“Make a particular effort to practice sweetness and submission to the will of God, not only in extraordinary matters but even in the little things that occur daily…. And if you should fail in this, humble yourself, make a new proposition, get up, and continue on your way.”
—Letters, Vol. 3, 708
Between Masses, hearing confessions, and prayer time, Padre Pio’s day usually lasted about 19 hours. Not only that but, it began at 2:30 a.m. when he would wake up to begin his morning prayers. He was able to carry on an incredibly busy schedule with minimal sleep and while only consuming an average of about 300-400 calories a day. It was noted that he very rarely left the monastery and never took even a day’s vacation from his grueling schedule in 51 years. Each day for him was another opportunity to bring people closer into communion with Christ.
Pray on the words of Padre Pio below. How has God blessed you? How can you prayerfully show gratitude to our generous God?
In Padre Pio’s Own Words
Let us always seek to ask God for the grace to be preserved from this pestilent vice [of self-conceit], because “every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” [James 1:17]…. Let us always remember that everything that is good in us is a pure gift from the supreme goodness of the heavenly Bridegroom.
Let us imprint this on our minds, engrave it deeply in our hearts, and be fully persuaded about it: “No one is good but God alone” [Mark 10:18]; we are and have nothing in ourselves. Let us meditate constantly on what St. Paul wrote to the faithful in Corinth: “What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” [1 Corinthians 4:7].
If the enemy assails our paths because of the holiness of our lives, we should shout to his face, “My holiness does not come from my spirit but comes rather from the Spirit of God who sanctifies me. It is a gift of God. It is like a talent loaned to me by my Bridegroom so that I can do business with it and then render a strict account of the gains I have made through it.”
(To Fr. Agostino of San Marco in Lamis, August 2, 1913)
Prayer
St. Pio, help us to see that when we “give something up,” for Lent, we are gaining so much more.
Show us that our sacrifices are pleasing to God.
