quotes - St. Padre Pio - Part 2

You are mistaken, greatly mistaken, when you want to measure the soul's love for its Creator by the delightful feelings it experiences in loving God. This kind of love belongs to those who are still spiritually immature. . .On the other hand, the love of those who have left this spiritual infancy behind them is a love which experiences neither taste nor delight in what is called the sensitive part of the soul. We have a sure sign that these people really love God when we observe their readiness to keep God's holy law; their constant watchfulness so that they may not fall into sin; their habitual desire to see the heavenly Father glorified, while losing no chance to spread the kingdom of God as far as lies in their power; when we see them praying continually to God the Father in the same words of our divine Master, Our Father. . .Thy kingdom come.

Place your heart gently in Our Lord's wounds. Have great confidence in His mercy for He will never abandon you.

In this life Jesus does not ask you to carry the heavy cross with Him, but a small piece of His cross, a piece that consists of human suffering.

If there wasn't anything else in a soul but the desire to love God, this would be sufficient because God Himself is there. He is not present where there is no desire to love Him.

All our life, all our actions and all our aspirations must be directed in reparation for the offences that our ungrateful brothers continually commit.

The Mass is infinite like Jesus. . .Ask an angel what the Mass is, and he will reply to you in truth,"I understand what it is and why it is offered, but I do not, however, understand how much value it has." One angel, a thousand angels, all of Heaven know this and think like this.

Our imperfections will accompany us to the grave; we cannot walk without touching the ground. It is true that we must not lie on the ground nor turn our face to it, but neither should we attempt to fly, for in the ways of the spirit, we are like young birds that have not yet grown wings.

My heart is filled with a fire of love....It is a delicate and very gentle flame which consumes without causing any pain....this is a wonderful thing for me, something I will perhaps never understand until I get to Heaven.

In our thoughts and in confession, we must not dwell on sins that were previously confessed. Because of our contrition, Jesus forgave them at the tribunal of penitence. It was there that He faced us and our destitution, like a creditor standing before an insolvent debtor. With a gesture of infinite generosity, He tore up and destroyed the promissory notes which we signed with our sins, and which we would certainly not have been able to pay without the help of His Divine clemency.

Remember, our suffering is brief but our reward is eternal. You must remain calm, or at least resigned, but always convinced in the voice of authority. You must confide in it, without fearing the rages of the storm, because the vessel of your soul will never be submerged. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of God, that assures the one who obeys it will find victory, will never pass away and will always remain fixed in indelible script in the Book of Life: I will exist forever.

The thought of God's mercy is the only thing that sustains me.

Souls are not given as a gift; they are bought. Don't you know what they cost Jesus? They must be paid for with the same coin.

Remember that our soul is the temple of God, and as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God and His angels.

Divine help will not be lacking. Don't desire this state to be removed but say to Jesus, "Lord, act in the way and to the extent You wish. If You are happy, I am happy."

How many time I have entrusted to this Mother (the Virgin Mary) the painful anxieties of my heart. And how many times she has consoled me.....With what great attention she accompanied me to the altar this morning. It seemed to me that she had nothing else to think about but me, filling my heart with holy sentiments. I felt a mysterious fire in my heart, which I could not understand. I felt the need to put ice on in in order to extinguish the fire that was consuming me.

Keep in good spirits, abandon yourself to the Divine Heart of Jesus, leaving all your anxieties to Him. Consider yourself always last among our Lord's lovers. . .clothe yourself with humility toward others, because He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. The more the graces and favors of Jesus increase in your soul the more you must humble yourself, always keeping in mind the humility of our celestial Mother, who the instant she became the Mother of God, declared herself servant and handmaid of God.

The Christian's motto is the cross. You will recognize God's love by this sign, by the sufferings He sends you.

The field of battle between God and Satan is the human soul. This is where it takes place every moment of our lives. The soul must give free access to our Lord and be completely fortified by Him with every kind of weapon. His light must illuminate it to fight the darkness of error. He must put on Jesus Christ, His truth and justice, the shield of faith, the word of God to overcome such powerful enemies. To put on Jesus Christ we must die to ourselves.

The Lord is willing to do great things, but on condition that we are truly humble.

Let us now consider what the soul must do to be certain of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is all a question of mortification of the flesh with its vices and concupiscence. . . . .On this subject the Apostle warns, "If we live for the Spirit we will walk in the Spirit," as if he wanted to tell us for our edification: Do we want to live spiritually, that is to say, to be moved and guided by the Holy Spirit? Then let us take care to mortify our spirit, which, when it is satisfied, makes us impetuous and weary. Let us take care to repress vainglory, wrath and envy. These are three evil spirits that enslave the majority of mankind. These three evil spirits are extremely opposed to the Spirit of the Lord.

The good we endeavor to do to others will always result in the sanctification of our own souls.

We have a double life; one is natural, that which we have from Adam through human generation and therefore an earthly life - corruptible, self-centered and full of passions. The other which we have from Jesus in baptism is supernatural and therefore a spiritual life - heavenly and with a capacity for virtue. Through baptism, a real transformation is made in us. We are brought to die to sin; we are grafted onto Jesus Christ in such a manner that we live His very same life.

Jesus continues to love me and to draw me closer to Himself. He has forgotten my sins, and I would say that He remembers only His own mercy. . .Each morning He comes into my heart and pours out all the effusions of His goodness.

The Spirit of God is a spirit of peace. Even in the most serious faults He makes us feel a sorrow that is tranquil, humble, and confident. This is precisely because of His mercy. The spirit of the devil, instead, excites, exasperates, and makes us feel, in that very sorrow, anger against ourselves. We should, on the contrary, be charitable with ourselves first and foremost. Therefore if any thought agitates you, this agitation never comes from God, who gives you peace, being the Spirit of Peace, but from the devil.

Endure tribulations, illness, and pain, for the love of God and for the conversion of poor sinners.

May the Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, obtain for us from her Son the grace to live a life according to the heart of God, a life that is entirely interior and hidden in Him.

Humility and charity are the main supports of the whole vast building and all the other virtues depend on them. One makes up the foundation; the other, the roof of the building, the sturdiness of which depends on both. If the heart constantly dedicates itself to the practice of these two virtues, it will have no difficulty with all the others.

Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly; and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you more humble and abject in your own eyes.

Place all your trust in the heart of sweet Jesus......Never abandon your faith and renew it always. Faith has never abandoned any man, and far less so will it forsake a soul that yearns to love God.

Consider that we are always in the presence of God to whom we have to give account for our every action, both good and bad.

Let us try to serve the Lord with all our heart and will. He will always give us more than we deserve.

I am ready for anything as long as Jesus is happy and will save the souls of my brethren, especially those He has entrusted to my care.

He wants you entirely for Himself. He wants you to place all your trust and all your affection in Him alone.

The souls that suffer the most are favorites of the Sacred Heart; and you may rest assured that Jesus has chosen your soul to be the favorite of His adorable heart. You must hide yourself in this Heart; in this Heart you must give vent to your ardent desires, in this Heart you must live out the days that Providence will grant you; in this Heart you must die when the Lord so wishes.