Take Heart, My Friend, and Do Not Fear

If you are fearful or suffering in any way today, my friend, take heart; even the Saints experienced some degree of fear at times, often suffered greatly, and sometimes wondered why God allowed such misery. Yes, even St. Padre Pio sometimes complained about his constant pain caused by the ever-bleeding stigmata, the five wounds of Christ Crucified in Padre Pio's hands, feet, and side. One day, according to Dorothy M. Gaudiose, (author of Prophet of the People, a biography of St. Padre Pio), one of Padre Pio's fellow friars at the San Giovanni Monastery in Italy said to him, "Look what has come for you." He handed Padre Pio a small brown box. "A present from Switzerland, Padre Pio."
St. Pio, then thirty, opened the box and smiled as he pulled out a pair of soft, cloth shoes. "This is very thoughtful," he said to the friar.
"Yes," agreed the friar. He knew that the gift would help Padre Pio's swollen, stigmatized feet to hurt less when he walked.
When St. Pio arrived in his cell (the small room assigned to him which he used as his bedroom), he put on a pair of soft brown socks and then slid the new soft shoes over them. Indeed, they would help cushion his feet which were always swollen. Often he prayed that God would take away the visible stigmata and leave St. Pio only the pain, which he gladly bore for the salvation of souls. (See Colossians 1:24 and St. Paul's agreement with this philosophy.) You see, the visible stigmata brought fame to St. Padre Pio which he hated. He wanted to remain hidden in the monastery, praying and suffering for the salvation of souls. But God's will had to be done, and so the visible stigmata remained, and the crowds increased until they reached many thousands each year. By the time St. Padre Pio died, millions of people had traveled from all over the world to see Padre Pio; to hear his Mass; to confess their sins in his confessional; to ask for him to heal them, by God's grace; to see Padre Pio's ever-bleeding stigmata; and to receive his blessing.
Now, let us return to St. Pio's cell on that day in which he received the gift of cloth shoes: According to Dorothy Gaudiose, who worked for three years in Italy for St. Pio and who told me to write my first of many published book about St. Padre Pio (all by God's grace), that day when Padre Pio exited his cell wearing his new cloth shoes, he heard "a lot of commotion. ''They are coming by the thousands,' said a friar to him in the hallway. Padre Pio nodded. 'I know.' He began to look worried. 'Do you think it will get out of control?' The brother shrugged his shoulders. 'Some say it already is. The police are outside every day now, watching the crowds. Did you know that?' Padre Pio raised his eyebrows in surprise and reluctantly ventured on." (Prophet of the People, pages 59-61)
For fifty years St. Padre Pio bore the ever-bleeding wounds of Christ. And he always told everyone who suffered, who worried about loved ones, who feared the future, who suffered misery of any type, "Pray, hope, and don't worry." My dear friend, I hope you find comfort and peace by following his advice.
May God richly bless you. Amen!

You and the Infant Jesus

Last week I shared with you some of Saint Padre Pio's quotes relating to the Infant Jesus. Knowing that with God there is no time as we know it, only eternity in which God sees all past, present, and future events, and knowing that Jesus Christ is the "same yesterday, today, and forever," according to Scripture, it is true that we can, at any time, go in prayer to the Infant Jesus just as well as to the adult Jesus--and to the Resurrected Jesus and to the Ascended Jesus and to the Jesus of eternity. So now, let us go to the Infant Jesus, through Saint Padre Pio's words, and there find consolation for our own hearts, whether they are light with joy or heavy with the miseries of this world.

If you are suffering:

"May the Infant Jesus inspire you more and more to love suffering and despise the world," says St. Padre Pio to you, my friend. "May His star enlighten your mind more and more, and may His love transform your heart and render it worthy of His divine satisfaction." (Letters, Volume 3, page 392)

If you need comforting, and if you need encouragement to go with your needs to the Infant Jesus:

"May the Infant Jesus bless you, comfort you, reward you for what you are bearing for love of Him, and make you holy!" says St. Padre Pio to you. "These and other prayers still, have been, and will be mine for you before the holy crib of the Infant Jesus. May He be pleased to grant them all! . . . Don't let temptations frighten you. They are the trials of those souls whom God wants to test when He sees them strong enough to sustain the battle weaving with their own hands the crown of glory. . . . Drive away, once and for all, every perplexity and anxiety, and enjoy in peace the most sweet pains of the Beloved." (Letters, Volume 3, pages 438-440)

If you need Christ's Holy Spirit:

"May the Infant Jesus, reborn in your heart, always reign there; may He transform your heart totally and fill it with His divine Spirit," says St. Padre Pio to you. "Be tranquil as regards your spirit and do not fear because it is Jesus who molds it; it is Jesus who reigns there." (Letters, Volume 3, page 387)

If you need God's enlightenment to chase away the darkness:

"May the Infant Jesus inspire you more and more to love suffering and despise the world," says St. Padre Pio to you, my dear friend. "May His star enlighten your mind more and more, and may His love transform your heart and render it worthy of His divine satisfaction. . . . Therefore, open wide your heart and let the Lord work freely in you. Expand your soul before the divine Sun and let the Lord work freely in you. Expand your soul before the divine Sun and let its beneficial rays dissipate the darkness which the enemy frequently thickens in it." (Letters, Volume 3, page 392)

Saint Padre Pio's blessing for you today and every day:

"May the heavenly Child always be in the midst of your heart; may He sustain it, enlighten it, vivify it, and transform it to eternal charity! . . . Remember the words the divine Master one day said to the apostles and which He says to you today: Let not your heart be troubled [John 14:1]. Yes, let not your heart be troubled in the hour of trial, because Jesus promised His real assistance to those who follow Him." (Letters, Volume 3, pages 439-441)

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year, dear friend!

The Heavenly Child and You

As we approach the celebration of Christmas Day, Christ's birthday, I want tp share with you some of Saint Padre Pio's thoughts in relationship to the Christ Child. Worth meditating on is Padre Pio's belief that Jesus is present to us now as the Christ Child, just as He was present as the Child some 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. Since God lives in eternity, since He lives out of our time, since He is the same "yesterday, today, and forever," He--in all His infiniteness--is ever present to us. So now let's see what St. Padre Pio offers us concerning the Christ Child and our relationship to Him and our need for Him:

"May the heavenly Child look benevolently on your soul," says St. Padre Pio to you, "which is groaning beneath the blows of the divine mercy, and may the light that flooded the minds of the devout shepherds of Bethlehem enlighten your mind also and never abandon you. . . ." (Letters 1, p. 1334)

"On the happy occasion of the holy Nativity of the Infant Jesus, may you be pleased to receive my good wishes for everlasting well-being and eternal spiritual bliss," says St. Padre Pio to you. "This is the synthesis of the prayers I will offer for you before the cradle of the Infant Jesus during these holy days. May He be pleased to hear them all." (Letters 1, p. 1326)

"Live joyfully and courageously, at least in the upper part of the soul," says St. Padre Pio to you, "amidst the trials in which the Lord places you. Live joyfully and courageously, I repeat, because the Angel who foretells the birth of our little Savior and Lord, announces singing, and sings announcing that he brings tidings of joy, peace, and happiness to men of goodwill. So that there is nobody who does not know that in order to receive this Child, it is sufficient to be of goodwill. Even though up to the present this has not been very effective because He came to bless goodwill which, little by little, He will render fruitful and effective, as long as we allow ourselves to be governed by it. And I hope that we will do so. Do not fear the tricks of Satan, but despise them. Jesus is with you." (Letters 3, p. 470)

A most-blessed Christmas season to you, my friend!

Even Saints Take Time to Laugh

Even the Saints of God take time to laugh. I hope you do, too, my friend. Saint Padre Pio, even though he bore the five bleeding, painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years, took time to smile and laugh and even tell "clean" jokes. One of Padre Pio's favorite jokes he often told is the following:

A poor peasant in Italy was traveling on a train bound for Naples. For some strange reason a Bishop ended up sitting next to the peasant. Before long a storm erupted outside, and the peasant stared out the window, watching and listening, seemingly unafraid, as the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning ripped across the Italian countryside and sky. It seemed as if the devil himself had taken charge and was punishing the earth. As the rain beat against the train windows and the lightning flashed outside and the thunder rumbled above the train roof, the Bishop, obviously alarmed and terribly afraid, said to the peasant, "It looks as if we are going to Hell!" The poor peasant, unafraid of the weather or death or even of the powerful Bishop, said, "I feel sorry for you. You must only have a one-way ticket. I have a return ticket, so I'm not afraid one bit."

