Pope: Know thyself – and here’s how

Pope Francis is an advocate of the Ancient Greek aphorism, "Know thyself."

"Almost complementary” to prayer in discerning God's will is self-knowledge, he says.

As a tool in the process of self-knowledge, the pope recommends a hallmark of Jesuit spirituality: the examen prayer.

At the general audience of October 5, he shared some questions that might characterize this prayer:

~ What happened in my heart in this day? “Lots of things happened …” Which? Why? 

~ What traces did they leave in my heart? 

~ What satiates my heart? 

~ To see: What passed by today? 

~ What happened? 

~ What made me react? 

~ What made me sad? 

~ What made me joyful? 

~ What was bad, and did I harm others?