I was just reading this and...I'm actually amazed. It's rare that you find wisdom like this; only from a Saint.
short biography:
http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=biography
(read it! )
quotes:
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You. . .
Don't allow any sadness to dwell in your soul, for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from acting freely.
The more you are afflicted, the more you ought to rejoice, because in the fire of tribulation the soul will become pure gold, worthy to be placed and to shine in the heavenly palace.
You must not be discouraged or let yourself become dejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly as you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine assistance.
Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity?
You must concentrate on pleasing God alone, and if He is pleased, you must be pleased.
In the first place, I want you to know that Jesus needs someone to mourn with Him for human wickedness. This is why he leads me along the sorrowful paths. But blessed be His charity forever. He knows how to combine the bitter with the sweet and convert the fleeting pains of this life into eternal happiness.
In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.
You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts.
Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus.
Charity is the measure by which Our Lord judges all things.
It would be well to remember that the graces and consolations of prayer are not waters of this earth but of Heaven. Therefore, all our efforts are not sufficient to make them fall, even though it be necessary to prepare oneself with great diligence.
The earth could exist more easily without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass.
As long as you receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every morning, you must consider yourself extremely fortunate.
As regards mortification of the flesh, St. Paul warns us that those who belong to "Christ Jesus, have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" - Galatians 5:24. From this holy apostle's teaching it is apparent that anyone who wants to be a true Christian, that is to say, who lives according to the true spirit of Jesus Christ, must mortify his flesh for no other reason than devotion to Jesus, who for love of us, mortified His entire body on the cross. The mortification must be constant and steady, not intermittent, and it must last for one's whole life.
Let us keep before our minds that which makes up real holiness. Holiness means getting above ourselves; it means perfect mastery of all our passions. It means having real and continual contempt for ourselves and for the things of the world to the point of preferring poverty rather than wealth, humiliation rather than glory, suffering rather than pleasure. Holiness means loving our neighbor as ourself for love of God. In this connection holiness means loving those who curse us, who hate and persecute us and even doing good to them. Holiness means living humbly, being disinterested, prudent, just, patient, kind, chaste, meek, diligent, carrying out one's duties for no other reason than that of pleasing God and receiving from Him alone the reward one deserves
Take care of your spirit, flee idleness and all immoral conversation. . .always remembering the words of the apostle, that our virtue is preserved in very fragile vessels.
Bless Him in all that He makes you suffer on this earth and rejoice in it, for each victory gained has a corresponding crown in paradise.
Do not let the persecution of worldlings and of all those who live without the Spirit of Jesus Christ deter you from following the road trodden by the saints.
Jesus permits the spiritual combat as a purification, not as a punishment. The trial is not unto death but unto salvation.
Renew your faith by attending Holy Mass. Keep your mind focused on the mystery that is unfolding before your eyes. In your mind's eye transport yourself to Calvary and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to Divine Justice, paying the price of your redemption.
There are moments when I think of the severity of Jesus and I start to worry; then I begin to think of His tenderness and I am consoled. It would be impossible for me not to abandon myself to this sweetness, this happiness.
God commands us to love Him, not as much as He deserves, because He knows our capabilities and therefore He does not ask us to do what we cannot do. But He asks us to love Him according to our strength, with all our soul, all our mind, and all our heart.
Give yourself up into the arms of your Heavenly Mother. She will take good care of your soul.
But let us take heart. . .Let us glance at the Divine Master who prayed in the Garden and we will discover the true ladder which unites the earth to Heaven. We will discover that humility, contrition and prayer make the distance between man and God disappear, and act in such a way that God descends to man, and man ascends to God, so that they end up understanding, loving and possessing one another.
In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you. In such a state you see nothing but darkness, but I can assure you on God's behalf that the light of the Lord is all around you and pervades your spirit. . .You see yourself forsaken and I assure you that Jesus is holding you tighter than ever to His divine Heart.
O Jesus, how many generous souls. . .have kept Thee company in the Garden, sharing Thy bitterness and Thy mortal anguish. . .How many hearts in the course of the centuries have responded generously to Thy invitation. . .May this multitude of souls, then, in this supreme hour, be a comfort to Thee, who, better than the disciples, share with Thee the distress of Thy heart, and cooperate with Thee for their own salvation and that of others. And grant that I also may be of their number, that I also may offer Thee some relief.
Don't lose heart if it is your lot to work alot and gather little. If you considered what one soul alone costs Jesus, you would never complain.
Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls.
When disturbed by passions and misfortunes, may the sweet hope of His inexhaustible mercy sustain us. Let us hasten confidently to the tribunal of penance where He awaits us at every instant with the anxiety of a father; and even though we are aware of our inability to repay Him, let us have no doubts about the solemn pardon pronounced over our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them, just as the Lord has done.
Don't worry about tomorrow because the very same Heavenly Father who takes care of you today will have the same thought tomorrow and always. . . What does a child in the arms of such a Father have to fear? Be as children, who hardly ever think about their future as they have someone to think for them. They are sufficiently strong just by being with their father.
