For the month of July, the Holy Father invites us to pray with this intention:

"Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel."
(Pope Leo XIV)

In his monthly video, the Pope reminds us of the importance of spiritual discernment as a path to live an authentic life guided by the Gospel. Learning to read our hearts, to recognize deep emotions, to pause and reflect: these are simple but essential acts for choosing with freedom and truth what brings us closer to Christ and distances us from the illusions of the world.

We now share the full text of the Pope’s prayer to accompany us on the journey of discernment:

Holy Spirit, you, light of our understanding,
gentle breath that guides our decisions,
grant me the grace to listen attentively to your voice
and to discern the hidden paths of my heart,
so that I may grasp what truly matters to you,
and free my heart from its troubles.

I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause,
to become aware of the way I act,
of the feelings that dwell within me,
and of the thoughts that overwhelm me
which, so often, I fail to notice.

I long for my choices
to lead me to the joy of the Gospel.
Even if I must go through moments of doubt and fatigue,
even if I must struggle, reflect, search, and begin again…
Because, at the end of the journey,
your consolation is the fruit of the right decision.

Grant me a deeper understanding of what moves me,
so that I may reject what draws me away from Christ,
and love him and serve him more fully.

Amen.