Pope Leo XIV cautioned against prioritizing public approval, consensus, and visibility in modern society. The pursuit of external validation can lead to personal suffering, social division, and fragile relationships. True fulfillment is found not in fleeting success or fame, but in the belief that every individual is loved and wanted by God. The Pope contrasted this with God's approach, which involves entering human struggle rather than seeking dramatic displays.
about 2 months ago
Pope Leo XIV delivered his Angelus address on January 18, 2026, in St. Peter's Square, warning against the modern overemphasis on approval, consensus, and visibility.1
These pursuits shape ideas, behaviors, and inner lives, leading to suffering, division, and fragile relationships that substitute for true happiness.1
The pope emphasized that joy stems from recognizing oneself as loved and wanted by God, not from fleeting success or fame.1
Drawing on Jesus and St. John the Baptist, he described God entering human struggles without dramatic displays, affirming each person's dignity.1
Believers should emulate John the Baptist through vigilance, simplicity, sincerity, sobriety, and depth of mind and heart.1
Pope Leo urged daily moments of silence for prayer, reflection, and listening—described as "withdrawing into the desert" to meet the Lord.1
Marking the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the pope stressed responsibility for unity alongside commitments to peace and justice worldwide.1
He prayed for the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting violence forcing refugees to Burundi and a humanitarian crisis, calling for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace.1
Pursuing external approval undermines authentic Catholic spiritual life
Pursuing external approval indeed undermines authentic Catholic spiritual life, as it shifts the soul's focus from intimate communion with God to the fleeting praise of others, fostering pride, hypocrisy, and spiritual superficiality. Catholic tradition, from Scripture to the saints and magisterial teachings, consistently emphasizes interiority, purity of intention, and seeking God's commendation alone as the hallmark of true holiness. This analysis draws on key sources to explore the dangers of externalism, the primacy of conscience and coherence, and the path to genuine spiritual depth.
Beginners in the spiritual life often fall into the trap of pride, craving recognition for their devotions and fleeing correction that might humble them. St. John of the Cross warns that such souls, when their confessors do not approve their behavior, presume the spiritual guides lack understanding and seek out flatterers instead: "they immediately desire and contrive to find some one else who will fit in with their tastes; for as a rule they desire to speak of spiritual matters with those who they think will praise and esteem what they do." This pursuit manifests in public displays—sighs, ceremonies, even contrived ecstasies—where "the devil aids them, and they are pleased that this should be noticed." Such actions invert the Gospel's caution: "They have their reward" (Mt 6:2), as St. Ambrose echoes, referring to those who trumpet their alms or fasts for show.
St. John Chrysostom reinforces this for clergy and laity alike: the teacher must labor "so that he may please God," disregarding acclamation or dejection from hearers, for "a sufficient consolation... is when he is able to be conscious of arranging and ordering his teaching with a view to pleasing God." Thomas à Kempis adds that one who "seeketh no outward witness on his own behalf, showeth plainly that he hath committed himself wholly to God," citing St. Paul: "not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth" (2 Cor 10:18). These masters reveal how external approval erodes authenticity, turning piety into performance.
Authentic spirituality demands presence to one's deepest self, where God's voice echoes alone. The Catechism teaches: "Conscience is man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths" (GS 16). Yet life distracts from this reflection, making interiority "all the more necessary" to hear and follow conscience. Without it, actions lack vivifying holiness of intention, as the Catholic Encyclopedia on merit explains: external works must be "penetrated and vivified by holiness of intention," lest they become hypocrisy. The Church urges daily "good intention" to sanctify even indifferent acts "for the greater glory of God."
Living "in the truth" means conformity to Christ's example, not darkness: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth" (1 Jn 1:6). Purification of the heart—through prayer, chastity, and pure vision—is essential, demanding rejection of presumptuous pursuits. Pope Paul VI highlights this as "the best type of spirituality," nourished by Scripture, liturgy, and contemplation, where Christian perfection becomes "the Church's surest defense" against secular distractions. Neglecting this for human esteem reduces faith to "merely human wisdom," as St. John Paul II lamented.
True witness flows from lived coherence, not proclaimed virtue. The Guide for Catechists insists: "Before they preach the word, they must make it their own and live by it... The truth of their lives confirms their message. It would be sad if they did not 'practice what they preached.'" Catechists, as lay exemplars, must embody prayer, fidelity to the Spirit, and paschal joy, proving that "the more intense and real one's spiritual life is, the more convincing... will one's witness" be.
In consecrated life, Pope John Paul II calls spirituality the "wellspring," urging all to "aspire with all their strength to the perfection of charity," leaving everything for Christ (cf. Phil 3:8,10). Institutes approved by the Church confirm charisms that foster "personal and communal perfection according to the Gospel," with spiritual life taking "first place." This interior priority yields apostolic fruitfulness, attracting souls thirsting for absolute values.
One might argue that communal encouragement sustains growth, yet Catholic teaching subordinates this to divine approval: human praise is a "shadow of future ones" and a "hindrance to eternal life." In today's media-saturated world, the temptation amplifies—social validation mimics the "sound of a trumpet" (Mt 6:2). Programs promising renewal without conversion betray the Gospel, ignoring the ascetical struggle for purity of heart (Mt 5:8). Instead, as St. Augustine notes via the Encyclopedia, God crowns merits "not as thine earnings, but as His gifts."
In summary, pursuing external approval severs the soul from its sanctuary in God, breeding pride and illusion. Authentic Catholic spiritual life thrives in hidden fidelity: conscience-formed intention, coherent witness, and Godward gaze. By heeding these teachings, we reclaim the "perennial freshness of the Gospel" to transform our lives. Cultivate daily interiority, reject flattery's snare, and let the Lord alone commend you.