Pope Leo XIV met with seminarians from various Spanish dioceses on February 28, 2026. The Pope encouraged the future priests to cultivate a supernatural view of reality to sustain their formation and ministry. He warned that neglecting the relationship with God leads to a disordered inner life and an 'unnatural' existence. Pope Leo referenced G.K. Chesterton's idea that removing the supernatural results in the unnatural, not the natural. The Pope directed the seminarians to read his letter to a Peruvian seminary for essential aspects of priestly formation.
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Pope Leo XIV met with seminarians from Alcalá de Henares, Toledo, Cartagena, and the Interdiocesan Seminary of Catalonia on February 28, 2026.1
He urged them to embrace a supernatural relationship with God for fruitful priestly ministry.1
The Pope recommended reading his letter to the Archdiocesan Major Seminary of Trujillo, Peru, for essentials of priestly formation.1
He focused on cultivating a "supernatural view of reality," quoting G.K. Chesterton: “Take away the supernatural and you will not find the natural, but the unnatural.”1
Without God, life becomes disordered internally, pushing Him to the margins of daily decisions.1
A priest speaking of God without living in His presence is unnatural and dangerous.1
Becoming accustomed to God's things without living from Him undermines true ministry.1
Seminarians must avoid confusing activity intensity with fruitfulness, like trees that "die standing."1
Priestly formation starts with remaining in Christ, letting the Holy Spirit shape hearts.1
Tools like psychology aid, but the Holy Spirit is the true protagonist.1
Practice God's presence by seeking deeper meaning in everyday life and choices.1
The Pope thanked the seminarians for their generosity in following the Lord.1
He assured them Christ leads, Mary accompanies, and the Church prays for them.1
Allow the Lord to transform in daily ordinariness.1
Pursuit of supernatural reality prevents inner disorder in Catholic life
In Catholic teaching, the pursuit of supernatural reality—encompassing grace, the beatific vision, and union with God—perfects human nature, rectifies disordered inclinations, and fosters interior harmony. This aligns with the Church's understanding that grace elevates the natural order without destroying it, enabling the soul to overcome sins that corrupt reason, will, and affections. By directing the soul toward its supernatural end, this pursuit counters the "old man" of personal and social disorder, as exemplified in Scripture and the lives of the saints.
Catholic doctrine defines the supernatural order as God's gratuitous elevation of the rational creature beyond its natural capacities to a divine life and destiny, including the beatific vision. This is not merely an addition but a perfection of nature: "grace does not destroy but only perfects nature."
The Catechism emphasizes that eternal beatitude is "supernatural, as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy," surpassing human powers through God's free gift. Man's vocation to eternal life "depends entirely on God's gratuitous initiative," elevating intellect and will to know and love God as He is in Himself.
St. Francis de Sales elaborates that, despite the Fall, a natural inclination persists to love God above all, but supernatural love—infused by grace—reigns supreme, subduing self-love and other passions like a monarch. As Pius XII teaches, observance of the natural law serves the supernatural end, with the Church as guide. The Compendium affirms: "nothing of the created or the human order is foreign to or excluded from the supernatural... it is found within it, taken on and elevated by it."
This pursuit involves habitual and actual grace, infused virtues, and meritorious acts, forming specific laws for sanctification beyond natural moral precepts.
Inner disorder arises from sin, which corrupts the soul's rational and appetitive powers, fracturing unity with God and others. St. Thomas Aquinas, commenting on Ephesians 4:25, identifies lying as the prime sin corrupting reason—the hallmark of the "old man"—contrasting with the truth-speaking of the "new man." Such sins include personal disorders (e.g., anger, theft) and those harming others (e.g., evil speech), all stemming from disordered passions.
St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises highlights this through colloquies seeking grace for: (1) interior knowledge of sins and hatred thereof; (2) recognition of action's disorder for correction; (3) knowledge of the world's vanity to reject it. These reveal desolation as spiritual chaos, contrasted with consolation in God.
St. Teresa of Ávila describes interior afflictions as the severest trials, disordering soul and body more than exterior pains; yet, God grants patience, urging imitation of Christ's suffering road. David L. Schindler notes "objective sin" as cognitive disorder—a false vision of reality vis-à-vis God—manifesting in personal acts and institutions.
Directing life toward the supernatural integrates and heals these disorders. Aquinas links truth-speaking to ecclesial unity: "we are members one of another," demanding mutual love in truth to banish lies and isolation. Grace empowers this "newness of life," restraining interior sins.
Ignatius's repetitions dwell on consolations, culminating in colloquies to Mary, Christ, and the Father—prayers invoking grace to reorder the soul supernaturally. Teresa insists on choosing suffering's path for Christ's imitation, yielding advantages amid trials.
Francis de Sales portrays supernatural love as "the heir," born of miracle, ruling faculties sweetly: "love has no bondslaves, but subjects all by so acceptable a power." It perfects natural tendencies, promising salvation where faith guides and hope sustains.
The Catholic Encyclopedia synthesizes: Christ's Redemption restores divine sonship via grace's helps, enabling meritorious works toward Heaven. Supernatural laws—Divine conditions of salvation—govern growth in holiness, transcending natural ethics. Schindler's "integral" anthropology underscores wholeness referencing God, countering sin's objective disorder.
| Aspect of Disorder | Natural Inclination | Supernatural Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Rational Corruption (e.g., lying) | Self-deception, isolation | Grace-infused truth as Body of Christ unity |
| Passions/Emotions | Desolation, self-love | Colloquies, suffering imitation, reigning charity |
| Cognitive/Social | False worldviews, structures of sin | Integral vision of God, elevating natural order |
In daily Catholic practice, this pursuit manifests through sacraments, prayer, and virtue. The Exercises urge marking consolations for repetition, fostering habitual supernatural orientation. Confession rectifies sin's knowledge; Eucharist unites as members. Amid modern afflictions, Teresa's counsel endures: esteem trials lightly against hell deserved, choosing Christ's way.
This prevents disorder by subordinating natural to supernatural: natural desire obeys obediential potency to grace's elevation. As the Compendium states, the Gospel permeates society, recovering creation's divine link.
Conclusion
Catholic teaching unequivocally supports that pursuing supernatural reality—via grace toward beatitude—prevents inner disorder by perfecting nature, subduing sin, and uniting the soul to God. From Aquinas's scriptural precepts to saints' exercises, this forms a harmonious overlife, where "the natural is... transcended by the nobler participation... in supernatural grace." Faithful adherence yields interior peace and communal truth.