Vatican City, Sep 27, 2016 / 13:32 pm
Feelings of spiritual desolation, or a lack of will to live, should be combated with prayer, not with sleeping pills or alcohol – things that only distract us from the problem – Pope Francis said Tuesday.
"We need to understand that when our soul is in this state of generalized sadness we can barely breathe: This happens to all of us… whether strong or not," the Pope said in a homily Sept. 27. We need to "understand what goes on in our hearts."
Offered on the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the Pope said Mass at Casa Santa Marta for the Vincentian Sisters the Daughters of Charity, who serve at the house.
In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the day's first reading, which is from the Book of Job, saying "Spiritual desolation makes us feel as though our souls are crushed, we can't succeed, we can't succeed and we also don't want to live."