St. Pio's Counsels and Exhortations

[Denise]

Obey promptly! Do not consider the age or merit of the person. And in order to succeed, imagine you are obeying the Lord.

[Denise]

Duty before everything else, even something holy.

[Denise]

Where there is no obedience, there is no virtue; where there is no virtue, there is no good; where good is wanting, there is no love; where there is no love, there is no God; where God is not, there is no Heaven.

[Denise]

This ends the Counsels and Exhortations in the little booklet. The next few pages are letters he wrote. Here is the first letter.

My Dearest Daughter,

Jesus reigns in your heart to overwhelm it with His holy love! I am sorry I do not have adequate answers to all of the questions you asked in your last letter. Please forgive me for being brief in answering you, I am in bed sick for three days, but generally I assure you to be calm in regard to condition of your spirit, it is pleasing to God. I cannot really believe and absolve you from meditating solely because it does not seem to you that you are reaping any benefits. The holy gift of prayer, my good daughter, it is in the right hand of the Savior; and in such measure that you will be empty of your own corporal love and will, and be instead rooted in holy humility, the Savior will thus communicate it to your heart.

Have patience in persevering in the holy exercise of meditation, and be content to progress in slow steps until you have legs to run and wings with which to fly. Be content to obey; which is never a small thing for the soul who has chosen God as his portion, and resign yourself to be for now a small hive bee able to make honey. Be always humble and loving in front of God and men, because God talks to those whose heart is humble in front of Him, and enriches them with His gifts.

But the real reason that you do not meditate well is, I think that you approach meditation in an altered state, coupled with a great anxiety to find something with which to console your spirit – and that is sufficient not to allow you to find what you are looking for and to be unable to bring your mind into the meditation of truth and your heart empty of affections. Daughter of mine, be aware that when one seeks with great hurry and avidity something lost, one will touch it, one will see it a hundred times and yet will never notice it. From this vain and useless anxiety you can derive nothing but a great tiredness of spirit and a blurred mind. I only know of the following remedy: come out of this anxiety, because it is the worst traitor that real virtue and devotion could ever have; it feigns to work well, but it does not – it only slows us and does not let us run in order for us to fall down. This is why I must repeat that I told you loudly before, that one needs to look well at all times, especially during prayers. In order to pray well it is good to remember that the styles and graces are not waters of this earth but of the heavens, so that all of your efforts are not sufficient to make it fall; it is necessary that our disposition be put forth with great diligence, and always with humility and tranquility. We need to keep the heart open to the heavens, and wait for the heavenly dew.

Do not forget, my daughter, to have with you these considerations when you go to pray, because this way you will come near to God, and you will put yourself in His presence for two principal reasons: The first to render God the honor and respect we owe Him, because this obligation is performed with recognition that He is our God, and us His unworthy children who are prostrated with our spirit in front of Him waiting for His commands.

How many courtesans are there who come and go a hundred times in the presence of kings, none to talk or speak to him but simply to be seen by him, and doing so assiduously they let themselves be known as his real servants. This manner of staying in front of God to attest to our willingness to be know as His servants is very holy, very excellent, and of the purest and greatest perfection. Go ahead and laugh, but I am serious about what I have said.

The second reason why one puts oneself in the presence of God when praying is, in talking to Him hear His voice through his illuminations and inspirations so that He reaches us within and otherwise, and this gives us great delight for it is a grace given us to talk to such a great God, who when He answers us covers us with very precious unguents and a thousand balms which engulf the heart with joy.

Now my good daughter, one of these two riches is always you in prayer. If you can talk to God laud Him, listen to Him. If you cannot talk to Him because you were crude do not feel bad in the ways of the spirit – stop in your room, disguise yourself as the courtesan and curtsy and revere Him. He will see and appreciate your patience, He will favor your silence, and next time you will be consoled – he will take you by the hand, talk to you, take a hundred strolls with you in the paths of the garden of prayers, and if this will not take place (although they say that is impossible because such a tender father’s heart could not stand t o see His child in perpetual agony) be content just the same because we are obliged to follow Him, taking into consideration what a great miracle it is and what honor it is for Him to tolerate our presence. In this way you will not be despised when you talk to him. In prayer, then when you find yourself following God, talk to him if you can – if you cannot stop, consider your truths, let Him see your soul and do not trouble yourself further. You are always in my prayers which you speak of because I cannot forget you, who cost me many sacrifices and whose birth I have offered to God with a heart overwhelmed with grief. I confide in charity, that in your prayers you do not forget who carries the cross for all.

I bless you with all my heart and please take care.

[MarieT]

thank you so much for sharing the booklet's councils and exhortations.
truly appreciate your efforts
blessings

[Denise]

Here is the last letter in the little booklet. I am posting it today because I will be very busy in the morning getting ready for Dale's final memorial and celebration of his life. Crawfish boil iiiiieeeeee.


