Crisis Management 101 With Padre Pio

This article was originally posted at Seton Magazine.  Most faithful Catholics, at one time or another, have experienced the anguish of a loved one walking away from the Lord, the Church, or both. Some live through the daily heartache of children who have strayed from the fold; others experience the often unbearable tension of living with a spouse who does not share their faith, and still more worry about the salvation of friends and relatives who are indifferent, lukewarm or openly hostile to all things to do with “religion”.Out of OptionsVolumes have been written about what to do when faced with these situations. There are strategies for talking to your loved ones about your faith. There are an equal number of suggestions for how to not talk about your faith and simply allow the witness of your own zeal to stir up a desire in their hearts.“How-to” guides for evangelizing family and friends abound. Sympathetic and well-meaning brothers and sisters in Christ are always standing at the ready to provide advice, encouragement and prayers.What do you do, though, when you’ve tried everything; when your strength and your patience have worn thin and the anxiety over a loved one’s soul is crippling your own faith? How do you cope when the glory stories of others’ conversions you hear at your small faith-sharing group are grating on your last nerve, and the invitation to your friend’s son’s Ordination leaves you collapsed on the couch in a heap of resentment and frustration?The answer, I propose, lies in the wisdom of Saint Padre Pio’s short maxim: “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.”Sounds too easy, right? Let’s examine each of these three components:1. Pray!St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in