One of my favorite saints is St. Pio of Pietrelcina, whose feast day we celebrate on Sept. 23 — the day of my baptism.

Not only did he bear the stigmata for decades, he was known as an ardent proponent of the sacrament of confession. Reports of him hearing confessions for more than 12 consecutive hours were not rare. This reflected the saint’s devout belief in the gift of redemption — and in the power of prayer.

In these times of global distress and discord regarding the Church, modern culture, politics or the economy, prayer is our lifeline. And we would do well to remember St. Pio’s oft-repeated admonition, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” This echoes Christ’s own words in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day” (6:34). Take the time to pray, trusting that God holds us in the palm of his hand. St. Pio did, despite afflictions and attacks from the devil himself. Just-canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta did, despite 50 years in a spiritual desert. Prayer is a powerful antidote to any age’s societal ills.

God bless you!