Life With Jesus

As you well know, dear daughters, when Our Lord was born, according to the Scriptures, the shepherds heard, coming from the celestial spirits, and divine songs from the angels. The Virgin and Saint Joseph, who were closer to the Child, didn’t hear angel’s voices or see miraculous lights; at least the Scriptures don’t mention this. On the contrary, instead of angel’s songs, they heard the Child Jesus crying and saw, by the feeble light of a lamp, His eyes full of tears, weeping and crying with cold. I ask you: would you have chosen to be in the dark stable, full of the Newly-born cries, instead of being among the joyful shepherds, enjoying the melodies and the beauty of the delightful lights? Yes, certainly. You would also have exclaimed with Saint Peter: It’s wonderful to be here. Actually, you would find yourselves accompanying Jesus, who shivers with cold in Bethlehem, I tell you also, you are not in Tabor with Saint Peter, but in Calvary with the three Marys, where all you can see is the dead, nails, thorns, suffering, darkness, terrible desertions. Yes, you should love the Baby’s cradle, but also love the Lord’s suffering on Calvary, being crucified in darkness. Huddle close to Him, be sure that Jesus is in your hearts, more than you can think or imagine.

I tell you also, to love your poverty, by being meek, good natured, staying calm, remaining confident in your humble smallness. If in spite of all you don’t rebel, nor become anguished, but accept to carry, not gladly perhaps, but willingly, your crosses and remain immersed in your meekness, behaving in this way, you should love your poverty, because, what’s being a wretch but to be poor and neglected? Love each other for the love of He who loves you so much. That way you will love your poverty. My daughters, poverty means meekness, and meekness means poverty. When the Holy Virgin says in The Magnificat: Because He has seen the meekness of His Slave, she means: because He has seen my poverty and worthlessness. Besides, there is some difference between meekness and poverty, for meekness is the acknowledgement of our own poverty.

Now, the highest degree of meekness consists of not only in acknowledging our own poverty, but in our loving it. To this I exhort you. So that, the point I want to make with respect to this extremely important matter, is very clear, I will explain myself by using various examples. Among the ills we are victims of, many are repulsive, others are honorable; many get used to the first, few to the last. For example, everyone would be touched at the sight of a Capuchin, poorly dressed and shivering with cold, would be touched and fell admiration and reverence towards him and his clothes. While for example, upon seeing a worker, a poor student, a widow, also poorly dressed and in dire need, everyone would make fun of them, and look down on their poverty. A religious person endures patiently his/her superior who chastises him. Everyone would say he is contrite and obedient. A lay man would endure the admonitions coming from his superior, with great composure, while this behavior would seem like cowardice to others. Here we have rejection for the truth, long suffering being scorned.

There are two persons who suffer from cancer, the first one has it in this arm, the second in his face. The one who is hiding it does not suffer more than his illness; the one who cannot hide it, suffers the pain of his illness as well as other’s scorn. But still, there are virtues that can be rejected, as well as honorable virtues. Commonly, patience, gentleness, endurance, and plainness are considered by the lay person as virtues that can be rejected. To give alms and feel forgiveness when being offended are born out of chastity; the first is honorable, the last is seen by the world as despicable. I live in a community and am sick. Undoubtedly, I bother some people. Here then, you have something despicable combined with the sickness.

I believe that I have made myself clear. Please pay attention to what I am going to tell you. Although we love the scorn coming from evil, we should not forget to correct it. I will explain myself this way: I will try, as much as I possibly can, not to have cancer, but if I have it, I will love the contempt it may bring me. This norm is valid especially as far as sin is concerned. I have been wrong about this and that. It annoys me, but nevertheless, I would gladly embrace the scorn I get as a result of it; and if I could separate scorn from sin, I would choose the first and would get rid of the last.

We have to remain alert about these matters. Sometimes kindness may force us to hide the object of our scorn, as so not to cause uproar. I prefer, says the prophet King, to be wretched in God’s home, than to live in a sinner’s mansion. As I am telling you this, I am sure, you would like to know which are the best scorns. The ones that are not chosen are the most heinous ones. The ones that do not attract us at all. Speaking plainly, the ones coming from our vocation or profession. Dear daughter, who will grant me the favor of allowing me to love my own suffering? No one but He who loved His suffering so much that He died to preserve it. This should be adequate. Dear daughters be resigned in the hands of The Lord and give Him your lives, begging of Him to use it according to His divine will. Do not distress yourselves in vain with promises of peacefulness, gentleness and merits. Bring yourselves before your Divine Husband, emptying yourselves of any other love, pleading with Him to fill you with His love. Your heart, in this manner, as mother-of-pearls, will not accept anything but heavenly dew, not the waters from this world. You will see how God helps you, as much in making decisions as in your deeds.

Walk always under The Good Shepherd’s sight, and you will avoid poisoned grazing lands.

My Jesus be always at the center of your endeavors, my daughters. May He offer us comfort in our moments of sadness. May He sustain us with His grace, enlighten our minds and inflame our hearts with divine love.

That is what I say in my daily prayer, for you and for me, to Jesus. May He in His infinite goodness, hear it and take care of it.

Jesus always lends comfort to those who place their trust and hopes in Him. Jesus and you, in mutual agreement, will attend to the vineyard.

You must remove and transport the stones, remove the thorns. Jesus will sow the field, do the planting, far the land, and irrigate it. Jesus is also with you while you work. You will not be able to accomplish anything without Him.

[MarieT]

you are a credit......thanks for your efforts for the forum
Praying for you during Dale's final memoriam......we all know how difficult this must be for you

May our merciful Lord continue to sustain you in your grief and troubling times

prayers being offered

[Denise]

Today is Dale's birthday and tomorrow it will be the 5 month anniversary of his death.

[Denise]

May 2nd 1999 St. Pio was beatified

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, please Pray for us

St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, please Pray for us

St. Michael the Archangel, please Pray for us

From Nina Sandoval

What a great day it was!