st Padre Pio

Words of encouragement for the devout life according to Padre Pio

"May Jesus bless you always and smile at your spirit, subjected through his goodness to so many trials; may he always console your heart, afflicted for him and by him, not through hate but through love"

"You may rest assured, my dear friend, that what best guarantees our perfection is the virtue of patience; and if it is necessary to practice this virtue with others, it is right to exercise it first of all towards ourselves. Those who aspire to the pure love of God need patience with themselves even more than with others"

Five maxims for the devout life
According to Padre Pio to live a devout life without failing, all you need do is to fix some excellent and generous maxims in your mind:


"The first one I desire you to cherish is from St Paul: 'All things work together for the good of those who love God' (Rom 8:28).

"The second maxim that I desire you to keep for ever engraved on your heart is that God is our Father; and what do you have to fear as the daughter of such a father whose providence would not let a hair of your head be harmed?"

"The third maxim is that you must observe what the divine Master teaches his disciples: 'What do you lack?' The disciples answered that they lacked nothing. When you were troubled even at the time when you unfortunately did not feel much confidence in God, tell me, were you never oppressed by anxiety? You will answer, 'No'. So, I will reply, 'Why do you not have the strength to overcome all the other trials?'.

"The fourth maxim concerns eternity. Living these brief and fleeting moments should not matter much to the children of God, since they will live for eternity in glory with God."

"The fifth maxim that I implore you to keep fixed in your mind is that of the Apostle St Paul: 'Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Gal 6:14). Treasure in your heart the crucified Jesus Christ and all the crosses of the world will seem like roses. Those who have been pricked by the crown of thorns of the Saviour, who is our Head, do not feel the other wounds."