St. Padre Pio

Holy shepherds, religious, traditional Catechisms, and the saints will all lead us to form a solid Rule of Life. This includes spiritual duties.

In a sermon on the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, I reheard the maxims of Padre Pio (from the article, Saint Padre Pio, by Rev. Father Jean, OFM., Cap.)

Here are five habits that Padre Pio believed all Catholics should practice, based on advice he gave to his spiritual children.

I. Weekly Confession
“Confession is the soul’s bath. You must go at least once a week. I do not want souls to stay away from confession more than a week. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again!”

II. Daily Communion
“It is quite true, we are not worthy of such a gift. However, to approach the Blessed Sacrament in a state of mortal sin is one thing, and to be unworthy is quite another. All of us are unworthy, but it is He who invites us. It is He who desires it. Let us humble ourselves and receive Him with a heart contrite and full of love.”

III. Examination of Conscience Every Evening
“Every experienced merchant in this world not only keeps track throughout the day of whether he has lost or gained on each sale. In the evening, he does the bookkeeping for the day to determine what he should do tomorrow. It follows that it is indispensable to make a rigorous examination of conscience, brief but lucid, every night.”

IV. Daily Spiritual Reading
“The harm that comes to souls from the lack of reading holy books makes me shudder…. What power spiritual reading has to lead to a change of course, and to make even worldly people enter into the way of perfection.”

V. Mental Prayer Twice Daily
“If you do not succeed in meditating well, do not give up doing your duty. If the distractions are numerous, do not be discouraged; do the meditation of patience, and you will still profit. Decide upon the length of your meditation, and do not leave your place before finishing, even if you have to be crucified. Why do you worry so much because you do not know how to meditate as you would like? Meditation is a means to attaining God, but it is not a goal in itself. Meditation aims at the love of God and neighbor. Love God with all your soul without reserve, and love your neighbor as yourself, and you will have accomplished half of your meditation.”

*We print and hang in our children’s bedroom or school area.*

We have always tended to our family prayers & devotions. The children also begin to take reign of their own spiritual lives from their earliest days.

We have seasons where we work to encourage this by helping them keep an “inventory” of their promises to God & spiritual duties. The start of a new school year is usually one of those seasons foe us.

At the request of many, I’m sharing our printable.

You are invited to download and use the Spiritual Duties printable. It can be adopted for all ages. I’ve also included a printable of some of the prayers that can help one get started with implementing spiritual duties with their children and family devotions.

Download the Spiritual Duties Printable

Files are not to be shared — only share the direct link to the original posting.

May we help our children’s spiritual growth by our personal example, including habits of daily prayer, Holy Mass attendance, rosary devotions, etc…

Oh my Jesus it is for the love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

September 23 – Memorial of St. Padre Pio

Prayer to St. Pio

O God,
You gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina,
Capuchin priest,
the great privilege of participating
in a unique way in the passion of Your Son,
grant me
through his intercession
the grace of …
which I ardently desire;
and above all grant me the grace of
living in conformity
with the death of Jesus,
to arrive at the glory
of the resurrection.
Glory be to the Father… (three times)

“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!” Padre Pio

“Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers.” — St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio’s Five Maxims for Living a Devout Life

“The first one I desire you to cherish is from St Paul: ‘All things work together for the good of those who love God’ (Rom 8:28).

“The second maxim that I desire you to keep for ever engraved on your heart is that God is our Father; and what do you have to fear as the daughter of such a father whose providence would not let a hair of your head be harmed?

“The third maxim is that you must observe what the divine Master teaches his disciples: ‘What do you lack?’ The disciples answered that they lacked nothing. When you were troubled even at the time when you unfortunately did not feel much confidence in God, tell me, were you never oppressed by anxiety? You will answer, ‘No’. So, I will reply, ‘Why do you not have the strength to overcome all the other trials?’.

“The fourth maxim concerns eternity. Living these brief and fleeting moments should not matter much to the children of God, since they will live for eternity in glory with God.”

“The fifth maxim that I implore you to keep fixed in your mind is that of the Apostle St Paul: ‘Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Gal 6:14). Treasure in your heart the crucified Jesus Christ and all the crosses of the world will seem like roses. Those who have been pricked by the crown of thorns of the Saviour, who is our Head, do not feel the other wounds.

“All I am asking you at the moment is to help me with your prayers to God; and know that I will always do the same for you and for your family and for all the souls who worked for my liberation. My gratitude and acknowledgment to God for them will be eternal”.

Litany of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Virgin Immaculate, pray for us.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.
Beloved of God, pray for us.
Imitator of Jesus Christ, pray for us.
Good shepherd of the people, pray for us.
Model for priests, pray for us.
Light of the Church, pray for us.
Adorer of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Faithful son of St. Francis, pray for us.
Marked with the stigmata of Jesus, pray for us.
Patient in suffering, pray for us.
Helper of the dying, pray for us.
Director of souls, pray for us.
Heart of gold, pray for us.
Apostle of mercy, pray for us.
Worker of miracles, pray for us.
Consoler of the afflicted, pray for us.
Lover of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.
Helper of souls in doubt and darkness, pray for us.
Comforter of the sick, pray for us.
Example of humility, pray for us.
Source of wisdom, pray for us.
Mirror of the divine life, pray for us.
Lover of Jesus Crucified,
Resigned to the will of God, pray for us.
Doing good upon earth, pray for us.
Filled with the spirit of self-sacrifice, pray for us.
Our help and hope in all our needs, pray for us.
Vessel of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Leading us to Christ, pray for us.
Our spiritual father and advocate, pray for us.
Crowned with glory in Heaven, pray for us.
God our Father, You helped St. Pio to reflect the
image of Christ through a life of charity and self-sacrifice.
May we follow your Son by walking in the footsteps of
St. Pio of Pietrelcina and by imitating his selfless love.
Amen