by Debbie Gaudino | The answer, I propose, lies in the wisdom of Saint Padre Pio's short maxim: "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry."

The Beatitudes are worthy of our study. The first Beatitude, from the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus, encourages us to be poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit, we must empty ourselves of anything and everything that tends to displace Jesus Christ in our lives. Jesus must be first in our lives. He can’t be in second place. He must always be front and center.