One of the many spiritual gifts God gave Saint Padre Pio was the ability to notify people (by mysteriously having them smell sweet flowers when there were none around and when he himself was not there) that he was praying for them and that their prayers would be answered. (The theological term for this gift is Osmogenesia.) Many of the Saints had--and have--this gift.

So if you, my friend, ask Saint Padre Pio to intercede with Jesus for you, and if you soon smell roses or carnations or any sweet combination of flower fragrances, know that you will soon receive an answer. In fact, here is a true story to encourage you:

One day a young woman was near death and suffering horrendously in the hospital. Her young husband Harry, not knowing what to do for her to alleviate her pain and to keep her from dying, prayed and asked Saint Padre Pio to do what he could for her. Even though it was January and there were no flowers anywhere around the young man while he waited in the hospital room beside his unconscious wife, he smelled a strong scent of flowers. Here is what his wife said about the experience, after her miraculous recovery, of course:

"During the night a very strong fragance of flowers enveloped my hospital room. How strange. Where did it come from?"

But her husband Harry knew the answer. Padre Pio had been invisibly present in that hospital room and had obtained a healing for the woman through his intercession with Jesus.

Do you have a need today? Take your needs to Saint Padre Pio and ask him to do what he can to obtain answers and healings for you from Jesus. He will do it.

Unexpected, Unmistakable, Indisputable Healing

Do you or someone you love need a healing? Don't hesitate, my friend, to ask Saint Padre Pio to take your plea to Jesus and obtain an answer for you that will fill you with confidence and peace. Here is a true story to encourage you to go to Saint Padre Pio who will then go to Jesus for you.

While Saint Padre Pio was alive, he had thousands of friends, of course, but he also had enemies. One of those enemies was Alberto Del Fante, an atheist, Freemason, lawyer, and journalist by profession. At the time, Italian papers were reporting amazing facts about Saint Padre Pio and his many spiritual gifts and powers granted to him by God, such as the Stigmata (the five wounds of Christ Crucified which bled in Pio's hands, feet, and side for fifty years).

Alberto Del Fante scoffed at all the reports. He considered Padre Pio to be a fake; a man bent on mesmerizing and deceiving the people who flocked to him. Yes, Alberto the bigtime lawyer scoffed--until the unexpected, the unmistakable, and the indisputable occured in the life of his beloved nephew. You see, a relative had asked Saint Padre Pio to pray to Jesus for the little boy's healing, and . . . well, let Alberto Del Fante tell you in his own words:

"Several years ago, without even knowing Padre Pio," said Alberto, "I wrote some articles against him in the Florentine paper, Italia Laica. At that time I though him to be an impostor, a cunning man knowing how to deceive simple folk who are too easily moved to enthusiasm. Then there occurred the healing of my nephew which made me think. . . . . The undeniable truth is that my nephew, from being dangerously ill, has now become a frisky, healthy, happy boy." (From Doubt to Faith, by Alberto Del Fante, page 7)

There are thousands of similar stories of answered prayers, and millions of additional prayers are answered each and every day. Hopefully, over the years, I will have the opportunity to share many of them with you. For now, let Alberto's experience encourage you to take your requests to Saint Padre Pio and await the consoling reply.

Look to Heaven

Again this week I'd like to share with you some of Saint Padre Pio's words that have seldom been seen, heard, or read. I found these in an out-of-print book, Padre Pio Teaches Us, which I received from St. Pio's good friend Dorothy Guadiose, who also is a dear friend of mine and who told me to write my first book about Padre Pio, which was published and which led to more published books about him. (All accomplished by Christ's grace through St. Pio, Our Lady, and my Holy Guardian Angel, of course!)

The book I will quote for you today was written by Father Nello Castello and, as I said, is called Padre Pio Teaches Us. Here is what Saint Padre Pio says to you today, my dear friend:

(1. If Cain was lost, as he was, it was not for having killed his brother, but for having douted forgiveness, for not admitting that God had the attribute of mercy.

(2. Jesus wants you to seek Him always. Love is repaid by love.

(3. Talk little and work hard. Seek Jesus always and you will find Him.

(4. Look at Heaven and see how beautiful it is. Rest assured that Jesus is with you.

(5. Men are all turning their backs on us, but God is not. He is always with us. Let us try to get closer and closer to Him.

(6. Let us abandon ourselves into God's hands ever more because there is precious little to hope for from man.

(7. May Jesus bind you tighter and tighter to His Divine Heart. May He relieve your suffering and take you into His final embrace, which will take place in Heaven.

That last quote is St. Padre Pio's blessing for you today--and every day--my friend, and my blessing for you too. Have a great day!

Grace is Free

Reverend Nello Castello, a friend of Saint Padre Pio's, wrote a book (Padre Pio Teaches Us), which is now out of print, that contains quotes from Padre Pio that few people have ever heard. They are words that Saint Pio spoke to his spiritual children in Confession or at other times. Some of the words were written down by the hearers themselves; other words of St. Pio's were written down by the Padre himself. I wanted today to share fourteen of those quotes with you, hoping they will comfort you and encourage you to ask God for whatever you need through Saint Padre Pio's intercession. Just as God has given great power to our sun to sustain life here on earth, He has given great spiritual powers to His Saints, especially to Saint Padre Pio, in order to help us.

Here are some of the words St. Padre Pio gave his spiritual children and that appear in Reverend Nello Castello's book:

(1. Grace is free. The grace He gives to you is not for your generosity, but because of His goodness.

(2. I pray that Saint Joseph may look after your soul as lovingly and as generously as he looked after Jesus, and in the same way as he defended Him from Herod, so may St. Joseph defend your soul from an even fiercer Herod, the devil.

(3. Trust, trust always. Trust and love.

(4. May Saint Joseph give you one of the caresses and kisses he used to give Jesus.

(5. Offer God obedience. It is worth more than sacrifice.

(6. Love Our Lady and make Her loved. Always recite the Rosary!

(7. Put yourself upon the Cross for love of the Crucified.

(8. We must either accept the crosses or pray to God to relieve us of them.

(9. Wait patiently and be resigned; the void will be filled up in due course.

(10. Be prepared; begin the ascent of Calvary cheerfully.

(11. Live quietly and happily and docilely accept teh tribulations Our Lord sends you.

(12. Serve the Lord joyfully, and Jesus will make you worthy of His divine embrace.

(13. I wish you the best. Let us be humble before Jesus.

(14. May the Divine Paraclete fill you with His charisma and His gifts.


And to Saint Padre Pio's words, all I can add, my dear friend, is "Amen!"

Have a great day.

