“Don’t let difficulties you encounter stop you from doing good. Jesus is with you, and you have nothing to fear.”
—Letters, Vol. 3, 1055
In nature, when anything blocks the flow of naturally running water, the water must find a way to reroute itself around that obstacle. That serves as a wonderful image for us to follow in our own lives. When we encounter difficulties, as Padre Pio says, we must find a way to work around that challenge with the help of Christ.
Throughout his life, every time Padre Pio encountered something challenging, he leaned into God and found a way to reroute it into something good and share that with others through his work and ministry. What a wonderful reminder that even when challenges are placed in front of us, we can persevere.
Read Padre Pio’s words below and contemplate on the death of Jesus. How can Christ’s sacrifice deepen our prayer lives this season?
In Padre Pio’s Own Words
Listen to the just complaints of our very sweet Jesus: “My love is repaid with so much ingratitude! I would be less offended by people if I had loved them less. My Father no longer wants to endure this from them. I would like to stop loving them, but…” (And here Jesus becomes silent and sighs.) “But oh! My heart is made to love! Weak and cowardly men put forth no concerted effort to overcome temptations and even delight in their iniquities. When my most beloved souls are put to the test, they come to me less often. The weak abandon themselves to despair and dismay, and the strong gradually slacken their efforts.
“They leave me alone at night and alone in churches during the day. They no longer care about the Eucharist. People never speak about this sacrament of love, and those that do speak about it do so with indifference and coldness.
“My heart has been forgotten. No one cares about my love anymore, and I am always saddened by that. My house has become a theater of entertainment for many. The ministers whom I have always regarded with favor and have loved as the apple of my eye should comfort my heart, which is overflowing with sorrow. They should help me in the redemption of souls. Instead—who would believe it!—they treat me with ingratitude and neglect.”
Jesus continued his lament. Father, how it pains me to see Jesus weep! Have you had that experience too?
(To Fr. Agostino of San Marco in Lamis, March 12, 1913)
Prayer
St. Pio, you provide us with a shining example of the power of accepting and pushing past any challenges that we find in our way. Help us remember that with God all things are possible.
