By suffering we are able to give something to God. The gift of pain, of suffering is a big thing and cannot be accomplished in Paradise.
Pio of PietrelcinaThe greatest act of faith is that which rises to your lips in total darkness together with the sacrifices, sufferings and wholehearted efforts of a determined will to do good. This act of faith strikes through the darkness of your soul like lightening. In the midst of tempest it raises you up and leads you to God.
Pio of PietrelcinaJesus who cannot suffer long to keep you in affliction will come to relieve and comfort you by infusing fresh courage into your soul.
Pio of PietrelcinaHe who does not meditate acts as one who never looks into the mirror and so does not bother to put himself in order, since he can be dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates and turns his thoughts to God who is the mirror of the soul, seeks to know his defects and tries to correct them, moderates himself in his impulses and puts his conscience in order.
Pio of Pietrelcina