‘Pray, hope, and don’t worry’

Some days life is crazy. You’re trying to balance work and online learning and hungry children and ringing phones and a struggling WiFi. Lurking behind it all are a global pandemic, a tense political climate, and some pressing issue that you can’t even remember because your mind is just so full.

At a moment when simple tasks like grocery shopping and answering the door are stressful, it can be easy to get pulled into a world of concerns.

On days like this, we’re fortunate to have a saint we can turn to who offers a peaceful, calming perspective. St. Pio of Pietrelcina, whose feast day is Sept. 23, is quoted as saying, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

Worry is useless. We would be better off setting the worry aside and focusing on lives of prayer and hope. That doesn’t sound easy to do, but that holy man known as Padre Pio certainly seemed to know how to approach life that way.

A priest of the Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor in Italy, Padre Pio lived a life of holiness and sacrifice. He prayed almost continuously and was able to see and communicate with his guardian angel, Jesus, and the Blessed Mother.

He experienced plenty of suffering, living with sickness throughout his life, and being marked with the stigmata when he was 31. He spoke of praying for the souls in Purgatory and loved the sacrament of reconciliation. People were drawn to him for his holiness and his humility.

Today, I find myself looking to Padre Pio for a sense of calm in the craziness. What a full life he lived, devoted to Jesus and focused on inspiring a love for God in those he encountered.

Even in the moments of our greatest worries and anxiety today, we can turn to God in prayer. And we can always, always hold onto hope.

So, let’s try to pray, hope, and not worry—today and tomorrow and all the days after that.

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