in octobe 2001 i went with a church group to visit the padre pio shrine in pennsylvania, where there is a class #1 relic of the padre—one of the fingerless gloves he wore to cover the hole in his hand. as skeptical as i am, that day i had a quite mystical experience when i was allowed to touch this relic. something i can't really put into words. but it was powerful.
after this i decided to read some of what padre pio preached and was amazed—not only at his stigmata and suffering, but of the power of his words. i was amazed that despite his long suffering, he never waivered in his devotion to Jesus. his faith was never shaken no matter what happened.
many of the monks in his convent were jealous of him, and caused him constant problems of one sort or another. many of the monks thought that padre pio was unworthy of the stigmata, thinking that they instead should have it, since they thought they were 'holier'. they would get him into trouble, lie behind his back, have the director punish him for things he hadn't done. but in the end, pio never fought back, he accepted all the ill will his enemies gave him and prayed to God to forgive them. in other words, padre pio tried to live as Jesus asked us to, which is a very difficult thing to do.
i've been reading this book "Padre Pio's Words of Hope" Edited by Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti [(c) 1999 by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, ISBN 0-87973-694-1]. its a collection of letters pio wrote back to people in answer to their questions. here is a quote:
Paradise
Luke 23:42-4: "Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' He replied, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' "
But sometimes in my struggles I wonder if I'll ever get to paradise.
Padre Pio's assurance: "How many tears and groans I send up to heaven in order to be set free [from my struggles]. But no matter, I will never tire of praying to Jesus. It is true that my prayers deserve punishment rather than reward, for I have offended Jesus only too often by my innumerable sins; but in the end he will be moved by pity for me and with either take me out of the world and call me to himself, or else he will set me free."
"Again at night when I close my eyes, the veil is lifted and I see paradise open up before me; and gladdened by this vision, I sleep with a smile of sweet beatitude on my lips and perfectly tranquil countenance, waiting for the little companion [guardian angel] of my childhood to come to waken me, so that we may sing together the morning praises to the beloved of our hearts."
Lord, thank you for the promise of paradise for those who believe in you. If left to myself and my struggles, I would never reach heaven. But "for God all things are possible." Amen.
its a great book, each topic is only one page. topics range from "Burdens", "Love", "Courage" to "Cross", "Rejected by God", and "Sin". padre pio's words are like those of the middle age mystics, such as "The Imitation of Christ", shunning the feel-good pseudo-religions of today. his words address a variety of topics from small to very troubling, and always with love. its almost as he is writing letters to the reader.
obviously he's a catholic, but don't be turned off by a few letters about Mary etc., this book is filled with spiritual nourishment that any Christian can use. by reading this and other of pio's writings i am just amazed that such a holy man managed to be born in the horrible 20th century that just passed, that God would provide, even in these times, someone with the integrity, humility, and faith of padre pio. if you're spiritually inclined and searching for something different, look him up. you might be surprised.