Your Hiding Place

Yes, my dear friend, God is indeed a hiding place for you, so tuck yourself within His merciful Heart, and He will preserve you from evil. "You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance." (Psalm 32:7)

Saint Padre Pio, too, urges you to make your permanent home the arms and Heart of Jesus who loves you with an unfathomable love. ". . . because not only are you with Him," says St. Padre Pio to you, my friend, "but you are in Him and He is within you. What can a child fear in the arms of its father? Be like children; they almost never think about their future as they have somebody to think of it for them; they are only strong enough when they are with their father. Therefore, you do the same and you will be in peace." (Saint Padre Pio's Letters, Volume 3, pages 730-731)

Saint Faustina of The Divine Mercy often saw Jesus appear to her as The Divine Mercy, with His pierced hands and feet emitting rays of light, rays of mercy and love for you, my dear friend. She, in her diary, expresses her own need to hide herself in Jesus and to be like a little child within His arms and Heart. "In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift. . . . It is my delight fo fix my gaze upon You. . . . My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, [within her soul], and there I am at home." (Diary, 343)

And Saint Padre Pio wants you, too, to seek tranquillity and peace within this hiding place, which is your soul, and which is God's dwelling place. "Often place yourself in the presence of God, and offer Him all your actions and suffering," says Saint Pio to you, my dear friend. "God speaks and is present to the soul who listens, understands, loves, and trembles. . . . In conclusion, rest assured and be happy because God is pleased with you and finds His peaceful dwelling place within you." (Letters, Volume 3, pages 928, 627, 550)

Today, and every day, my dear friend, seek shelter within your own soul where you will find God waiting for you, loving you, protecting you, guiding you, asking only that you accept and enjoy His loving and merciful Presence.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." (Romans 16:20)

In the Hollow of His Hand

According to Saint Faustina, who many times saw Christ appear to her as The Divine Mercy (see my book Praying with Faustina from The Word Among Us Press), the Lord carries us "in the hollow of His hand," (see St. Faustina's Diary, page 456), so we--even though we are sinners--can put all our trust in Him and He will take care of us. In fact, Jesus said to Saint Faustina, "I am Love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted--it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it." (Diary, page 459)

Yes, it is true that God takes care of the soul that trust in His mercy. So trust in Him, my friend, no matter what trials and sicknesses and hardships afflict you. He will indeed take care of you.

But then you say to me that you have put your trust in God and still your troubles and trials and sicknesses persist. Well, then let's see what Saint Padre Pio says: "Take heart, my dear child, and do not fear because Jesus is with you and what you are bearing is a loving trial from His paternal Heart." (see Padre Pio's Letters, Volume 3, page 219; you could also see my many published books about Saint Padre Pio at Our Sunday Visitor, The Word Among Us Press, and Pauline Books & Media)

A loving trial from His paternal Heart? So if God is allowing your distressing situation to persist, in spite of all your efforts to solve any troubles in your life, just take a deep breath and rest in His loving Heart and hands. After all, what Saint Faustina said about herself also applies to you and to your loved ones too: ". . . the Lord Himself is carrying me in the hollow of His hand. He, Lord of unfathomable mercy. . . ." (Saint Faustina's Diary, page 456)

He is Mercy and Love. Yes. "Therefore," says Saint Padre Pio to you, my dear friend, "live tranquilly. You must not be anxious, however long this evil lasts." (Padre Pio's Letters, Volume 3, p. 714)

Amen!

So You Think You Are Unworthy?

So, my friend, you think you are unworthy of God's love and help? You're wrong. Saint Faustina of the Divine Mercy said that those of us--myself included--who are the greatest sinners, the weakest of the weak, actually deserve God's mercy more than the others. Yes, it's true. Jesus delights in giving us His love and mercy. God is Love and Mercy, so never fear, and never hesitate to run to Him with all your sorrows and problems and mistakes.

Saint Padre Pio, too, encouraged everyone, especially the greatest of sinners, to run to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness and love. John McCaffery personally knew Padre Pio before the Padre died, and in John's book he says, "The fact that I write a book about Padre Pio is no guarantee of any worthiness of my own. On the contrary, the fact that such a person as myself [a weak sinner] writes such a book is but one more proof that Padre Pio, like his Master Jesus, came not just for the naturally good, but also and especially for the black sheep of the flock." (The Friar of San Giovanni: Tales of padre Pio)

From my own personal experience, I can totally agree with John's words above. I have written and published ten books, most of them about Saint Padre Pio and one about Saint Faustina, and I can tell you that God chooses the weakest to do His work because He knows we won't take credit for it. He knows that we know that we are the weakest of the weak and the most miserable of sinners. We know that anything good we do is done by God through us. On our own, as Saint Padre Pio said, we can only sin. We are in most need of God's constant mercy and love. What about you, my friend? Do you need God's mercy and love? Here are more encouraging words from John McCaffery, Padre Pio's personal friend and biographer:

"Like the church, Saint Padre Pio was and is there chiefly for those who need help and guidance, rather than for those who don't. And in order to help, Padre Pio had to be close to us, to be able to fully understand us and our difficulties."

In response to John's words you say, "But Saint Padre Pio is dead. How can he help me?"

Saint Padre Pio is not dead; he is alive in Heaven where his spirit can travel freely to help you whenever you call upon him to intercede for you with Jesus. As John says, ". . . Padre Pio is generous, compassionate, understanding, humorous, definitely one of us," so don't hesitate to ask for his help. "On earth, he was no dweller in an ivory tower, neither is he remotely inaccessible now that he is in Heaven. Today, as then, he is sympathetically aware of our limitations, our needs, and our weak-willed aspirations.

"Despite Saint Padre Pio's great gifts and powers, and remembering them, let us think of him as being here alongside each of us to help us in our trials and difficulties. If you truly desire it, that is exactly where you will find him." (The Friar of San Giovanni, page 139)

Yes, Saint Padre Pio is right there alongside you, my friend, so don't wait to ask him for his help. Have a great day!

The Secret to Having Your Prayers Answered

You are experiencing trouble today, my friend? As ludicrous as it might seem, during trial Saint Paul recommends we rejoice. Yes, rejoice because Jesus is on your side and all will work out for your best, as God promises in Scripture.

"Yes, and I will continue to rejoice," says Saint Paul, "for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance." (Philippians 1:18-19)

"Your prayers." Ahh, there is the secret I mentioned in the title of today's letter to you, my friend. Yes, your prayers are powerful. They can actually "oblige" God, as Saint Padre Pio says below, to answer those prayers. But according to Padre Pio, your prayers must be humble; you must accompany them with sorrow for your sins; and you must be confident as you pray, trusting that God will hear and answer your cries of the soul and heart. And He will! In the meantime, Saint Padre Pio, like Saint Paul, recommends you rejoice when you are afflicted. These two great Saints know the rewards of suffering, and yes, there are rewards for you, believe it or not. So now gather comfort and strength from St. Padre Pio's words to you:

"Never fear the snares of Evil because," says Saint Padre Pio to you, "for even though your trials may be harsh, they will never succeed in displacing a soul who keeps attached to the Cross. Be vigilant and fortify yourself more and more with prayer and the beautiful virtue of humility. You will find that you will not be submerged in the stormy sea. May the little ship of your spirit have a strong anchor of trust in Divine Goodness and keep before the eyes of your soul God's promise in Scripture: 'Whoever confides in Him will not be confused,' and 'He opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble' and you should 'watch and pray that you might not enter into temptation.'

"So when you feel oppressed by temptation," continues St. Padre Pio to you, "the means to oblige God to come to your aid is through humility of spirit, contrition of heart, and confident prayer. It is impossible for God to be displeased with this demonstration; impossible for Him not to come to your aid and give in. It is true that God's power triumphs over everything; but humble and suffering prayer triumphs over God Himself!" (Saint Padre Pio's Letters, Volume 3, page 97)

May God richly bless you, my friend!

Eileen

P.S. For further consolation and encouragement, you might read the Book of Psalms and make the author's pleas and cries and complaints to God your own, allowing all the pent-up misery in your heart and soul to pour out so that Jesus might heal you. Today, especially, Saint Padre Pio's words above echo for you Psalms 51:17: "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Pray and Ask 'Big'

Today I thought you might find inspiration and hope from a true story I found in The Friar of San Giovanni by John McCaffery. John personally knew Saint Padre Pio and wrote this book in 1978, ten years after Padre Pio's death and entrance into Heaven where he intercedes for you to Jesus. John knew Padre Pio before he was canonized, of course, but even then, John and the thousands of other souls who visited Padre Pio knew already that he was a Saint. After all, Jesus used the Padre every day to heal the sick in mind and body; to bi-locate (be in two places at one time) to help anyone in need; to read souls (tell them how they needed to change their lives); and to perform other miraculous works for the salvation of souls. Saint Pio also bore the five bleeding wounds of Christ for fifty years, and those wounds--and Padre Pio's constant suffering--convinced them that Jesus was somehow trying to speak to them and help them through this humble friar in a remote monastery in San Giovanni, Italy.

And Saint Padre Pio, by God's grace, will help you too. Just ask him!

