Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Memorial of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Today we celebrate the memorial of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. If you haven't done so yet, try to watch the film Padre Pio: Miracle Man. It'll make you see Padre Pio in a completely different light. For a biography of this modern saint, click here.

St Padre Pio, pray for us!

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"O father, why are you so distraught and so full of worries over your spirit? Calm yourself because Jesus is with you and is happy with you. It torments my soul to know that you are in so much spiritual suffering. O, how I have prayed and continue to pray to our Lord, who makes me feel in my heart that He has always been with you, and that, indeed, He has doubled His graces, His preferences, His predilections toward your soul.

Therefore, how can you allow yourself to be persuaded that the calamities that roar about you are from God and that, in large measure, you are their cause? O father, do not be afraid, I beg you. You are not in the least bit guilty for these howling tempests. You must have no fear for your soul; Jesus is with you and you are most dear to Him. This is the whole truth before God. Calm down and let the Lord test you as He will, because everything shall come to pass for your sanctification.

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At these moments, more than ever, when the whole world troubles and weighs on me, I desire nothing other than to love and to suffer. Yes, my father, even in the midst of so much suffering I am happy because it seems as if my heart is beating with Jesus' heart. You can only imagine how much delight is infused in a heart that knows, almost with certainty, that it possesses Jesus.

It is true that the temptations I am subjected to are very many indeed, but I trust Divine Providence will not let me fall into the tempter's snares. It is also true that quite often Jesus hides Himself, but what does that matter; with your help I will try to remain close to Him, having your assurance that I am not abandoned but merely toyed with by Love.

O, how long for someone to help me temper my anxieties and the flames that disturb my heart at these moments."

-- Secrets of a Soul: Padre Pio's Letters to his Spiritual Directors edited by Gianluigi Pasquale, OFM Cap

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