Saint Pio’s Guidelines to a Perfect Spiritual Life

• Put your trust in Christ as your personal Savior. Say repeatedly to Him: “Whom have I on earth besides Thee; Whom in Heaven but Thee?
• Know that you have no righteousness of your own. Never be pleased with yourself nor exult in any virtues; ascribe everything to God and give Him all the glory and honor.
• Remember that good works only come through Christ. All of our actions are mixed with inclinations towards pride, vanity, self-love and the like. But a Christian should not worry about what he or she does so long as it is done with a desire to please God.
• Recognize the devil is a real individual, bent on destroying you but do not fear him.
• Always pray to God and say in every circumstance, “Thy will be done”. This will be your anchor and your salvation.
• Love the cross. Accept suffering patiently; never complain. Why worry whether it is wastelands or meadows through which you pass, so long as God is with you and you arrive at blessed eternity?
• Offer every action up to God. No matter how simple or trivial, refer everything to God and live and move in Him.
• Never worry. Anxieties are a waste of time; they befoul our good actions; because of lack of confidence in God’s concern for us.
• Aspire to the heavenly prize. Continually look to eternity in heaven and despise the comfort and affairs of the world.
• Rejoice in the Lord. Never be melancholy, serve the Lord with joy. Joy, with peace is a sister of charity.