But now, the true story I promised you from John McCaffery's book:

"Let me tell of the man from Lecco," wrote John. "He was sitting in my office looking at me with two perfectly ordinary-looking eyes. The truly extraordinary thing about them was that, until some months previously, they had been like dried, shrivelled peas in his head, and he had been totally blind.

"I had never met him before," continued John, "but had learned every detail of his case from Gino Ghisleri, who had been present when the blind man had knelt and begged Padre Pio to restore his sight, 'even if only in one eye,' that the blind man from Lecco might again see the faces of his dear ones. Padre Pio repeatedly asked him, 'Only one eye?' 'Only one eye?' 'Only one eye?' And then Padre Pio told him to be of good heart and that the Padre would pray for him.

"Gino Ghisleri said that this had been one of the most moving spectacles he had witnessed in San Giovanni," wrote John, "but that it had been completely outshone some weeks later when the blind man returned with his sight restored and his two eyes of completely normal appearance. He had been at the monastery in San Giovanni again when the man from Lecco once more knelt, this time with tears of happiness, to thank Padre Pio, his benefactor.

John continued, "Padre Pio said to the man from Lecco, 'So, you are now seeing normally again?' 'Yes,' replied the man, 'from this eye here, not from the other.' 'Ah!' said Padre Pio, 'only from one eye? Let that be a lesson to you. Never put limitations on God. Always ask for the big grace!'" (pp. 70-71, The Friar of San Giovanni)

Now, my dear friend, are you putting "limitations on God"? He will do more for you than you can ask or imagine, so go ahead and ask--and ask "big," as Saint Padre Pio recommends.

May God richly bless you, my friend!

Allow Your Difficulties Today Draw You Closer to God

Perhaps your difficulties today are permitted by God to draw you closer to Him. Like the man in the following true story, told by Father Alessio Parente, good friend and bodyguard of Saint Padre Pio during the Saint's last years, perhaps God is speaking to you through your troubles, trying to help you to lean on Him, to trust Him, to allow Him to lead you out of the darkness and fatigue, the strain and the sadness.

According to Father Alessio, with whom I corresponded, here is a true story about a married man with a sick child: "We had four children," said the man, "and I was shocked when my wife told me she was expecting our fifth. I didn't want the baby and was angry at God. I hadn't been faithful to my religion or my God, and this unwanted child just made my faith even weaker. However on August 4th my wife gave birth to our son. It took only days to realize something was wrong with him. The doctors discovered his kidneys were not functioning. One of his kidneys was simply 'mush,' as the doctor described it.

"Our baby lay in a little room of his own in the hospital," continued the man. "He was just a skeleton with sunken eyes, and I knew that death was near. Each morning we were at his bedside and, although everyone was kind, the nurse sister and the doctors told us it was just a matter of time. We should take him home to die.

"I broke down," admitted the man, "and hurried to confession. Afterward, I remembered hearing of Padre Pio, but I knew nothing about him. I saw a book about him in a book store and purchased it. I read it from cover to cover.

"It was September 20th," said the man, "when we took Stephen home from the hospital. He ate nothing, drank nothing, and grew weaker with eyes sunk and staring. We had him home two weeks and we saw the end was imminent. We could not watch our wee boy die. We hurried to the hospital with him. They took him and phoned that night to say that it would probably be all over by morning.

"I prayed and prayed to Our Blessed Lady and Saint Padre Pio, asking them to intercede on behalf of my little son, asking Jesus God to heal our little Stephen. I swore I would never leave my faith again if this grace were given to me. I cut a picture from the Padre Pio book and slipped it under Stephen's pillow the next day. He hadn't died that night. Each day he lingered and I prayed. Day after day.

"One night I woke up. It was dark outside. Our bedroom was saturated with the perfume of roses. My first thought was that my wife had brought flowers into the bedroom. But she hadn't. The aroma was overpowering. And then I remembered reading that such a phenomenon meant that the Saint Padre Pio had heard your petition and was telling you that God had granted your request. I put my head on the pillow again, knowing the aroma was a message.

"The next day," said the man, "I got a call from my wife at my office. She'd just been on the phone with the hospital. They had noticed an improvement in Stephen's blood. Days turned to weeks. His blood kept slowly improving. The kidney tissues were working. The doctors were amazed. They still are amazed. Stephen is six years old next Saturday. He is a joy in our life. A wonderful wee boy who plays at being a priest. He is my pride and joy. We took him to Lourdes as a thank-you. But we know that Saint Padre Pio and Our Lady interceded for us and obtained from Jesus the healing of our little son.

"I've never faltered in my faith since the healing, and I keep up with my duties, and I'm all the happier for it," said the man. "Who knows; perhaps Stephen was sent just for that purpose, to melt my hardened heart and draw me back to Jesus and the Church." (from Padre Pio, Our Good Samaritan, by Father Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin, my friend and surely a Saint right along with Padre Pio)

Roads to Saint Padre Pio for You

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You know, dear friend, how I am always encouraging you to take your problems and concerns and worries and troubles to Saint Padre Pio? I hope you're doing that. Of course, he does not have any power to help you that is not first given to him by God Himself. But God does work through His Saints. After all, Jesus came to us through a Saint--the Queen of Saints, Our Lady, His Mother. Why wouldn't He come to us today through His Saints? I know that people ask you to pray for them, don't they? Of course. And you do. And God hears your prayers and answers them because He loves you with an unfathomable love. God is Love. God is Mercy.

To back up what I've said about your taking your concerns to Saint Padre Pio and asking him to intercede for you with God, here is a story told by Clarice Bruno, author of Roads to Padre Pio. Clarice was a friend of Padre Pio and visited him often in his San Giovanni Rotondo monastery in Italy; she published her book before Saint Padre Pio died. But before I give you Clarice Bruno's story below, let me explain to you that it concerns a married couple who owned and ran a small restaurant in San Giovanni Rotondo where St. Pio lived. The couple was busy from morning until night, cooking for and feeding the thousands of pilgrims who traveled from all over the world, every day of the year, to visit Padre Pio and ask him for his blessings and prayers. (In that day, there were only two restaurants and not hotels or motels in all of San Giovanni to serve the thousands of pilgrims; today there are hundreds of restaurants and hotels in the area.) One day Clarice was sitting in one of those two restaurants, and here is her story about that day:

"When the long morning activities drew to an end and the noon hour approached," wrote Clarice, "we were on our way to a very-much-needed lunch. The restaurant down the road toward which we hurried with hope in our hearts each day . . . was run by Mario, the Egyptian, an enormously fat individual with a great head of hair worn pompadour fashion, and his very pretty Hungarian wife, an ex-dancer whom he had met in Egypt. I shall never know how or why they ever ended up at, or discovered, San Giovanni Rotondo, for even though we became very friendly throughout the years, strangely enough this subject was never touched upon. . . . .

"The restaurant's floor," continued Clarice, "consisted of the good earth under our feet, and the walls were wooden boards [that had big gaps in them, which let the harsh weather enter]. t was certainly not windproof nor coldproof. . . . Incorporated in the restaurant was an old well with chain and bucket which formed the constant center of movement and activity--one person coming to draw drinking water, another to fill the nearby basin to rinse off his hands, after which the residue would simply be emptied upon the handy, absorbent floor.

"As we would sit huddled," wrote Clarice, "with our feet lifted from the ground on the rung of our wooden chairs, I could not help remembering certain old movies of my childhood depicting the 'gold rush' days in Alaska. I had seen cabin scenes such as this in them--without the well, of course! We almost always ate at Mario's at noon when we were visiting Padre Pio. . . . From the ceiling hung a single electric light bulb on a wire, but the true warmth and cheer came from Mario who moved his huge, bulky form from table to table to take everyone's order, help serve, and converse. Mario had a gentleman’s charm. He seemed to rise with complete nonchalance above any and all surroundings. . . . The same can be said of his pretty wife with her interesting foreign accent. . . . Even when they were down on their luck [which happened a lot] and she would emerge, tired from frying fish and washing dishes in the little-more-than-three-foot kitchen, there would always be something about her of a flower-like beauty. . . . There was something exotic about both of them. I remember once, during one of their 'down days,' her telling me of going to confession to Padre Pio and confiding to him, besides her discouragement and fatigue, her worries about her four-year-old son and her not having time to take care of him or watch over him sufficiently with all the other chores she had to attend to. Padre Pio said to her, consolingly, 'Don't worry; I will watch over the child for you. I will protect him.' [One of Saint Padre Pio’s many spiritual gifts from God—in addition to the five bleeding wounds of Christ which Padre bore for fifty long years—was the gift of bilocation, the ability to be in more than one place at the same time. He often bilocated, and hundreds of those occasions are documented by reliable sources.]

