Today, September 23rd is the Memorial of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap. (1887–1968), a friar and priest of the Religious community, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and recognized as a stigmatist and mystic in the Catholic Church. Padre Pio was a man of deep prayer, to whom God gave many spiritual gifts which caused curiosity and controversy. One such gift, for which he became known throughout the world, Padre Pio shared for most of his life in the wounds of Christ, the stigmata. Padre Pio was known as a mystic because he sought through, prayer, contemplation and loving self-surrender direct union with God, Who gave the gift by which he was enabled to share intimately in the Presence of God, enlightened by special illuminations and contemplated with ineffable joy the Divine essence and was transformed, living a life of virtue. Francesco Forgione was born to peasant farmers in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina, Italy on May 25, 1887 and named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Even as a child Francesco was very devout and felt drawn to the priesthood. He entered the Franciscan Capuchin Religious Order at the age of sixteen and given the name Pius, Pio in Italian. After seven years of study and at the age of 23 Francesco was ordained to the priesthood and became known as Padre Pio. The gift of the stigmata, the visible marks of the crucifixion and a sign of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, was given to Padre Pio on September 20, 1910, within a month of his ordination to priesthood, as he knelt in front of the crucifix (see photo posted ). He bore very deep wounds at the center of his hands and feet, on the left side of his chest and on the right shoulder were Jesus carried the Cross, making him the first stigmatized priest in the history of Church. A membrane covered the wounds in his hands and feet but these were pierced all the way through as light could be seen through the membrane. He wore half-gloves over his hands, except during Mass, to cover the wounds and leave his fingers free and he wore stockings on his feet to absorb the blood that oozed from the wounds. He also had transverberation of the heart (a spiritual and physical wounding of the heart by a dart or a flame of love awarded by God for tremendous love), wounds from scourging, and an invisible crown of thorns. The doctor who examined Padre Pio could not find any natural cause for the wounds. The blood from the stigmata had an odor described by many as similar to that of perfume or flowers. Padre Pio, as a mystic, had the gift of bilocation in which he would be in two places simultaneously as attested by many. He had the gift of reading the soul or knowing what was in the hearts of the persons who came to him for confession or spiritual direction. Padre Pio spent 10-12 hours per day hearing confessions, helping both sinners and devout persons draw closer to God; he would know just the right word of counsel or encouragement that was needed. He died on September 23, 1968 at the age of 81 and his funeral was attended by about 100,000 people. Padre Pio predicted 50 years prior to his death that the wounds of the stigmata would heal, which in fact happened upon his death the wounds were no longer visible, there was no scaring and his skin was completely renewed. Padre Pio was exhumed on March 2, 2008, 40 years after his death as a part of the investigative process for the cause of his beatification and his body was found to be incorrupt. There is a permanent exposition of the body St. Padre Pio in a glass reliquary at the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia province, Italy. However, it was not his incorrupt body nor the stigmata, his other spiritual gifts nor his fame, but rather Padre Pios heroic virtues that he lived and after his death the proven miracles through his intercession that he was recognized a saint in the Catholic Church. Beatified in 1999, he was canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II on June 16, 2002, who gave the following homily at the Mass of Canonization: vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20020616_padre-pio_en.html To read a more detailed biography of St. Padre Pio… https://ewtn/padrepio/man/biography.htm infallible-catholic.blogspot/2012/04/padre-pio-of-pietrelcina.html?m=1 Let us pray. Almighty ever-living God, who, by a singular grace, gave the Priest Saint Pius a share in the Cross of Your Son and, by means of his ministry, renewed the wonders of Your mercy, grant that through his intercession we may be united constantly to the sufferings of Christ, and so brought happily to the glory of the resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. St. Padre Pio, pray for us. The following is from the Letters of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina: Out of obedience I am obliged to manifest to you what happened to me on the evening of the 5th of this month of August 1918 and all day on the 6th. I am quite unable to convey to you what occurred during this period of utter torment. While I was hearing the boys’ confessions on the evening of the 5th, I was suddenly terrorized by the sight of a celestial person who presented himself to my mind’s eye. He had in his hand a sort of weapon like a very long sharp-pointed steel blade which seemed to emit fire. At the very instant that I saw all this, I saw that person hurl the weapon into my soul with all his might. I cried out with difficulty and felt I was dying. I asked the boy to leave because I felt ill and no longer had the strength to continue. This agony lasted uninterruptedly until the morning of the 7th. I cannot tell you how much I suffered during this period of anguish. Even my entrails were torn and ruptured by the weapon, and nothing was spared. From that day on I have been mortally wounded. I feel in the depths of my soul a wound that is always open and which causes me continual agony. What can I tell you in answer to your questions regarding my crucifixion? My God!! What embarrassment and humiliation I suffer by being obliged to explain what you have done to this wretched creature! On the morning of the 20th of last month, in the choir, after I had celebrated Mass I yielded to a drowsiness similar to a sweet sleep. All the internal and external senses and even the very faculties of my soul were immersed in indescribable stillness. Absolute silence surrounded and invaded me. I was suddenly filled with great peace and abandonment which effaced everything else and caused a lull in the turmoil. All this happened in a flash. While this was taking place I saw before me a mysterious person similar to the one I had seen on the evening of 5 August. The only difference was that his hands and feet and side were dripping blood. This sight terrified me and what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should die and really should have died if the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to burst out of my chest. The vision disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet and side were dripping blood. Imagine the agony I experienced and continue to experience almost every day. The heart wound bleeds continually, especially from Thursday evening until Saturday. Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting embarrassment I feel deep in my soul. I am afraid I shall bleed to death if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt supplication to relieve me of this condition. Will Jesus, who is so good, grant me this grace? Will he at least free me from the embarrassment caused by these outward signs? I will raise my voice and will not stop imploring him until in his mercy he takes away, not the wound or the pain, which is impossible since I wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs which cause me such embarrassment and unbearable humiliation. The person of whom I spoke in a previous letter is none other than the one I mentioned having seen on 5 August. He continues his work incessantly, causing me extreme spiritual agony. There is a continual rumbling within me like the gushing of blood. My God! Your punishment is just and your judgment right, but grant me your mercy. Lord, with your Prophet I shall continue to repeat: O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not punish me in your rage! Dear Father, now that my whole interior state is known to you, do not refuse to send me a word of comfort in the midst of such severe and harsh suffering.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 21:51:48 +0000