“We are not all called by God to save souls and to glorify him through the lofty apostolate of preaching…. A soul can proclaim the glory of God and work for the salvation of souls through a genuine Christian life by praying to the Lord without ceasing.”
—letter to Raffaelina Cerase, April 11, 1914
When we think of someone like Padre Pio, it’s easy for us to think there is no way that we could ever minister to people as well or the way he did. Of course we can’t. And God is not asking us to. Each of us has our own unique situation through which we can help spread the Gospel message.
We are spouses, parents, children, friends. We work in different careers and locations. No, we cannot preach in the same way as Padre Pio did. But we can spread that same message through our own lives. In that sense, we are all preachers.
In Padre Pio’s Own Words
We are not all called by God to save souls and to glorify him through the lofty apostolate of preaching. However, understand that this is not the one and only way to reach these two great ideals. A soul can proclaim the glory of God and work for the salvation of souls through a genuine Christian life by praying to the Lord without ceasing, “Thy kingdom come,” and by praying that his most holy name be “hallowed,” that he “lead us not into temptation,” and that he “deliver us from evil” [Matthew 6:9–13].
This is what you should continue doing, while offering yourself constantly to the Lord for these purposes.
Pray for the wicked, pray for the lukewarm, pray even for the fervent, but pray especially for the supreme pontiff and all the spiritual and temporal needs of the holy church, our very tender mother. Say a special prayer for all those who labor for the salvation of souls and the glory of God in their missionary work to faithless and unbelieving people.
(To Raffaelina Cerase, April 11, 1914)
Prayer
St. Pio, remind us that we are all called to do the work of God in our own way.
Help us this Lent in our journey to God and with God.
