FRIAR PADRE PIO: THE ONLY SIGN THAT YOU REALLY BELONG TO GOD IS THIS SIGN

A large number of people live in apparent peace even though they are far from the Lord. 

And no, it’s not a sign of victory, it’s a sign that even evil doesn’t fight for you because you already belong to it. 

On the other hand, there is a large number of people who give up their sins and move towards Jesus Christ and on the way they start to fall.  And the more they go to the Lord, the more they feel trials, battles and weakness. 

Sometimes the doubts and thoughts that arise when we walk the path of sanctification go in the direction – you, so sinful, you to please the Lord? 

Jesus wouldn’t even look at you. You belong to evil!’ Transferred by the portal: Vjera.hr In these situations, many souls are tortured and tested because they are not sure if they belong to the Lord. 

Namely, one thing is repeated among all the saints, and that is the fact that the holier they were, the more aware they were of their sinfulness, weakness, nothingness and smallness before the Lord, and this is precisely the moment when evil comes and tries to take the soul away from Christ. 

But Padre Pio, the saint who, in addition to all the mystical phenomena such as stigmata, had fierce battles with Satan to such an extent that Satan physically beat him, also went through the same doubts as many other people who started the path of sanctification. 

And that miraculous Padre Pio reveals the secret of salvation and says it is a sure and unmistakable sign that you belong to the Lord, that your soul has been chosen for salvation precisely – TEMPTATION! 

We bring you a part from the book The Miraculous Life of Padre Pio, in which Father Tio describes the attacks and trials, but also reveals a sure sign of the salvation of a soul:

 “Padre Pio, bound by an inexplicable bond that gave him fears, which could lead him to despair, asked his spiritual leader what was God’s plan in allowing the devil to provoke in such a way, which causes someone to sin. 

Father Benedetto hastened to write to his disciple giving him the reasons for God’s intentions, deriving them from the Holy Scriptures. 

He answers as follows: I am not upset because of the terrible war that the enemy is waging against you, because the Holy Scriptures say: My son, if you decide to serve the Lord, prepare for trials. (Sir 2, 11). 

The fact that you are the object of attack means that you are in divine service and the more you become a friend of God and a member of His family, the more temptations will befall you. Be brave, and don’t be afraid. God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted more than you can bear, but will join with your soul in the fight so that you can bear and win the battle. 

Not only must you be brave and determined, but you must rejoice that in you is an unmistakable sign that you are accepted by God: And because you are accepted by God, it is necessary that you be tested (Tob 12, 13); neither the diversity nor the multitude of attacks should diminish your joy, because it is written: 

Count it as joy, my brothers, when you meet with various trials (James 1, 2). Oh yes, my dear daughter, blessed is the man who is put to the test and who suffers for justice, says Wisdom, and not the one who remains calm and undisturbed!: 

Blessed is the man who perseveres in trials (Jas 1, 12). Unfortunately, all these holy truths are difficult for our poor and weak nature, which flees from the cross and fears every shadow of evil; but this is also the reward for joy that will be given only to those who persevere in enduring the shadows, troubles, difficulties and fears of trials: because when he perseveres in trials, he will receive the crown of life (Jas 1, 12b). 

For his part, Father Pio, after recalling that Jesus allowed his temptations, pointed out to his spiritual daughters the reason why God allows souls to be tempted. Trials, says the Father, are a purifying fire. 

They are the blows of the hammer and chisel with which the divine Artist prepares the stones – that is, those chosen souls – that will form part of the eternal city. And this is not just cleaning stones; it is at the same time the cleansing of certain small pretensions, which do not appear so to the human eye. 

It seems, at first glance, that these trials rather pollute the soul than cleanse it. But it’s not like that. Temptations are like soap, which, when put on all the clothes, seems to have soiled them, but really it has purified them. 

Being tempted, therefore, says Padre Pio, is an obvious sign that the soul is well received by the Lord. That’s why trials are not punishments, but proof of love. And for that we have to rejoice. They are a sign of divine favor. 

They are proof to the soul that God wants to test it and when he sees that the soul is strong enough, to end the struggle and weave a crown of glory.”