Author: Joseph Pio

Saint Marcellus

Pope and martyr
(† 310)

During the third century paganism and Christianity vied for supremacy in the Roman Empire. Hoping to stifle the Church completely, the emperor Diocletian in 303 began the last and fiercest of the persecutions. In time, Christian charity conquered pagan brutality, and as the Church attracted more and more members, the Roman government would be compelled to recognize its existence, but it was only after almost three hundred years, during which persecutions had forced Christian worship underground, that the Church would finally come out into the open after the Edict of Nantes in 313. It was still young and disorganized, vulnerable to heresy and apostasy, and needed a strong leader to settle questions of doctrine and discipline. Continue reading →

Fervor in God’s Service

CHRIST tells you:

MY CHILD, read the lives of My saints and consider their wonderful fervor in following My Will. Fervor is a prompt and ready will to follow whatever I desire. It is not a matter of feeling or mood, but a loyal attachment to My Will. Continue reading →

Perfect Self-Surrender

CHRIST tells you:

MY CHILD, few men on earth have peace of soul because few care to let Me manage their lives as I wish. Many put more faith in their own limited abilities than in My infinite wisdom and power. Continue reading →

Saint Paul the First Hermit
(229-342)

Saint Paul was born in Upper Egypt in about the year 229, and became an orphan at the age of fifteen. He was very rich and highly educated. Fearing lest the tortures of a terrible persecution might endanger his Christian perseverance, he retired into a remote village. But his pagan brother-in-law denounced him, and Saint Paul, rather than remain where his faith was in danger, entered the barren desert, trusting that God would supply his wants. And his confidence was rewarded; for on the spot to which Providence led him he found the fruit of a palm-tree for food, its leaves for clothing, and the water of a spring for drink. Continue reading →

Christ’s Loving Invitation

CHRIST tells you:

MY CHILD, come to me when you labor and are burdened, and I shall refresh you. There are many ways of coming to Me in your earthly life. You can approach Me in prayer, meditation, reading, reflecting, in the confessional, and in the various sacraments. The most excellent way of coming to Me, however, is Holy Communion. Continue reading →