Devotion to the Saints: the thought of Padre Pio today 15 October

15. Poor unfortunate those souls who throw themselves into the whirlwind of worldly concerns; the more they love the world, the more their passions multiply, the more their desires ignite, the more incapable they find themselves in their plans; and here are the anxieties, the impatiences, the terrible shocks that break their hearts, which do not palpate with charity and holy love.
Let us pray for these wretched, miserable souls that Jesus will forgive and draw them with his infinite mercy to himself.

16. You don't have to act violently, if you don't want to take the risk of making money. It is necessary to put on great Christian prudence.

17. Remember, O children, that I am an enemy of unnecessary desires, no less than that of dangerous and evil desires, for although what is desired is good, nevertheless desire is always defective in regard to us, especially when it is mixed with overwhelming concern, since God does not demand this good, but another in which he wants us to practice.

18. As for the spiritual trials, to which the paternal goodness of the heavenly Father is subjecting you, I beg you to be resigned and possibly quiet to the assurances of those who hold the place of God, in which he loves you and desires you every good and in which name speaks to you.
You suffer, it is true, but resigned; suffer, but do not fear, because God is with you and you do not offend him, but love him; you suffer, but also believe that Jesus himself suffers in you and for you and with you. Jesus did not abandon you when you ran away from him, much less will abandon you now, and later on, that you want to love him.
God can reject everything in a creature, because everything tastes of corruption, but he can never reject in it the sincere desire to want to love him. So if you don't want to convince yourself and be sure of heavenly pity for other reasons, you must at least make sure of that and be calm and happy.

19. Nor should you confuse yourself with knowing whether you allowed or not. Your study and vigilance are directed towards the rectitude of intention that you must keep in operating and always fighting the evil arts of the bad spirit valiantly and generously.

20. Always be cheerfully at peace with your conscience, reflecting that you are at the service of an infinitely good Father, who by tenderness alone descends to his creature, to elevate it and transform it into him its creator.
And flee the sadness, because it enters the hearts that are attached to the things of the world.

21. We must not be discouraged, because if there is a continuous effort to improve in the soul, in the end the Lord rewards her by making all the virtues bloom in her suddenly as in a flower garden.

22. The Rosary and the Eucharist are two wonderful gifts.

23. Savio praises the strong woman: "His fingers, he says, handle the spindle" (Prv 31,19).
I will gladly tell you something above these words. Your knees are the accumulation of your desires; spin, therefore, every day a little, pull your designs wire by wire until the execution and you will infallibly come to the head; but warn not to hurry, because you would twist the thread with knots and cheat your spindle. Walk, therefore, always and, although you will go slowly forward, you will make a great journey.