Natural suffering necessarily requires rest; supernatural suffering, even when rest is willfully neglected, will multiply one’s strength for the glory of God, a glory which will someday delight the spirit of the suffering person. From childhood, Padre Pio had the special grace of understanding that life is pain, so he transformed it by exalting pain. He said to a spiritual son, in the confessional, “My son, life is primarily suffering and pain; we must love and appreciate it, especially because our Lord has given it to us.”
– from the book: Padre Pio: A Personal Portrait
