Episode 3247: Awakening in Faith: Seven Illusions we need to Abandon

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Book Recommendation of the Day
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis (though not a canonized saint, it has been universally revered by saints and popes as second only to Scripture in importance for the spiritual life).
This book constantly emphasizes detachment from worldly illusions wealth, control, praise, human opinion and points the soul toward humility, silence, and conformity with Christ. It serves beautifully around this episode of the “Seven Illusions”.
Awakening in Faith: Seven Illusions we need to Abandon
Do you know why people draw closer to you when you have nothing to offer them in the way this world offers things? Do you know what they see when the look at you as you re building a spiritual life? When people are drawn to you in the spiritual life, it is not because of what you own, nor because of what you can do for them. Wealth, influence, and human talents may impress for a time, but they do not convert the heart.
What draws souls is something far deeper: the quiet radiance of a life conformed to Christ. When a man or woman lives with true joy, rooted in God rather than in circumstance… when they embody honesty that is not self-serving but anchored in truth… when they show devotion that transcends earthly calculation and instead springs from divine love… then others cannot help but notice.
This is why the saints attract souls. They did not seek followers, but their holiness drew men and women like a flame draws the moth. St. Francis of Assisi, clothed in rags, inspired a movement that renewed the Church. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, hidden away in the cloister, radiated a joy that continues to draw millions to her ‘Little Way.’ Their lives proclaimed something beyond earthly understanding something only divine grace can explain.
And here lies the key: people begin to gravitate toward you when they see in your life not an image of the world, but the presence of God. They recognize in your joy the echo of heaven, in your honesty the light of Christ, and in your devotion a love that transcends human limits.
This is the beginning of true awakening in the Catholic sense. It is not about adding more, but about letting go of the illusions that hide God’s image within us. As we slowly quit the falsehoods the world offers control, vanity, pride, noise, endless striving we make space for Christ to shine through us.
And it is that light, His light, that others are truly seeking.
Introduction
Much of modern spirituality speaks of ‘awakening.’ But from a traditional Catholic perspective, awakening is not a vague sense of enlightenment or a dissolving into the universe. True awakening is to live in Christ, to allow His grace to open our eyes to what is real, eternal, and holy.
The saints and theologians remind us that the spiritual life is not about acquiring more but about detaching from illusions. Like peeling away layers of the old man, we slowly let go of the habits and falsehoods that keep us asleep in sin.
Today, we’ll look at seven things that spiritually awake Catholics those striving for sanctity gradually quit, according to the wisdom of the Church.”
Segment 1: Quitting the Illusion of Control
“The world tells us that we are masters of our fate, in absolute control of our lives. But Christ reminds us, ‘Without Me, you can do nothing’ (John 15:5).
The saints lived with profound trust in Providence. St. Augustine taught that our restless hearts find rest only when surrendered to God. Spiritually awake Catholics stop clinging to the illusion that they can direct everything. Instead, they entrust their lives to Divine Providence.
This does not mean passivity, but obedience. We labor diligently, but always with the humility of knowing that God governs the outcome. In abandoning control, we find peace in the will of God.”
Segment 2: Quitting the Obsession with Identity
The modern age glorifies self-definition: build your brand, discover your identity, express your uniqueness. But Catholic tradition reminds us that our deepest identity is not self-made it is given in Baptism.
St. Paul tells us, ‘For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). Spiritually awake Catholics stop obsessing over titles, reputations, or worldly roles. They see themselves first and foremost as children of God, temples of the Holy Ghost, heirs of heaven.
The saints wore their identities lightly whether pope, monk, mother, or peasant because they knew their truest name was written in the Book of Life.”
Segment 3: Quitting the Addiction to Certainty (Worldly Certainty)
The Church teaches us that faith is not built on worldly certainty but on trust in divine truth. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that faith involves assent to truths unseen.
The world demands proof, control, and certainty in every detail. But spiritually awake Catholics learn to quit this addiction. They do not seek worldly guarantees, but rest in the promises of God.
As Hebrews reminds us, ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). The saints lived not by clinging to earthly assurances, but by trusting the eternal Word of God, even when it meant walking in the dark night of faith.”
Segment 4: Quitting the Chase for External Validation
From childhood, we learn to crave approval grades, applause, recognition. But Our Lord warned, ‘Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them’ (Matthew 6:1).
Spiritually awake Catholics slowly detach from the need for human validation. They live for the approval of God, not men. St. Francis de Sales said, ‘Do not look to the approval of men, but only to God.’
This does not make them indifferent to others, but it frees them from slavery to opinion. Their worth is rooted in Christ’s love, in the grace of the sacraments, and in fidelity to the truth.”
Segment 5: Quitting the Fear of Silence
Our age fills every moment with noise, distraction, and chatter. But the saints sought silence not emptiness, but space for God’s voice.
St. John of the Cross wrote, ‘Silence is God’s first language.’ The spiritually awake Catholic learns to quit fearing silence and begins to embrace it as the dwelling place of God.
Silence allows us to examine our conscience, to meditate on Scripture, to adore Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. It is in silence that Mary heard the angel Gabriel; it is in silence that St. Joseph obeyed God’s will. Silence is not absence it is the presence of God.”

