Do Not Halt Halfway on Your Journey, My Friend

Dear friend, you are such a wonderful soul, I want you to take encouragement today from Saint Padre Pio's words to you:

"The knowledge of God's plan for you must serve, on the one hand, to arouse gratitude in the depths of your soul towards so good a Father, so that you may give continual and heartfelt thanks to your heavenly Benefactor. You should unite your praise to that of Mary Most Holy and Immaculate, of the Angels, and of all the blessed inhabitants of the Heavenly Jerusalem. On the other hand, this knowledge must serve as an incentive to lay aside all fear and not come to a halt halfway on your journey, because of the sufferings and trials which must be endured if you are to reach the end of this extremely long road.

"The Lord has allowed me to show you all these things chiefly to prevent you from any uncertainty as you travel this road. Run, then, without growing weary, and may the Lord direct and guide your steps so that you may not fall. Make haste, I tell you, for the road is long and time is very short. Run, let us all run so that at the end of our journey we may say with the holy apostle, 'I am already on the point of being sacrificed, the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith' [2Timothy 4:6-7]." (Letters 2, pages 316-317)

May God richly bless you, my dear friend!

What Cross are You Carrying Today, Dear Friend?

What is the cross you are carrying today, my dear friend? Please do not carry it alone. It makes you feel lonely, I know, when your cross is so heavy, and perhaps you've carried it for a long time now, which adds to your pain, but Saint Padre Pio offers you his blessing as he smiles on you from Heaven, and he says the following to you, just as he said it to another spiritual child of his:

"May the grace of the divine Spirit comfort your soul with that consolation which can come from God alone. May Jesus make you ever dearer to Him and ever more like Him on the path of suffering. May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, enable you to undertand all that is contained in the great secret of suffering borne with a Christian spirit. May she obtain for you all the strength you require to climb the summit of Calvary loaded with your own cross. Great strength is needed, unfortunately, to follow this path, but take heart, for the Savior will never leave you alone or without His help. Let us make haste, then, to join and mingle with all those pious and faithful souls who follow the divine Master. Let us hasten, I say, and not remain far behind this holy company. Let us always be united with them and never lose sight of them." (Letters 2, pages 487-488)

Yes, dear friend, take heart, as Saint Padre Pio said, and know that your Savior will never leave you alone or without His help.

My Yoke is Easy, My Burden is Light

Are you carrying a heavy load, my dear friend? Let Saint Padre Pio's words lighten that load for you: "May Jesus enable you to appreciate more and more, along with all the souls who love Him with a sincere and pure heart, His most loving invitation, 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.' [Matthew 11:30] May this most tender invitation of the Divine Master console you in this trial. . . . It can truly be said that your new state is a most singular favor of the Lord, a favor that He usually grants only to those strong souls who, in His mercy, He holds most dear.
"Rejoice then, along with me, at this outstanding benevolence of our good God. Oh how delightful and consoling it is to know that without any merit of our own, this most tender Father has raised us to such high dignity. Oh, open your heart to this Father, the most loving of fathers, and let Him act freely within you. Let us not be stingy with One who enriches us even too much, whose generosity is endless and knows no limits." (Letters 2, page 385)

Here is my prayer for you, my dear friend, from Saint Padre Pio: "May the Holy Spirit sanctify you more and more, make you worthy of greater charisms, and make you a most chaste spouse of the Son of God. Amen." (Letters 2, page 384)

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)

Embracing Your Heart and Giving You Peace

Do evil influences ever annoy you, worry you, cause you to fear for your soul or for the souls of your loved ones? St. Padre Pio asks you, "Why are you so afraid of your adversary, my child? Don't you know that our good Jesus is invariably with you and that the enemy of souls has no power over those who have resolved to belong entirely to God? In reality, the more you are afraid, the safer you are; and the more tepid you feel, the more secure you are." (Letters 2, page 110)

St. Pio's words above might sound illogical to the world, but to you, who are "in this world but not of it," his words will embrace your heart and give you peace.
God bless you, my friend!

Divine Love in Your Heart

Yes, dear friend, Divine Love does dwell in your heart. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and let your heart and mind rest in that Love which embraces you. Here are St. Padre Pio's words of assurance for you:

"Be quite at peace in the meantime as regards the existence of Divine Love in your heart. Cast aside all that futile anxiety and have no fear. How could it be opssible that a soul consecrated to heavenly Love, a soul that is endeavoring with God's help to please Him, that desires and longs more and more for the waters of this Divine Love, how is it possible, I say, that this soul should lack Love? How could it be possible at the extreme hour of our life to depart from this arid cold world without yearning for God, without Divine Love? Does it not seem to you a real contradiction? . . . God in His goodness not only does not reject repentant souls but invariably goes out in search of the obstinate ones. Come now, I beg you in our most tender Jesus not to yield to this fear of not loving God, for to me it seems that the enemy is trying to decieve you. I understand that nobody can worthily love God, but when a person does all he can himself and trusts in the Divine Mercy, why should Jesus reject one who is seeking Him liike this? Has He not commanded us to love God with all the strength we have? Well then, if you have given and consecrated everything you have to God, why are you afraid? Say to Jesus, as St. Augustine said: 'Give what you command and command what you will.' [Say to Jesus,] 'Do you want great love from me, Jesus? I too desire this, just as a hart longs to reach a flowing stream, but as you see I have no more love to give. Give me some more and I'll offer it to You.' Do not doubt that Jesus who is so good will accept your offer, so be at peace." (Letters 2, pages 424-425)

Yes, dear friend, be at peace, for Divine Love does indeed dwell in your heart.

You are Chosen

Don't you know, dear friend, that you are chosen by God? You might not FEEL chosen. You might be suffering sickness of mind, body, soul, finances, or family, or undergoing other trials and tribulations. You might feel as if God has discarded you, forgotten you, given up on you because sometimes you feel overwhelmed by your difficulties, perhaps even by your own weaknesses. Please take heart from Saint Padre Pio's words for you:

"The most afflicted souls," he says, "are those chosen by the Divine Heart, and you must rest assured that Jesus has chosen your soul to be the chosen-one of His adorable Heart. You must hide yourself in this Heart; you must pour out your desires in this Heart; you must live in this Heart the remaining days that Providence will grant you; you must die in this Heart when the Lord wishes. [He has] placed you in this Heart; therefore you live, are, and move in this Heart." (Letters 3, page 971)

Yes, dear friend, you are chosen!