Be Kind to Yourself

Are you too harsh on yourself, my dear friend? Take some solid advice from Saint Padre Pio:

"You say that you pity yourself because you see yourself full of pride, with no trace of humility, always falling down and never able to stay on your feet, but all this is quite untrue. It is a snare set by the evil one to make you lose heart and to hold you up, if that were possible, on the way of love by depicting the path of perfection as too difficult for you."

"Banish these false persuasions from your mind," says Saint Padre Pio to you, my friend, "and have no fear because you have no reason to be afraid. Get rid of your conviction that evil passions are too lively in you. Listen to me; let your mind dwell as little as possible on this matter, for thoughts of this kind usually do more harm than good. They dry up our hearts rather than enkindling in them the fire of love for the Supreme Good, just as the north wind dries up our fileds. Pray, of course, and ask the heavenly Spouse never to allow this harsh northerly wind to blow over the little garden of your soul, but to deign in His compassion as Lover to send invariably the south wind which is the only one capable of awakening chaste and holy love." (Letters 2, pages 110-111)