Padre Pio’s letter to Raffaelina Cerase, 1914: Be careful not to lose sight of the divine presence in any of your actions. Never undertake any work or activity without first having lifted your mind to God and committing that activity to him with holy intentions. Do the same when you offer thanks for the outcome of all your actions. Always examine whether things unfolded in accord with the right intentions you had at the outset, and if you find anything defective, humbly ask the Lord for forgiveness with a firm resolution to amend your failings.
You must not be disheartened or sink into sadness if your actions do not attain the perfection you intended. What do you expect? We are all fragile, we are earth, and not every plot of land produces the fruit intended by the farmer. Let us always humble ourselves after our failures, recognizing that we are completely helpless without divine assistance.
—from the book Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day
by Gianluigi Pasquale and Marsha Daigle-Williamson Ph.D