My only regret is that I have no adequate means with which to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary, through whose intercession I have undoubtedly received so much strength from the Lord, to bear with sincere resignation the many humiliations to which I am subjected day after day. . . And I do not believe this strength comes to me from the world.
You ought to ask our Lord for just one thing, to love Him. All the rest should be thanksgiving.
I confess in the first place that for me it is a great misfortune to be unable to express and pour out this ever-active volcano which burns me up and which Jesus has placed in this very small heart of mine. It can all be summed up as follows - I am consumed by love for God and love for my neighbor.
We must humble ourselves on seeing how little self-control we have and how much we love comfort and rest. Always keep Jesus before your gaze; He did not come to rest nor to be comfortable either in spiritual or temporal matters, but to fight, to mortify Himself and to die.
I have never trusted in myself; I can state before my conscience that I never took a step without the advice of another, and as for the steps already taken I always reconsidered, always asked for new insight from as many people as I happened upon.
We must keep the eye of faith fixed on Jesus Christ who climbs the hill of Calvary loaded with his Cross, and as he toils painfully up the steep slope of Golgotha we should see him followed by an immense throng of souls carrying their own crosses and treading the same path. Oh, what a beautiful sight this is. Let us fix our mental gaze firmly on it. We see close behind Jesus our most holy Mother, who follows him perfectly, loaded with her own cross. Then comes the Apostles, Martyrs, Doctors, Virgins and Confessors. . .Jesus himself, despite all our unworthiness, has associated us with this beautiful company. We must make every effort to merge ourselves increasingly in these ranks and hasten with them along the road to Calvary. We should look to the end of the journey and not separate ourselves from this fine company; we must refuse to follow any other way than the one they tread.
My usual manner of praying is this: I no sooner begin to pray than my soul becomes enveloped in a peace and tranquility that words cannot describe. . .All I can say about this prayer is that my soul seems to be completely lost in God and that in those moments it gains more than it could in many years of intensive spiritual exercises.
Serene in our faith and tranquil in our soul, let us pray and continue to pray, because intense and fervent prayer pierces the heavens and is backed up by a Divine guarantee.
I do not know what will happen to me; I only know one thing for certain, that the Lord will never fall short of His promises. "Do not fear, I will make you suffer, but I will also give you the strength to suffer," Jesus tells me continually. "I want your soul to be purified and tried by a daily hidden martyrdom". . ."How many times," Jesus said to me a little while ago, "would you have abandoned me, my son, if I had not crucified you."
In order to attract us the Lord gives us many graces and we imagine we are almost in Heaven. We do not know, however, that to grow we need hard bread - crosses, humiliations, trials and contradictions.
short biography:
http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=biography
(read it! )
quotes:
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You. . .
Don't allow any sadness to dwell in your soul, for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from acting freely.
The more you are afflicted, the more you ought to rejoice, because in the fire of tribulation the soul will become pure gold, worthy to be placed and to shine in the heavenly palace.
You must not be discouraged or let yourself become dejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly as you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine assistance.
Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity?
You must concentrate on pleasing God alone, and if He is pleased, you must be pleased.
In the first place, I want you to know that Jesus needs someone to mourn with Him for human wickedness. This is why he leads me along the sorrowful paths. But blessed be His charity forever. He knows how to combine the bitter with the sweet and convert the fleeting pains of this life into eternal happiness.
In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.
You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts.
Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus.
Charity is the measure by which Our Lord judges all things.
It would be well to remember that the graces and consolations of prayer are not waters of this earth but of Heaven. Therefore, all our efforts are not sufficient to make them fall, even though it be necessary to prepare oneself with great diligence.
The earth could exist more easily without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass.
As long as you receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every morning, you must consider yourself extremely fortunate.
As regards mortification of the flesh, St. Paul warns us that those who belong to "Christ Jesus, have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" - Galatians 5:24. From this holy apostle's teaching it is apparent that anyone who wants to be a true Christian, that is to say, who lives according to the true spirit of Jesus Christ, must mortify his flesh for no other reason than devotion to Jesus, who for love of us, mortified His entire body on the cross. The mortification must be constant and steady, not intermittent, and it must last for one's whole life.
Let us keep before our minds that which makes up real holiness. Holiness means getting above ourselves; it means perfect mastery of all our passions. It means having real and continual contempt for ourselves and for the things of the world to the point of preferring poverty rather than wealth, humiliation rather than glory, suffering rather than pleasure. Holiness means loving our neighbor as ourself for love of God. In this connection holiness means loving those who curse us, who hate and persecute us and even doing good to them. Holiness means living humbly, being disinterested, prudent, just, patient, kind, chaste, meek, diligent, carrying out one's duties for no other reason than that of pleasing God and receiving from Him alone the reward one deserves
Take care of your spirit, flee idleness and all immoral conversation. . .always remembering the words of the apostle, that our virtue is preserved in very fragile vessels.
Bless Him in all that He makes you suffer on this earth and rejoice in it, for each victory gained has a corresponding crown in paradise.
Do not let the persecution of worldlings and of all those who live without the Spirit of Jesus Christ deter you from following the road trodden by the saints.
