St. Padre Pio — His Wisdom in 25 Quotations

St. Pio of  Pietrelcina was a humble friar whose holiness and patient suffering won many souls for Christ. Pope Benedict XVI said he "'prolonged' the work of Christ: announcing the Gospel, remitting sins and healing the sick in body and spirit". Here are twenty-five quotations from this much beloved saint illustrating his wisdom, humanity and deep spiritual insight.

In the uproar of the passions and of reverses of fortune, we are upheld by the comforting hope of God’s inexhaustible mercy. 

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Jesus is with you even when you don’t feel His presence. He is never so close to you as He is during your spiritual battles. He is always there, close to you, encouraging you to fight your battle courageously. He is there to ward off the enemy’s blows so that you may not be hurt.

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God leaves you in that darkness for his glory; here is a great opportunity for your spiritual progress. 

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The storms that are raging around you will turn out to be for God’s glory, your own merit, and the good of many souls.

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Happiness is only found in heaven.

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The greater your sufferings, the greater God’s love for you.

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Be certain that the more the attacks of the devil increase, that much closer is God to your soul.

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You complain because the same trials are constantly returning. But look here, what have you to fear? Are you afraid of the divine craftsman who wants to perfect His masterpiece in this way? Would you like to come from the hands of such a magnificent Artist as a mere sketch and no more?

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Bless the Lord for your suffering and accept to drink the chalice of Gethsemane.

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If we earnestly endeavor to love Jesus, this alone will drive all fear from our hearts and soul will find that instead of walking in the Lord’s paths, it is flying.

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Suffering born in a Christian way is the condition that God, the author of all grace and of all the gifts that lead to salvation, has established for granting us glory.

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How unbearable is pain when suffered far from the Cross, but how sweet and bearable it becomes when it is offered close to the Cross of Jesus!

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Remember that we cannot triumph in battle if not through prayer; the choice is yours.

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You say you are anxious about the future, but don’t you know that the Lord is with you always and that our enemy has no power over one who has resolved to belong entirely to Jesus?

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When we suffer, Jesus is closer to us.

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When you feel despised, imitate the kingfisher, who builds its nest on the masts of ships. That is to say, raise yourself up above the earth, elevate yourselves with your mind and heart to God, who is the only one who can console you and give you strength to withstand the trial in a holy way.

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Faith guides even us and we follow its sure light on the way which conducts us to God and His homeland.

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Fear nothing. On the contrary, consider yourself very fortunate to have been made worthy to participate in the sufferings of the Man-God.

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The best consolation is that which comes from prayer.

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I want to be only a poor friar who prays - if God sees blemishes even in the angels, can you imagine what He sees in me!

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Always humble yourself lovingly before God and man, because God speaks to those who are truly humble of heart, and enriches them with His gifts.

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In order to attract us, the Lord grants us many graces that we believe can easily obtain Heaven for us. We do not know, however, that in order to grow, we need hard bread: the cross, humiliation, trials and denials.

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Every Holy Mass, heard with devotion, produces in our souls marvelous effects, abundant spiritual and material graces which we, ourselves, do not know... It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

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It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass.

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Our Lord sometimes makes you feel the weight of the cross. This weight seems unbearable but you carry it because in His love and mercy, the Lord helps you and gives you strength.