Segment 6: Quitting the Pursuit of Endless Achievement
The world glorifies busyness and productivity. But Christ warned, ‘What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?’ (Mark 8:36).
Spiritually awake Catholics recognize that their worth is not in worldly success but in holiness. They slowly quit the treadmill of endless achievement and instead focus on virtue, charity, and the salvation of souls.
The saints often left behind riches and honors St. Francis of Assisi abandoned wealth, St. Thomas More abandoned power, all for the kingdom of God. True greatness is measured not in achievements, but in fidelity to Christ.”
Segment 7: Quitting the Illusion of Separation
The greatest illusion is that we are separate from God, from the Church, from one another. Sin isolates, but grace unites.
Our Lord prayed, ‘That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee’ (John 17:21). Spiritually awake Catholics quit the illusion that they stand alone. They discover their place in the Mystical Body of Christ.
This truth fills them with charity. They see Christ in the poor, the suffering, the forgotten. They understand with St. Paul that, ‘If one member suffer, all suffer together’ (1 Corinthians 12:26). In the communion of saints, they recognize that unity is not an idea but a supernatural reality.
Closing Reflection
These seven things the illusion of control, obsession with identity, addiction to worldly certainty, the chase for validation, fear of silence, endless achievement, and separation are illusions that cloud our vision.
To awaken in the Catholic sense is to allow grace to purify our sight, to see the world as God sees it, and to live as His saints lived.
Awakening isn’t what the world thinks it is sanctification, detachment from illusions, and union with Christ. It is the journey of the Cross leading to Resurrection.

Epistle – Ecclus. 45:1–6
"Beloved of God and men, whose memory is in benediction. He made him like the saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease... He sanctified him in his faithfulness and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh."
Reflection on the Epistle
This passage exalts Moses as a chosen instrument of God. His greatness was not in power or wealth but in his faithfulness, meekness, and obedience. God worked wonders through him precisely because he was humble and devoted.
St. Francis Borgia mirrored this. As a duke, he held power and honor, but after witnessing the corruptibility of earthly glory especially at the funeral of Empress Isabella, where he saw her body reduced to decay he realized that only what is done for God endures. Leaving his titles and possessions behind, he embraced religious poverty and humility, and God magnified him through his sanctity.
For us, this Epistle teaches that true greatness lies not in titles, wealth, or achievements, but in being faithful servants of God. Humility and obedience sanctify a soul far more than worldly honors.
Gospel – Matthew 19:27–29
"Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting."
Reflection on the Gospel
Here Our Lord answers Peter’s question about the reward for discipleship. Those who leave everything for Christ’s sake are promised not only eternal life but even a foretaste of that hundredfold blessing in this life.
St. Francis Borgia lived this to the letter. He gave up immense wealth, noble privileges, and the prestige of one of Spain’s most powerful families. In return, he gained the incomparable treasure of serving Christ and His Church, guiding the Jesuits in a time of rapid growth, and leaving behind a legacy of holiness and reform.
This Gospel challenges us: what are we clinging to that prevents us from giving ourselves fully to Christ? Comfort? Reputation? Possessions? Christ does not ask all to abandon their homes or families, but He does ask all to make Him first before all else.
Feast of St. Francis Borgia
St. Francis Borgia is remembered as a nobleman who embraced humility, a man of influence who chose obscurity for Christ, and a leader who helped form the Jesuits into a powerhouse of Catholic reform and evangelization. His feast is a reminder that sanctity requires detachment: when we loosen our grip on the world, God fills us with treasures eternal.
Application for Today
• Detach from worldly idols: Like Borgia, remember the fleeting nature of riches and power.
• Embrace humility: God sanctifies those who, like Moses, are meek and faithful.
• Trust in God’s promises: Every sacrifice for Christ bears fruit in this life and eternal life to come.
• Put Christ first: In family, work, and culture, Christ must reign supreme.
Conclusionary Prayer
O God, who didst grant St. Francis Borgia the grace to despise earthly honors and embrace the humility of Thy Cross, grant that we may learn to seek first Thy Kingdom, to forsake what passes, and to lay hold of what is eternal.
St. Francis Borgia, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us.