Jesus permits the spiritual combat as a purification, not as a punishment. The trial is not unto death but unto salvation.
Renew your faith by attending Holy Mass. Keep your mind focused on the mystery that is unfolding before your eyes. In your mind's eye transport yourself to Calvary and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to Divine Justice, paying the price of your redemption.
There are moments when I think of the severity of Jesus and I start to worry; then I begin to think of His tenderness and I am consoled. It would be impossible for me not to abandon myself to this sweetness, this happiness.
God commands us to love Him, not as much as He deserves, because He knows our capabilities and therefore He does not ask us to do what we cannot do. But He asks us to love Him according to our strength, with all our soul, all our mind, and all our heart.
Give yourself up into the arms of your Heavenly Mother. She will take good care of your soul.
But let us take heart. . .Let us glance at the Divine Master who prayed in the Garden and we will discover the true ladder which unites the earth to Heaven. We will discover that humility, contrition and prayer make the distance between man and God disappear, and act in such a way that God descends to man, and man ascends to God, so that they end up understanding, loving and possessing one another.
In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you. In such a state you see nothing but darkness, but I can assure you on God's behalf that the light of the Lord is all around you and pervades your spirit. . .You see yourself forsaken and I assure you that Jesus is holding you tighter than ever to His divine Heart.
O Jesus, how many generous souls. . .have kept Thee company in the Garden, sharing Thy bitterness and Thy mortal anguish. . .How many hearts in the course of the centuries have responded generously to Thy invitation. . .May this multitude of souls, then, in this supreme hour, be a comfort to Thee, who, better than the disciples, share with Thee the distress of Thy heart, and cooperate with Thee for their own salvation and that of others. And grant that I also may be of their number, that I also may offer Thee some relief.
Don't lose heart if it is your lot to work alot and gather little. If you considered what one soul alone costs Jesus, you would never complain.
Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification, but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls.
When disturbed by passions and misfortunes, may the sweet hope of His inexhaustible mercy sustain us. Let us hasten confidently to the tribunal of penance where He awaits us at every instant with the anxiety of a father; and even though we are aware of our inability to repay Him, let us have no doubts about the solemn pardon pronounced over our errors. Let us place a tombstone over them, just as the Lord has done.
Don't worry about tomorrow because the very same Heavenly Father who takes care of you today will have the same thought tomorrow and always. . . What does a child in the arms of such a Father have to fear? Be as children, who hardly ever think about their future as they have someone to think for them. They are sufficiently strong just by being with their father.
My only regret is that I have no adequate means with which to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary, through whose intercession I have undoubtedly received so much strength from the Lord, to bear with sincere resignation the many humiliations to which I am subjected day after day. . . And I do not believe this strength comes to me from the world.
You ought to ask our Lord for just one thing, to love Him. All the rest should be thanksgiving.
I confess in the first place that for me it is a great misfortune to be unable to express and pour out this ever-active volcano which burns me up and which Jesus has placed in this very small heart of mine. It can all be summed up as follows - I am consumed by love for God and love for my neighbor.
We must humble ourselves on seeing how little self-control we have and how much we love comfort and rest. Always keep Jesus before your gaze; He did not come to rest nor to be comfortable either in spiritual or temporal matters, but to fight, to mortify Himself and to die.
I have never trusted in myself; I can state before my conscience that I never took a step without the advice of another, and as for the steps already taken I always reconsidered, always asked for new insight from as many people as I happened upon.
We must keep the eye of faith fixed on Jesus Christ who climbs the hill of Calvary loaded with his Cross, and as he toils painfully up the steep slope of Golgotha we should see him followed by an immense throng of souls carrying their own crosses and treading the same path. Oh, what a beautiful sight this is. Let us fix our mental gaze firmly on it. We see close behind Jesus our most holy Mother, who follows him perfectly, loaded with her own cross. Then comes the Apostles, Martyrs, Doctors, Virgins and Confessors. . .Jesus himself, despite all our unworthiness, has associated us with this beautiful company. We must make every effort to merge ourselves increasingly in these ranks and hasten with them along the road to Calvary. We should look to the end of the journey and not separate ourselves from this fine company; we must refuse to follow any other way than the one they tread.
My usual manner of praying is this: I no sooner begin to pray than my soul becomes enveloped in a peace and tranquility that words cannot describe. . .All I can say about this prayer is that my soul seems to be completely lost in God and that in those moments it gains more than it could in many years of intensive spiritual exercises.
Serene in our faith and tranquil in our soul, let us pray and continue to pray, because intense and fervent prayer pierces the heavens and is backed up by a Divine guarantee.
I do not know what will happen to me; I only know one thing for certain, that the Lord will never fall short of His promises. "Do not fear, I will make you suffer, but I will also give you the strength to suffer," Jesus tells me continually. "I want your soul to be purified and tried by a daily hidden martyrdom". . ."How many times," Jesus said to me a little while ago, "would you have abandoned me, my son, if I had not crucified you."
In order to attract us the Lord gives us many graces and we imagine we are almost in Heaven. We do not know, however, that to grow we need hard bread - crosses, humiliations, trials and contradictions.