"Not many days afterwards," continued Clarice, "the pretty young mother heard terrified screams emerge from the road above her restaurant, and people scurrying as they do when there is an accident. She arrived on the scene in time to see, to her horror, her child being pulled out from under the huge truck that had passed over him. Her son appeared dusty, but fortunately none the worse for his experience. When a few days later she went again to Padre Pio and reprovingly reminded him of the promise he had made regarding the boy, Padre Pio calmly answered, 'And did anything happen to him? Was he hurt?' She answered him, 'No.' Then Padre Pio dryly said, 'Well, and so!'"

This story above—a solidly true one told by the author who spent many months throughout many years visiting St. Padre Pio—I hope will give you encouragement to speak with Saint Pio. Even though he is in Heaven, he can see and hear you, nevertheless. He often told people, "I will be able to do more for you from Heaven than I can while here on earth." So take your troubles to him, your worries, and leave them in his hands. He will take them to the Queen of Saints through whom God sent us Jesus, One in Being with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Mother of God will then intercede for you with her Divine Son. Amen. So be it.

I love you, dear friend, and so does God.

The Source of Your Peace and Joy

Just as Saint Padre Pio did, my dear friend, you, too, can find peace and joy in prayer, even if sometimes you experience a dryness, a spiritual "aridity," when you pray. During those "dry" times of prayer, it seems as if God is hiding from you, right? But He is not. He loves you with an unfathomable love and wants you to persevere in prayer, in spite of the aridity of your soul. He longs for you to speak to Him, to listen to Him, to just spend time in His loving Presence. In the Letters of Saint Padre Pio, Volume One, page 471, the Padre shares with you his secrets of prayer and how God will eventually lead you, too, out of your spiritual dryness:

"My usual manner of praying is this," says St. Padre Pio. "I no sooner begin to pray than my soul becomes enveloped in a peace and tranquiliity that words cannot describe. The senses become inactive, with the exception of my hearing, which is sometimes not inactive. Generally, however, this does not bother me in the least, and I must confess that even if a great deal of noise were to be made around me, it would not disturb me at all. From this, you will understand that I rarely succeed in using my mind in discursive prayer.

"It frequently happens," continues St. Padre Pio, "that at certain moments, when my mind wanders from the continual thought of God, who is always present to me, I suddenly feel the touch of our Lord in a most penetrating and sweet manner in the depths of my soul, so that, more often than not, I am obliged to shed tears of sorrow for my infidelity and to shed tears of love for such a good and attentive Father who calls me back to His Presence.

"At other times I experience, instead, a great aridity [dryness] of soul; I feel so oppressed by my many bodily ailments [he bore the five bleeding wounds--the stigmata--of Christ for fifty years] that I am incapable of pulling myself together to pray, no matter how much I want to. . . . When the heavenly Spouse of souls is pleased to put an end to this martyrdom, He suddenly sends me an irresistible spiritual fervor. In an instant, everything is changed, and I feel so enriched by supernatural grace and so full of strength that I am ready to defy the whole of Satan's kingdom.

"All I can say about this prayer," concludes St. Padre Pio, "is that my soul seems to be completely lost in God and that in those moments it gains more than it could in many years of intensive spiritual exercises."

Therefore, my dear friend, you, too, can become a Saint merely by spending time with God and allowing your soul, like Saint Padre Pio's, to be "completely lost in God," so that you, too, will "gain more than" your soul would be able to gain through "many years of intensive spiritual exercises."

Amen! So be it!

St. Padre Pio and Your Mental and Physical Health

Before he died, hundreds of times Saint Padre Pio told people that he would do more for them from Heaven, after he died, than while he was on earth. And on earth he did a lot for people--or I should say Jesus did a lot through Saint Padre Pio during the Padre's eighty-some years in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. Padre Pio had been given many spiritual gifts, including the gifts of bilocation (he could be in more than one place at a time), reading souls (he knew your sins before you could even confess them), healing, and even levitation. And of course, he bore the five wounds of Christ for fifty years. So my point is this, my dear friend, if you have a mental, emotional, physical, financial, or whatever problem, take it to Saint Padre Pio. He will do what he can for you, I'm sure, and will mightily intercede for you with Jesus. For a bit of encouragement for you in getting the courage to do such an act of faith, let me share this true story with you that comes from Father Alessio Parente's book, Padre Pio, Our Good Samariatan. (Father Alessio was a close friend and bodyguard of St. Pio during the Saint's last years, and I corresponded with Fr. Alessio, and I also consider him to be a Saint.)

Here is a true story related by Father Alessio, and he tells it using the words of the woman who experienced the miracle through Saint Padre Pio's intercession: "For over a year," said the woman, "I have suffered from bizarre seizures. Doctors have been unable to pinpoint the exact cause or cure. One of the manifestations of the illness is total insomnia brought on by cranial jolts, electrical shock waves, and visual flashes of white light, every time I begin to fall asleep. For months, nights on end, I would be kept awake by these shocks, not sleeping more than one hour in over ten days at one point. It was then that an aunt suggested I pray to Padre Pio for help. I prayed to Saint Padre Pio that night, in the name of God, and I haven't had a sleepless night since! Doctors were unable to treat me with sleeping pills because they made my seizures worse or disturbed my heart, but now, every night, before I even finish praying, I am already sleeping peacefully and I find that I have to finish my prayers in the morning!" (page 169 in Father Alessio's Padre Pio, Our Good Samaritan)

Now, my dear friend, I hope you will have courage to present your own troubles--and those of your loved ones--to Saint Padre Pio. He will intercede for you with Jesus. "With God, all things are possible."

Believe All Things are Possible with God

My friend, Father Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin, who was a companion and bodyguard of Saint Padre Pio during the Padre's final years, said in his book (Padre Pio, Our Good Samaritan):

"When praying for a grace, we must believe that nothing is impossible to the Lord. [With God, all things are possible, says Saint Matthew in Matthew 19:26.] This, in itself, is a wonderful act of faith; freely admitting that the good Lord is All-Powerful and that everything and everybody is subject to Him and to Him alone. So let us have faith that the Lord is ready to grant many graces, and we will see the results like Manna from Heaven. [See Revelations 2:17.]

"What a great grace it is to know and to love Padre Pio," continues Fr. Alessio, " to have his paternal protection and help at all times during our lives, and to learn from his teachings. He is like the light which brings us safely through the tunnel to the end of our earthly existence. For those of us who are particularly familiar with the life of our Good Samartan [St. Padre Pio], it is superfluous to say that his teachings and actions are to be meditated upon with great care and attention. It is a particular grace to become a spiritual child of his and to be assured of his paternal protection. However, this also carries with it a duty toward others; a duty to spread the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the reason for our hope [Christ] throughout the world. This is our responsibility.

"What exactly then," continues Fr. Alessio, "are the teachings of Padre Pio? They are precisely those of Jesus: That is, love for God and our neighbor; complete faith and trust in the Lord at all times; belief in His fatherly goodness and His desire for our well-being. . . . We must love our neighbor as ourself. How sad it is, nowadays, to see people going through life trying to out-do everybody else as far as they possibly can. Do they not realize that this is a thankless task and one that will only lead to unhappiness?

"The message of Jesus, on the contrary," continues Father Alessio, " is one that brings happiness and joy; it brings love for one's neighbor and the desire to help others. Whereas a life full of self-seeking brings only misery and despair.

