“By their fruits you will know them”

Three spirits strive for mastery in every soul. There is the spirit of falsehood and blasphemy that, since the beginning, has always suggested the contrary to whatever God whispers in our ear. There is the spirit of the world that inclines us to judge things according to the precepts of the senses and fleshly prudence. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God” (1Cor 3:19). There is the Spirit of God that constantly inspires us to lift up our hearts (“sursum corda” *) above nature and to live by faith (Heb 10:38). This Spirit unceasingly inclines us towards a purely loving faith and the abandonment of ourselves into the hands of God. “It fills us with peace and joy in believing” (Rm 15:13) and brings forth the fruits of which Saint Paul speaks. Our Lord said: “You will know these spirits by the fruits” they produce in your soul (cf. Mt 7:16). I recommend great fidelity to the movements of the Holy Spirit. Your baptism and confirmation have implanted it like a living fountain in your soul. Listen to its whisperings and put to flight all other inspirations with one blow. If you keep this fidelity, little by little the divine Spirit will become your guide and will bear you along with Him into the bosom of God.*”Sursum corda”: “Lift up your hearts”, the introductory words to the preface of the Mass.