FACING PHYSICAL PAIN WITH GRACE TWO LESSONS FROM PADRE PIO By: Woodeene Koenig-Bricker Padre Pio (May 25, 1887–September 23, 1968) is a good role model for any of us who are dealing with physical suffering. This Capuchin priest is a contemporary saint and one of the most popular of modern times. St. Pio of Pietrelcina, as he is more formally known, is famous for bearing the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s passion, for more than fifty years. The pain he experienced from the open wounds was intense and unending. While these wounds were the most obvious of Padre Pio’s torments, his other physical sufferings are not as well-known. According to his spiritual director, he was bed-ridden from a grave gastroenteritis at age six. He had typhoid fever at age ten. When he was seventeen, he experienced exhaustion, fainting spells, migraines, and severe nausea. He also had “asthmatic bronchitis,” kidney stones, ulcers, inflammation of the ear, nose, and throat, pulmonary tuberculosis, an inguinal hernia, a large cyst on his neck, cancer on his ear, pleurisy, and arthritis. Unlike saints who were born when medical treatment was rudimentary, Padre Pio was both willing and able to utilize modern medicine to help alleviate that suffering caused by illness. For example, he successfully underwent both surgery and radiation treatment for the cancer on his ear and was treated for tuberculosis. However, as anyone who suffers from illness or disease knows, modern medicine is hardly a panacea since it cannot always remove the pain and sometimes actually creates more pain. Moreover, although Padre Pio did suffer from some extraordinary types of pain that most of us will never experience, such as the stigmata, he also had his share of “ordinary” pain, such as arthritis and infections. So what can we learn and apply to our own lives from the example of Padre Pio? Here are a couple of lessons. First, Padre Pio had a profound understanding that divine intent lay beneath his suffering. He knew that one of his life purposes was to show the world how to suffer without becoming insufferable. While we may not be called to such intense redemptive suffering, we can use Padre Pio’s example to accept our pain, whatever it might be, with grace. When you are able to see your suffering in the light of life’s greater purpose, your suffering becomes redemptive rather than destructive. As long as you believe your suffering is without merit, it will do nothing for your spiritual growth. It is only when you realize that physical suffering can become a means to holiness that it can be transformed from mere pain into peaceful acceptance. This is the first lesson we can learn from the example of Padre Pio. Second, we’ve all known people who feel obliged to tell you all their symptoms, solicit constant sympathy, and complain unceasingly. And we all know just how frustrating and annoying those people can be. If you are experiencing physical pain, make a decision to keep quiet about it. Be like Padre Pio, who throughout his life kept the stigmata hidden under gloves and refused to discuss it despite the constant pain. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore symptoms or leave your illnesses untreated—Padre Pio didn’t do that, and neither should you. It does mean that when asked how you are, you don’t begin with a long litany of misery but simply smile or say something like “Fine, thank you” or “I’m doing the best I can.” That’s not just good spiritual advice; it’s also good medical advice. Scientific studies have shown that constantly talking about your pain and focusing on it will cause your perception of it to increase. In other words, the more you think about it, the more it hurts. The opposite is also true. We’ve all had the experience of becoming so involved in something that we forget ourselves. The point is that when we are engrossed in meaningful activities, we are much better able to withstand discomfort. Getting our minds off ourselves is healthy spiritually, emotionally, and physically! Woodeene Koenig-Bricker is the author of numerous books and articles on faith, family, and spirituality. This is adapted from Facing Adversity with Grace: Lessons from the Saints. To buy the book and learn more about how Padre Pio dealt with suffering, or to read another excerpt, visit The Word Among Us bookstore.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 00:54:23 +0000
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