"To further emphasize this point, we must abandon ourselves totally in the arms of the Lord, allowing Him to take full possession of ourselves and to do with us exactly as He wills. By doing this we can afford to live a life that is more tranquil than the one offered by the continual search for riches. We will be free of useless worry, secure in the thought that everything that might take place in our lives is in the hands of God. This total abandonment can only be obtained by continual prayer; it is something that we learn to do with time and practice, but something that brings with it such a sense of peacefulness, that our hearts are filled with happeness and joy." (pages 118-119 in Padre Pio, Our Good Samaritan, by Fr. Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin)

Today, you, my dear friend, can ask Saint Padre Pio to make you one of his spiritual children and to help you to abandon yourself in the arms of Jesus. He will do it because he loves you--and I do too.

Expect a Miracle

In his book, PADRE PIO, OUR GOOD SAMARITAN, Father Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin, with whom I corresponded, and who was one of the dearest friends and "bodyguards" of Saint Padre Pio while our Saint was still living on this earth, related this personal testimony given to Fr. Alessio by a man who thought God had given up on him:

"Through the intercession of Padre Pio my whole life changed, bringing me closer to God and Our Blessed Mother. I was baptized into the Catholic Church and attended Catholic schools, but if anything went wrong, I'd be sure to blame God. It seemed like everything was going wrong in my home, and my health had deteriorated. I continued to go to church, but seldom went to confession or received the Precious Body and Blood of Our Savior. Finally, the last Sunday I went to Mass I sat in the last seat and told God, 'I don't belong here; You hate me and only help Your favorites.'

"Everything continued going downhill, including my health, and I told God how much I hated Him. . . . I threw away holy pictures, medals, and rosaries. This continued for more than seven years. Almost a year before Padre Pio died, a lady mentioned to me about him, and she said she was going to write him and ask for help. She told me to write too. I said I would, just to prove Padre Pio was like God--he only helped his favorites. In my letter to Padre Pio, I asked for financial help for myself and for the return to God of my family, who had also fallen away.

"An answer came back with a blessing that Padre Pio was sending, and to tell me to have complete faith in God. I threw the letter away. During this time I was heading for a complete nervous breakdown. Nothing changed; my problems were too big and too many to carry any longer. I continued to tell God I hated Him, and with only a few hours of sleep each night, I had plenty of time to tell God I hated Him!

"The letter I sent to Padre Pio was mailed out the last of March. In April, around the ninth, I was watching a TV program about a man who was murdered. This was a true story, and since I had the hate of hell in me, I said, 'Good! I hope a lot more get murdered because God doesn't care.' Then I smelled a strong, sweet, pleasant odor, but looking around I couldn't find a source for it. I looked out the windows to see who was around, but no one was. In fact, a thunderstorm was going on outside. I was cold, and all my windows and doors were closed. Then I said, 'Padre Pio!' You see, I remembered people telling me that when Padre Pio heard people's prayers and interceded with Jesus for them, Padre Pio might then give them a special sign by allowing them to smell a pleasant sweet odor. 'Padre Pio!' I exclaimed, and I started to cry. But these were happy tears. Sunday I wanted to go to Mass. I called some of my family and told them what had happened. They just thought I was finally having a breakdown.

"I went to Confession that Saturday and the priest spent half an hour with me, giving me a complete overhaul, and I walked out of confession and went to the front of the church and cried until I had no more tears left.

"One more thing was missing before I could feel right. That was to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, which I did. I also sent for all the books I could get on the life of Padre Pio. He died five months after I returned to God, but I learned to pray to Padre Pio, asking him to continue to intercede for me with Jesus. I worried that with Padre Pio dead, I'd fall away from God again, but in one book I read it said that Padre Pio said he does not do a half-job, so I knew he wouldn't let me fall back into my old ways.

"Now, throughout the day and even when I wake during the night, I praise God and thank Him. I now live for God and with God, and always in my daily life I thank God and Saint Padre Pio. I thank God for His sufferings; I thank Padre Pio for bringing me closer to God and my precious Mother Mary. I never want any other kind of life, only a life with my Savior Jesus Christ." (Fr. Alessio Parente's book, pages 93-96)

Saint Padre Pio said that he could do more for you, too, my dear friend, after he died. So if you, (or someone you know), are like the man in the true story above, just call on Saint Padre Pio and ask him to help you. He will take your concerns to Jesus. Now, expect a miracle!

Take Your Troubles to Saint Padre Pio and He Will Take Them to Jesus for You

Take your troubles to Saint Padre Pio, and he will take them to Jesus for you.

"A good lady from the village of San Giovanni Rotondo [in Italy where St. Padre Pio lived on a mountain in a Capuchin monastery] had a husband who was ill. So she went to the monastery. The only trouble was, how could she see Padre Pio? [Millions of people from all over the world flocked to San Giovanni during Pio's life to see him, to receive his blessing, to confess to him, to receive a miracle from God through St. Padre Pio.] In order to see him in the confessional, it was necessary to wait your turn; at least three days! During the Mass the poor lady was agitated. She went from right to left and left to right, crying and telling Our Lady of Grace of her great suffering; asking through the intercession of Our Lady's faithful servant Padre Pio for her husband's cure. She did this also during other people's confessions while she awaited her turn.

"Finally she succeeded in slipping into the famous corridor where you can catch a glimpse of Padre Pio. As soon as he saw her, he looked at her severely and said, 'Woman of little faith; when will you stop bombarding my head and buzzing into my ear? [He had the gift of reading minds and hearts, and often people's guardian angels would deliver the people's prayers and messages to him for the people, as must have happened in the case of this woman.] Do you think I'm deaf? You have already told me your problem five times: to the right, to the left, from in front and from behind. I understood! I understood!' And then with a smile he added, 'Go home quickly, everything is fine.' And in reality, her husband had recovered!

"In this cheerful incident, Padre Pio simply wished to teach the good lady a lesson that she would not forget for the rest of her life. And that lesson was that her prayers are always heard. I hope each one of us will remember this little incident when we have any doubts at all in this regard, about our own prayers being heard."

(Pages 157-158 in Father Alessio Parente's PADRE PIO, OUR GOOD SAMARITAN. Fr. Alessio was one of St. Pio's "bodyguards" and devoted friends during the Saint's last years. I consider Fr. Alessio to be a Saint too.)

You Cost Him Too Much That He Should Abandon You

I want to share with you just a short message today, my dear friend, because it is so essential for all of us, myself included. I often feel as if I am so weak and unholy that Jesus cannot possibly love me and save me. Do you ever feel that way? Sometimes I'm not even aware that I feel that way about myself, but then it will surface, and it can be quite discouraging, to say the least. Do you ever feel that way? Well, if and when you do, here is something to give you hope:

According to Father Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin, a close friend and "bodyguard" of Saint Padre Pio during our Padre's last years, "Once a poor sinner came to Padre Pio and said, 'Padre, I have sinned too much. I have no further hope.' But the good Padre replied, 'You cost Him too much that He should abandon you.' This doubt in the Lord, because of our sins, is a temptation which the devil is only too pleased to place in our hearts. We must reject this temptation with all our might, in the firm conviction that Jesus is our Father and, as such, will never leave us. He waits for His Prodigal Children to return to Him and is already preparing the Feast for all." (page 148 in Fr. Alessio Parente's book called Padre Pio, Our Good Samaritan)

Amen!

(Just a little note: I corresponded with Father Alessio Parente when I was seeking permission to quote Saint Padre Pio's words from his letters in the books I wrote. I consider Fr. Alessio to be a Saint, along with my dear friends Dorothy M. Gaudiose and Mary Pyle, who both worked for Saint Padre Pio during his lifetime. You, too, my dear friend, can be God's Saint! Never fear.)

Saint Padre Pio is Still Your Good Samaritan

Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist and miracle worker of the twentieth century, still is used in our own century by God to work miracles, to save souls, to bring peace and joy and healing to your life, my dear friend. While on earth, one of Padre Pio's assistants was Father Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin. Fr. Alessio acted as Padre Pio's "bodyguard," helper, and close friend when our Padre was in his late-70s and also in his final years, when he was so crippled with the constant pain and bleeding of the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ Crucified, which he had bore in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years. Fr. Alessio, with whom I corresponded, said:

"So close was Padre Pio to Jesus, that he obtained many, many graces from Him. And as a result of this, we, his spiritual children and devotees, have been showered with blessings. It cannot be denied that Padre Pio continues to intercede for his children still on earth because, as he himself said, 'I will do more for you when I am in Heaven.'

