“By all means desire what you told me, but let this be in a calm manner, and be patient in awaiting the Lord’s mercy.”
—Letters, Vol. 3, 837
We live in a time of instant communication and gratification. If we buy something we can have it shipped to us the next day. If we need an answer to something, we simply Google it or ask Alexa. Because of that, we don’t know how to wait patiently anymore.
During the time when Padre Pio was under investigation by the Vatican and unable to say Mass, hear confessions, or communicate with his spiritual director, he spent his days patiently waiting—and praying. Eventually, his prayers were answered and he returned to his ministry of helping others become closer to Christ.
Perhaps we should follow his example and seek out some time to stop and talk with God. Notice how Padre Pio addresses anxiety below. How can we use his advice to sooth our own anxious spirits?
In Padre Pio’s Own Words
My son, why are you so full of anxiety about your soul? Why do you consider yourself full of wretchedness and weakness? Look, this situation is just another opportunity for you to be about the business of tending to your soul; it can be another source of merit for you. Humble yourself before the good Lord, and continue to ask him to free you from that state of wretchedness and weakness.
Ardently desire to be free of that state and, for your part, do not neglect what you know you need to do in order to recover.
Meanwhile, be patient in enduring your shortcomings if you want to be perfect. This is a very significant point for any soul that aims for perfection. “By your endurance,” says the divine Master, “you will gain your lives” [Luke 21:19]. Therefore be patient with yourself and your weaknesses, and in the meantime do your best to use the means that you already knew about and the ones you have learned from me and from others.
(To Br. Marcellino Diconsole, January 30, 1919)
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Prayer
Padre Pio, remind us that we don’t have to constantly be doing something and that it’s OK to wait for things.
Inspire us to slow down and learn to be more patient.