9. 靈性成長－白孟德神父（Fr. Charles Belmonte Lopez）語錄

Since our first conscious decision really to follow Christ, no doubt, we made good progress. And yet isn’t it true that there is still much to be done? Isn’t it true, particularly, that there is still so much pride in each of us? We need, most probably, to change again, to be more loyal and humbler, so that we become less selfish and let Christ grow in us, for he must become more and more, I must become less and less.

從我們第一次意識到，決定要真正地跟隨主基督，毫無疑問，我們獲得了良好的進步。然而，難道不是還有很多事要做嗎？難道不是真的，特別是，我們每個人仍然有許多的驕傲嗎？我們很可能需要再次地改變，更加地忠誠和謙遜，因此我們就不會那麼的自私，讓主基督在我們內成長，因為祂必須擁有我持續地增多，我必須逐漸地減少。

We cannot stay still. We must keep going ahead toward the goal. The fire of God’s love needs to be fed. It must grow each day, gathering strength in our soul; and a fire is maintained by burning more things. If we don’t feed it, it may die. If you say “enough”, you are lost. Go further, keep going. But how?

我們不能停滯不前，我們必須朝向目標繼續地前進。天主炙熱的愛需要被滋養。必須要每天不斷地成長，在我們的靈魂中聚集力量；通過燃燒更多的事來維持熱火。如果我們不滋養它，它可能會死去。如果你說：「夠了！」你就迷路了。要走得更遠，繼續地前進，但是要怎麼做呢？

We must examine our conscience daily to increase the love of God. Our struggle to be worthy of the Lord’s blessing must not be vague. We must know ourselves thoroughly. We need a clear awareness of our personal weaknesses, our recurrent sins, in order to tackle them effectively and so improve.

我們必須每天省察我們的良心，以增加天主的愛。我們的奮鬥配得吾主的祝福，決不能含糊不清，我們必須徹底地瞭解自己。我們需要清楚地意識到我們個人的軟弱，我們不斷地出現的罪惡，以便有效地解決並且改善它們。

The examination of conscience –every day, at the end of the day– should result in very definite resolutions.

每天作—良心省察，在一天結束時—應該獲得非常明確的決策。