Devotion to Padre Pio: his thought of June 4th

1. We by divine grace are at the dawn of a new year; this year, of which only God knows if we will see the end, everything must be employed to repair for the past, to propose for the future; and holy operations go hand in hand with good intentions.

2. We say to ourselves with the full conviction of telling the truth: my soul, start doing good today, because you have done nothing so far. Let us move in the presence of God. God sees me, we often repeat to ourselves, and in the act that he sees me, he also judges me. Let us make sure that he does not always see the only good in us.

3. Those who have time do not wait for time. We do not put off until tomorrow what we can do today. Of the good of then the pits are thrown back…; and then who says to us that tomorrow we will live? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, the voice of the real prophet: "Today if you will hear the voice of the Lord, do not want to block your ear". We rise and treasure, because only the instant that escapes is in our domain. Let's not put time between instant and instant.

4. Oh, how precious is time! Blessed are those that they know how to take advantage of it, because everyone, on the day of judgment, will have to give a close account to the supreme judge. Oh if everyone came to understand the preciousness of time, certainly everyone would strive to spend it commendably!

5. "Let us begin today, brothers, to do good, for we have done nothing so far". These words, which the seraphic father St. Francis in his humility applied to himself, let us make them ours at the beginning of this new year. We have really done nothing to date or, if nothing else, very little; the years have followed one another in rising and setting without us wondering how we used them; if there was nothing to repair, to add, to take away in our conduct. We lived unexpectedly as if one day the eternal judge were not to call us and ask us for an account of our work, how we spent our time.
Yet every minute we will have to give a very close account, of every movement of grace, of every holy inspiration, of every occasion that we presented ourselves to do good. The slightest transgression of God's holy law will be taken into consideration.

6. After the Glory, say: "Saint Joseph, pray for us!".

7. These two virtues must always be held firm, sweetness with one's neighbor and holy humility with God.

8. Blasphemy is the safest way to go to hell.

9. Sanctify the party!

10. Once I showed the Father a beautiful branch of blooming hawthorn and showing the Father the beautiful white flowers I exclaimed: "How beautiful they are! ...". "Yes, said the Father, but the fruits are more beautiful than the flowers." And he made me understand that works are beautiful more than holy desires.

11. Start the day with prayer.

12. Do not stop in the search for truth, in the purchase of the supreme Good. Be docile to the impulses of grace, indulging its inspirations and attractions. Do not blush with Christ and his doctrine.

13. When the soul moans and fears to offend God, it does not offend him and is far from sinning.

14. Being tempted is a sign that the soul is well accepted by the Lord.

15. Never abandon yourself to yourself. Put all trust in God alone.

16. I increasingly feel the great need to abandon myself with more confidence to divine mercy and to place only my only hope in God.

17. God's justice is terrible. But let's not forget that his mercy is also infinite.

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

19. Give praise only to God and not to men, honor the Creator and not the creature.
During your existence, know how to support bitterness in order to participate in the sufferings of Christ.

20. Only a general knows when and how to use his soldier. Wait up; your turn will come too.

21. Disconnect from the world. Listen to me: one person drowns on the high seas, one drowns in a glass of water. What difference do you find between these two; aren't they equally dead?

22. Always think that God sees everything!

23. In the spiritual life the more one runs and the less one feels fatigue; indeed, peace, a prelude to eternal joy, will take possession of us and we will be happy and strong to the extent that by living in this study, we will make Jesus live in us, mortifying ourselves.

24. If we want to harvest it is necessary not so much to sow, as to spread the seed in a good field, and when this seed becomes a plant, it is very important to us to ensure that the tares do not suffocate the tender seedlings.

25. This life does not last long. The other lasts forever.

26. One must always go forward and never step back in the spiritual life; otherwise it happens like the boat, which if instead of advancing it stops, the wind sends it back.

27. Remember that a mother first teaches her child to walk by supporting him, but he must then walk on his own; therefore you must reason with your head.

28. My daughter, love the Ave Maria!

29. One cannot reach salvation without crossing the stormy sea, always threatening ruin. Calvary is the mount of saints; but from there it passes to another mountain, which is called Tabor.

30. I want nothing more than to die or love God: or death, or love; for life without this love is worse than death: for me it would be more unsustainable than it is at present.

31. I must not then pass the first month of the year without bringing to your soul, my dear daughter, the greeting of mine and always assuring you of the affection that my heart has for yours, to which I never cease desire all sorts of blessings and spiritual happiness. But, my good daughter, I strongly recommend this poor heart to you: take care to make it grateful to our sweetest Savior day by day, and make sure that this year is more fertile than last year in good works, since as the years pass and eternity approaches, we must double our courage and raise our spirit to God, serving him with greater diligence in all that our Christian vocation and profession oblige us.