

1) A pressing need, especially for young people: "Without the wisdom of discernment, we can easily become puppets at the mercy of the trends of the moment" (n. 167). We are free," he tells them, "but we must recognize the paths to full freedom.

2) Always in the light of the Lord. This allows us to recognize his times and his grace, so as not to miss his inspirations and opportunities for growth. The "examination of conscience" (which can be seen as a daily and brief discernment: two or three minutes at the end of workshop are enough) serves to translate the great horizons into small steps and concrete means.

3) A supernatural gift. On the basis of human wisdom (reason and prudence) and the wise norms of the Church, Christian discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit in order to be right in our actions, here and now. Therefore, it must go beyond the search for well-being, what is useful or what soothes the conscience (goals that would not even reach a truly human wisdom). What is at stake is the meaning of our life, that of each one of us, before God. That is why prayer is essential.

4) It requires a willingness to listen: "Speak, Lord". Listening to God, to the magisterium of the Church, and also to others and to reality, makes it possible to overcome our partial and insufficient vision, our perhaps comfortable and rigid schemes in the face of the newness that comes with the life of the Risen One.

5) It must follow the logic of the gift and the cross. For this reason, he asks for generosity, not allowing his conscience to be anesthetized and overcoming fear (because He who asks for everything also gives everything).

In short, Francis concludes, "discernment is not a self-absorbed self-analysis, a selfish introspection, but a true going out of ourselves into the mystery of God, who calls us financial aid to live the mission statement to which he has called us for the good of our brothers and sisters" (n. 175).