"However," continued Fr. Alessio, whom I personally consider to be a Saint, "our beloved Good Samaritan [that is what Fr. Alessio called St. Padre Pio] wants us to go beyond him; he wants us to remember that he is a docile instrument in the hands of Jesus. It is Jesus who performs miracles and grants graces. Padre Pio lifts us from the side of the road. As a good samaritan he pays the innkeeper the price of our recovery with his own suffering. And Jesus then takes care of us and sees that we are well spiritually and physically.

"Our Good Samaritan's whole life," said Fr. Alessio, "was devoted to bringing souls closer to Jesus. How often he would become extremely annoyed when people came to thank him for having granted them some grace or other. He often answered irritably, 'There is only one Jesus on earth!' or 'You do not know what you are saying!' Naturlly, he understood the goodwill of the people concerned, but he simply did not like them to forget the origin of all that is good: Jesus.

"So if we dearly love our beloved Padre Pio for interceding to the Lord for us," said Fr. Alessio, "how much more, then, must we love Jesus who actually grants us so many wonderful graces and blessings. And by the same token, how much will we love prayer, and particularly the rosary, which was recited by the venerable Padre throughout every day of his life." (from pages 24 and 25 in Padre Pio Our Good Samaritan, by Fr. Alessio Parente, OFM, Capuchin)

So, my dear friend, go to Saint Padre Pio today and ask him to intercede for you and for your loved ones and friends. He will be glad to do that for you. And if you happen to smell the scent of roses or lillies or violets shortly thereafter, it is Saint Padre Pio letting you know that he has heard your prayer and is at work on your behalf. When your prayers are answered your heart will be full of gratitude and love for Padre Pio, yes, but above all for Jesus.

Have a great day!

Saint Padre Pio and Saint Faustina of the Divine Mercy

Well, my dear friend, up until today I have shared with you only about my dearest Saint friend, Saint Padre Pio, because Jesus has done, and continues to do, so much for me through St. Pio. But since I have also researched the life of Saint Faustina of the Divine Mercy and written and published a book about her (publisher: The Word Among Us Press), and because she, too, has done and continues to do so much for me (by God's grace, of course), I would like to begin to share with you St. Faustina's words too. (I will also include words of St. Padre Pio each time, of course.)

St. Faustina was--and is--such a humble soul. She served the Lord in the most lowly positions as a nun in various convents in Poland at the beginning of the 20th Century. Jesus appeared to her many times as The Divine Mercy and told her to tell everyone--you included, my dear friend--that He is waiting to forgive each and every one of us, no matter what we have done. He wants to draw us close to His Divine Heart. He told St. Faustina to tell each of us that we should "snuggle" against His Heart where we would always find comfort and His "unfathomable" love. God IS Love and Mercy. Amen.

St. Padre Pio, too, spoke often of God's Mercy, and Saint Augustine said that mercy is the number-one characteristic of God. So take heart, my dear friend. There is Someone who loves you unconditionally. Just "snuggle" against His Divine Heart at all times. Now, here are some words of comfort for you from Saint Faustina:

"Today, the love of God is transporting me into the other world. I am all immersed in love; I love and feel that I am loved, and with full consciousness I experience this. My soul is drowning in the Lord, realising the great Majesty of God and my own littleness; but through this knowledge my happiness increases. . . . This awareness is so vivid in the soul, so powerful and, at the same time, so sweet." (Diary, page 538)

And here are some words of love from Saint Padre Pio too: "Dear God, how happy is the interior kingdom when this holy Love reigns within it! How blessed are the faculties of the soul when they obey so wise a King!" (Letters 3, page 506)

Allow yourself to be drawn into the Heart of Christ where you will find comfort and joy and peace, my dear friend.

Your Suffering will Lead to Joy

Your suffering is not in vain, my friend. Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist who bore the five bleeding wounds of Christ for fifty years, says to you:

"I know that you are suffering more spiritually than physically, that the latter is a reflection of the former, your moral suffering. I know that your physical suffering is caused by your moral suffering. I know, and out of holy love, I am pleased that your spirit is on Calvary, nailed to the Cross of Jesus amidst the darkness and suffering. But do not fear. After having been nailed to the Cross with Jesus, and after having descended from the Cross, you will see the unfailing Light, and from Calvary you will go on to joy.

"Meanwhile," continues St. Padre Pio to you, "always pronounce the fiat [the yes] of trusting resignation, and take advantage of this period of divine testing for your greater sanctification and the salvation of souls, for whom Abraham immolated himself. Therefore, don't forget the reassurances of he who speaks to you in the name of God. Believe and hope. With faith and hope you will arm yourself in order to sustain the struggle in which the Heavenly Father's goodness has involved you. With faith and hope, you will not be without the sweet nectar of love which unites you more and more to the Supreme Good." (Letters 3, page327)

God bless you richly, my friend!

Your Suffering, Divine Fire, and Saint Padre Pio

Saint Padre Pio usually made his daily mediations before the Tabernacle in the church in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, at the Franciscan monastery where he lived. There he communicated with his Lord, offering Him praise, thanksgiving, and pleading for the needs of all the souls who came to Padre Pio for his prayers. From Heaven, St. Pio pleads for you, too, in your needs, my friend.

St. Pio bore the bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years in his hands, feet, and side, and these caused him continual pain, and yet he was actually grateful for all of it because he believed his sufferings, when offered up to God, united with Jesus on the Cross, would be used by God to save souls. He truly believed what Saint Paul says in Colossians 1:24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church."

Perhaps, my dear friend, you could claim that Scripture for yourself, in your own sufferings? Yes! You can offer up your own afflictions to God, united with Jesus on the Cross, as did Saint Padre Pio, and God will use your offerings to save souls.

You might join your prayers with those of Saint Padre Pio as he kneels before the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. (Before he died he said that if you want to find him after his death, you would find him kneeling before Jesus in the Tabernacle in the Church.) Saint Padre Pio said: "My heart feels drawn by a higher power before being united with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. . . . At the moment that I am in possession of this greatest Good, then yes, the plenitude of sweetness is truly so great that I almost say to Jesus, 'Enough! I cannot stand anymore.' I forget that I am even in this owrld. The mind and heart desire nothing more. I sometimes ask myself if there are souls that do not feel their chest burn with divine fire, especially at the moment that they find themselves before Him in the Blessed Sacrament." (from The Life of Padre Pio by Gennaro Preziuso, page 181)

Run to Jesus, my dear friend, in the Blessed Sacrament, and there you will not only find Saint Padre Pio and all the holy angels and saints--in spirit--but you will also find The Answer to your every need and suffering.

Be Healed

So many hundreds of people visited St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni, Italy, during the eighty years he lived on earth. They sought his prayers and his comforting words. God had given St. Pio the five bleeding wounds of Christ, the stigmata, which he bore for fifty long years in his hands, feet, and side. He was in constant pain. For example, the wounds in his feet caused him intense pain when he walked.

Many people knew St. Padre Pio well, and one of those people was Oscar DeLiso who wrote a book entitled "Padre Pio: The Priest Who Bore the Wounds of Christ." (1960, McGraw Hill Book Company, Inc.) In his book, beginning on page 142, Oscar describes how a wounded war veteran traveled all the way up the mountain to St. Padre Pio's monastery to attend his Mass and to ask for his blessing. Among Padre Pio's many gifts from God was the gift of healing, so the war veteran hoped that Jesus would heal him through St. Pio. Here is how Oscar describes this true story:

"In the winter of 1936, soldiers were still returning from Africa, where all military operations had stopped months before. One day, a veteran on crutches, made his way up the graveled road. For three days in the harsh December cold, he sat in front of the door of [Padre Pio's church] Saint Mary of the Graces. He would leave the clearing only for his meals. For the whole three days, he showed the people coming and going a gash in his knee. His face was bathed in tears. His own wounds were not the only reason for his sorrow. In 1936, the civil war in Spain had just begun, and his brother had gone there to fight with the Nationalists. When he himself had returned from Ethiopia, with his painful, crippling wound, his spirit had been crushed by the news that his brother was reported missing. After his three days of crouching on the church steps in prayer and weeping, he finally steeled himself to go to Padre Pio. The compassionate people moved aside to let him enter the church before his turn. He knelt before Padre Pio as best he could with only one good leg, and Padre Pio motioned to the crowd to give space to the crippled soldier. Then Padre Pio lowered his head toward the man.

