Padre Pio’s letter to Erminia Gargani, 1917: Do we want to proceed in a good fashion? Then let us focus on walking the path that is closest to us. Remember well what I am about to tell you: Our imperfection will accompany us right to the grave. Nevertheless, it is not acceptable to become sleepy or to turn back just because we are like small chicks without wings. We are dying little by little in our physical lives, and that is an ordinary law of providence. Similarly, we need to make our imperfections die day by day as well. We could exclaim, “Oh happy imperfections!” because they make us aware of our great poverty. They train us to be humble, to deny ourselves, to be patient, and to be diligent. Despite our imperfections, God looks on the preparations of our hearts.
—from the book Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day
by Gianluigi Pasquale and Marsha Daigle-Williamson Ph.D