Padre Pio, an extraordinary saint, imparted invaluable wisdom regarding the habits every Catholic should practice to attain holiness.
1. Weekly Confessions
One of the habits that Padre Pio most recommended to his spiritual children was frequent confession, at least once a week. St. Pio spent long hours each day trying to cleanse the souls of all those who approached him through the ministry of confession. In this regard, Padre Pio would say:
“Confession is the bath of the soul. You have to go at least once a week. I don’t want souls to stay away from confession for more than a week. Even a clean and unused room gathers dust; come back after a week, and you will see that it’s necessary to remove the dust again!”
Indeed, just as a clean room gathers dust over time, our souls can accumulate spiritual “dust” through venial sins. It’s why frequent confession is so powerful. Even if we haven’t committed mortal sins, confessing our venial sins is beneficial.
When we approach the sacrament of confession, it’s vital not to hide anything from the priest. Too often, shame prevents us from confessing certain sins. However, as a saint once wisely said, “Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent.”
Furthermore, it’s crucial to confess our own sins and take full responsibility for them. Sometimes, people confess by shifting blame onto others, saying things like, “I offended my partner because she provoked me, so it was her fault.” This deflects accountability. It’s essential to confess our own actions and seek genuine repentance.
2. Daily Communion
Daily communion was one of the strengths of Saint Padre Pio. One of the things he used to say about this beautiful sacrament was:
“It is very true, we are not worthy of such a gift. However, approaching the Most Holy Sacrament in a state of mortal sin is one thing, and being unworthy is quite another. All of us are unworthy, but He is the one who invites us. He is the one who desires it. Let us go and humble ourselves before Him and receive it with a contrite heart filled with love.”
I personally attend daily Mass to receive Holy Communion, and there’s truly nothing quite like it. Once you deeply believe in the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist, you’ll go to great lengths to partake in it.
I recently watched a video featuring a devout young man who traveled over 5 miles each day just to attend Mass. It’s truly remarkable. Many of us have a church just minutes away, yet we often don’t make the effort to receive Him.
Simeon after holding baby Jesus in his arms, he said the following “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Simeon who only hold Jesus, was ready to die, we consumed Him and yet many of us don’t have the same reaction as Simeon did. Let us then love our Lord so deeply that we too could say with Padre Pio, “A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”
3. Daily exam of Concise
Once someone said to Padre Pio of Pietrelcina that they thought an examination of conscience every night was useless because they knew what sin was and how it had been committed. To this, Padre Pio replied:
“That’s quite true. But every experienced merchant in this world not only keeps track throughout the day of whether they have lost or gained in each sale. In the evening, they do the accounting of the day to determine what they should do the next day. It follows that it is indispensable to conduct a rigorous examination of conscience, brief but clear, every night.”
This habit has immensely helped me. Reflecting on what went wrong and how I can better myself, or what I could have done differently, is incredibly powerful. It’s a practice embraced by every religious order. During my time in the seminary, we engaged in this daily. It’s a universal truth across all domains of life – whether religious, business, or otherwise – that in order to improve and grow, we must acknowledge our shortcomings and actively work on them. Even more importantly, we should strive to avoid situations that lead to dark moments.
We all should adopt this approach. Let’s commit to daily reflection on our experiences and the times we may have fallen short. By doing so, we take a significant step forward on the path to holiness.
4. Daily spiritual reading
Padre Pío used to feel very sad because many people spent long hours reading frivolous and unedifying novels instead of dedicating their time to books that truly imparted valuable lessons to the soul. He would say: “The harm that comes to souls due to the lack of reading sacred books makes me shudder… How astonishing is the power of spiritual reading that leads to a change of course, and even makes the most worldly people enter the path of perfection.”
We live in a society where everyone spends hours upon hours on dumb things that will lead us nowhere, let us rather invest our time in good things that will help us sanctify ourselves.
“In the spiritual life he who does not advance goes backward. It happens as with a boat which always must go ahead. If it stands still the wind will blow it back.” Padre Pio
5. Mental prayer twice a day.
Padre Pío of Pietrelcina was often found in meditation and prayer, and he always recommended the same to the faithful. In this regard, he would say:
“If you do not succeed in meditation, do not give up; fulfill your duty. If distractions are numerous, do not be discouraged; make meditation an exercise in patience, and you will still benefit. Decide on the duration of your meditation, and do not abandon it before completing it, even if you have to be crucified. Why do you worry so much about not knowing how you would like to meditate? Meditation is a means to reach God; it is not an end in itself. The purpose of meditation is to love God and your neighbor. Love God with all your soul and without reservation, and you will love your neighbor as yourself, and you will have achieved half of your meditation.”
Let’s begin by taking it slow. Too often, we set high expectations that ultimately lead to disappointment. Instead of committing to something like “I will pray for an hour daily,” it’s more realistic to start with “I will pray for 2 minutes daily.”
So, how do we pray? It’s simple. Just talk to God as you would with a friend. This is what God desires from us – genuine conversation. Share your worries, your joys, your goals, and anything else on your heart. The key is to pray with love, emphasizing quality over quantity.
Now, let’s follow these profound tips from Padre Pio to help us on our journey towards holiness.
