The gift of piety helps a person to exercise the virtue of filial piety towards God, and to worship Him as the all-perfect and all-loving Father. This gift enables us to make continual efforts to honour God more and more in our hearts, and to carry out His will more perfectly.

The saints give us examples of working hard at this: St. Teresa took a vow always to choose what was most perfect. St. Alphonsus took a vow never to waste time. St. Aloysius spent hours praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The motto of St. Ignatius was, “For the greater glory of God.”

According to St. Augustine and St. Thomas, the gift of piety corresponds to the beatitude, “Blessed are the meek,” for meekness removes obstacles to acts of piety.

Saintly examples of piety

The gift of piety helps us to recognize both the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men.

We are children of God the Father. The “little way” of St. Therese of Lisieux is a wonderful expression of divine filiation. She surrendered everything to God and trusted Him with unlimited confidence.

St. Faustina also expressed her piety through trustful surrender to God. In her diary she wrote: “When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the Heart of Jesus and say only one word to Him: ‘You can do all things.’ And then I keep silent, because I know that Jesus Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.”

One day a leper came to St. Francis of Assisi, and he was touched by divine grace to recognize all men are brothers in Christ. Francis embraced the leper with great love. This love was the effect of the gift of piety.

Bishop Louis Laravoire Morrow pointed out the effect of the gift of piety in the hearts of the apostles: “Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, the apostles loved Jesus, but more for their own sakes rather than His, more for the reward He promised than for love of Him. But after Pentecost, what a change! They were ready to suffer death just because they loved Jesus and wished to declare Him everywhere.”

Moved by the gift of piety, the saints prayed with confidence to God. They understood that God, as our Father, wants the best for His children. This gift also helps us appreciate the Church as our family. Hence, we have filial love for Our Lady and devotion to angels and saints.

The gift of piety inclines us to respect the representatives of God. We love the Pope, whom St. Catherine called “the sweet Christ on earth.” We should respect lawful authority, beginning with our own parents. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati had great respect for his parents. He obeyed them as representatives of God.

Devotion of a young saint

An antique Catechism book from Hong Kong has beautiful illustrations from the life of St. Dominic Savio:

“St. Dominic is our good model [for piety]. The parish priest recalled the quiet reverent way he would come to church. If the doors were not open, he would kneel quietly on the steps, even if it were raining or snowing.”

“At 5 years of age he was already serving Holy Mass. He was always on the spot whenever an acolyte was needed. If a boy tried to dodge, on the pretext that the church was too cold to go to, Dominic would readily slip on him his worn cloak or offer him his gloves.”

聖神七恩的「孝愛」，使我們把天主看作我們完美的慈父，孝順愛慕祂，願意每天增加對祂的愛，承行祂的旨意。因此，聖德肋撒發愿要在一切事上選擇最完美的辦事方法；聖雅豐索誓言不浪費時間；聖類思常在聖體前祈禱數小時之久；聖依納爵強調他的格言：「愈顯主榮」。

聖奧斯定和聖多瑪斯，都把「孝愛」與「真福八端」中的「溫良的人是有福的」連繫一起。「溫良」清除一切違反「孝愛」的阻力。

聖人孝愛的榜樣

孝愛之恩幫助我們承認天主是我們的慈父，近人是主內的弟兄姊妹。

我們都是天主的兒女，無怪聖女小德蘭藉「神修小道」孝愛天主，在所有事情上交托天主、絕對信賴祂。聖女傅天娜亦不遑多讓，在她的日記寫道：「當我遇上力有不逮的事情，我不考慮或分析如何探究，只以孩童之心跑到耶穌聖心跟前對祂說『祢無所不能』，然後安靜下來，我知道祂自會介入，何必折騰自己，還是多用時間去愛祂好了！」

有一次，一個痳瘋病人走到聖方濟各前。聖人因聖神「孝愛」之恩，深深覺察到眾人都是基督內的兄弟姊妹，便以極大的愛心去擁抱那個痳瘋病人。

類斯.莫路主教解釋「孝愛」怎樣在宗徒內心產生作用：「聖神降臨前，門徒們愛耶穌出於追求自得多於愛耶穌本人；但聖神降臨後，他們脫胎換骨，願意為愛耶穌而不辭勞苦宣教，甚至為祂而犧牲性命！」

「孝愛」趨使諸聖滿懷信心向天主祈禱，他們明白作為慈父的天主，自會給子女們最好的，而他們都把聖教會看作自己的家庭。所以，我們對聖母應感到一份親情，同時尊敬天上的天使及諸聖。

「孝愛」也讓我們懂得尊敬天主的在世代表 —— 首先是我們的父母 —— 真福庇沃.法薩提十分尊重自己的父母，視他們為天主的代表；另外，我們要孝愛教宗 —— 聖女加大利納形容教宗是「在世親善的基督」。

虔誠的年青聖人

香港一本要理書籍，寫出年青的聖多明我.維豪一些膾炙人口的事：「如果聖堂門還未開啟，維豪會靜靜地跪在聖堂石階上祈禱，那怕下雨或下雪天。當他步入聖堂，立刻靜默，表現極其尊敬。他是我們（孝愛）的好榜樣。」「年僅五歲的小維豪已懂得輔彌撒，隨時接替缺席的輔祭。遇上有孩子藉口天氣太冷而不去聖堂，維豪便會奉上他溫暖的外衣或手套！」