After Confession

About this book

After Confession: A Devotional with Saint Padre Pio invites you to rediscover one of the most delicate moments of the spiritual life. For Padre Pio, the moment immediately following sacramental absolution is both precious and perilous: precious because the soul is in a state of grace, clean and pleasing to God; perilous because distraction enters easily, gratitude cools, and the soul returns to the noise of the world without sealing the received grace. "White, fragile, and open," this is how Padre Pio described the soul at that moment. This devotional gathers his concrete and firm advice: after confession, keep silence; speak to no one, look at no one, do not let yourself be scattered by practical matters. Kneel down, close your eyes if possible, make no lists and do not check the clock. These are simple gestures that protect grace, prolong thanksgiving, and dispose the heart to remain in the presence of God. The book offers 30 prayers inspired by Sacred Scripture and the teachings and life of Padre Pio, a novena to ask for perseverance and recollection after confession, selected biblical quotes, and traditional images of the saint. A sober and profound spiritual companion for those who wish to live with greater awareness the most forgotten-and decisive-time after receiving sacramental forgiveness.