"Throw away your crutches!" St. Padre Pio told him.

"Padre Pio, I cannot. I need them to kneel, to get up. I cannot walk without my crutches."

"Open your hands and let the crutches go. Drop them!"

In the silence of the church the veteran's breathing sounded unnaturally loud. "Padre Pio, I am afraid. I will fall."

Severely, Padre Pio said, "Stand up."

The war veteran tried to keep all his weight on his good leg. Still gripping the crutches, he tentatively touched the floor with the crippled leg. Then suddenly he opened both hands and let his crutches go, standing on his two feet as the crutches crashed to the floor. He took a few steps. Then he cried aloud with joy. He could walk, run, leap, his leg was cured. The gasp that rose from the crowd quivered the windowpanes in the church. Padre Pio was already walking away, slightly wavering on his feet, [from the pain of the bleeding wounds of Christ], as always, toward the sacristy, behind the altar."

Why have I shared this true story with you, my dear friend? Because St. Padre Pio is still alive; he's in Heaven with Jesus, and he is ready to intercede for you with Jesus. Just ask St. Padre Pio to help you, and he will.

God bless you, my dear friend.

Your Heavenly Tutor

Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist of the twentieth century, who bore the five bleeding wounds of Christ for fifty years, calls Jesus your "Heavenly Tutor." Doesn't that make you smile? Your Heavenly Tutor. Here is what St. Pio says to you today about your Tutor:

"How fortunate you are to be held so tightly to your Heavenly tutor! You need do no more than what you are doing at present; that is to love Divine Providence and abandon yourself in His arms and Heart." (Letters, Volume 3, page 425)

Today, and every day, may the blessings of God--through the intercession of Saint Padre Pio--bring you comfort and peace and joy: "May Jesus, the only Heart of our hearts, bless you with His holy Love. Live entirely, as you already do, in this heavenly Love." (Letters, Volume 3, page. 428)

In Your Darkest Hours

In your darkest moments, take encouragement from Saint Padre Pio, the great stigmatist and healer. He, too, suffered dark moments, dark days, dark years. Always he turned to Jesus, and even when Jesus seemed to be "hiding," St. Pio knew He was there and he received the healing balm that only Christ can give. Here are St. Pio's words to his "superior" at the monastery in San Giovanni, Italy, during some dark times. Hopefully St. Padre Pio's words will comfort you and let you know you are not--you are never--alone:

"Ah, my dear Father, for the love of Heaven don't leave at its own mercy a life that is petering out in the thickest darkness of night, deprived of every least glimmer of light! I feel I am about to die of the torment I experience in the deepest recesses of my soul.

"Alas, what a sharp thorn there is in the depths of my soul, which makes me suffer agonies of love day and night! What acute pain I suffer in hands and feet and heart! [In addition to spiritual sufferings, Padre Pio also bore in his body the bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years in his hands, feet, side, and heart.] . . .
"In the midst of this torment I find the strength to utter a painful 'Fiat.' ['So be it, Lord.'] Oh, how sweet and yet how bitter is this, 'May Thy will be done.' It cuts and heals, it wounds and cures, it deals death and at the same time gives life. O sweet torments, why are you so unbearable and so lovable simultaneously?"

St. Padre Pio found his physical and spiritual sufferings to be sweet and bitter at the same time because he knew that in his suffering he felt at one with the Crucified Christ whom he followed. St. Pio asked Jesus to let him join Him spiritually on the Cross. St. Pio offer himself, united with Jesus on the Cross, as a victim for the salvation of souls. You, my dear friend, can take your own sufferings, no matter what form they take, and offer them to Jesus. Unite yourself with Him on the Cross and He will use you to help Him save souls. You are beautiful, my dear friend; you are loved; you are never alone, even in your darkest, most painful moments.

"Possessing Him within me," said St. Padre Pio, "I am impelled to say with the spouse of the Sacred Song [Song of Solomon in the Old Testament], 'I found Him whom my soul loves; I held Him and would not let Him go.'" Not only can you, too, my friend, find Jesus within your soul; you can find Him constantly surrounding you with His unfathomable love.

(I've taken St. Padre Pio's words today from Letters, Volume 1, pages 1227, 1228, 1239)

So Your Efforts Didn't Turn Out Perfectly--So?

Saint Pio continues to love and to pray for and to help his "spiritual children." You, my dear friend, are a "spiritual child" of God, so that makes you a spiritual child of Saint Padre Pio, too, since he works for Jesus, even now from Heaven. St. Pio always said he would do more for you after he reached Heaven than he could on earth, so always feel free to ask him to intercede for you with Jesus. He will be so kind and good, as always, and he will help you.

Saint Padre Pio had a way of sharing his very heart and soul with his spiritual children. For example, here he says to you, his spiritual child, "You must not be discouraged or let yourself become dejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly as you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay, and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine Assistance. To be worried because something we have done has not turned out in accordance with our pure intention shows a lack of humility. . . . Rejoice in the Lord, even though you feel oppressed by many sufferings. Rejoice, for Jesus is with you. . . ." Amen, dear friend!

(St. Padre Pio Letters, Volume 2, pages 290 and 303)

How to Obtain Favors from Heaven

So, my dear friend, you've been needing a favor from God but your prayers seem unanswered. Saint Padre Pio has a bit of encouragement here for you:

"Always give most fervent thanks to God through Jesus Christ. By so doing, you will prepare yourself very well to receive other favors from Heaven. On the other hand, whoever does not appreciate the favors he has already received is very naturally unworthy of further favors."

But, my dear friend, you say you are worried that someone or something will snatch those favors from your grasp before you even take hold of them? Saint Padre Pio continues: "Pray constantly and you will thus win the victory over your enemies. Humble yourself beneath the powerful hand of the Heavenly Physician and thu, when the heavenly nuptials are celebrated [when you arrive in Heaven], Jesus will have you sit in the first place at thebanquet table, for God has promised that whever humbles himself will be exalted." (Letters 2, page 519)

Rest Beneath the Cross of Christ

Saint Padre Pio would have you rest in the "Heart of our Divine Master." And don't worry about being rejected by Our Lord, no matter how miserable, sinful, unworthy, worried, or distressed you feel. Those are all just feelings, nothing more. In fact, take Saint Pio's advice when he says to you, "The Heart of our Divine Master has no law more lovable than that of sweetness, humility, and charity. Do you know what the shepherds do in Arabia when they hear thunder and see the air filled with lightning? They retire with their flocks under the laural bushes. Now, let us do the same: When we see that persecutions and contradictions give us a forewarning of some great displeasure, we must retire with great confidence under the cross of Our Lord, along with our affections, because all will work out to the benefit of those who try to love God. Take heart," continues St. Padre Pio to you, "and keep your heart well recollected. Be very wary of anxiety. Often place your trust in Divine Providence and be sure that heaven and earth will pass away before the Lord will fail to protect you." (Letters 3, page 609)

The Healing Physician for You

Saint Padre Pio had the gift of healing. God healed people through him--and God still does do that through our Padre. If you have a need for any kind of healing--whether mental, physical, or whatever--ask St. Padre Pio to intercede for you with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Padre Pio will do that for you. He always told people to send him their requests via their holy guardian angel, and you have your own holy guardian angel, so why don't you today ask your sweet and faithful angel to take your message to St. Pio and to ask our dear Padre to do whatever he can to help you? My good friend Dorothy Gaudiose, who worked for Padre Pio for three years in Italy (she is now in Heaven), quoted the Padre's words in her book, Prophet of the People, and I'd like to share those words with you now:

"Love is the realization and communication of the superabundant life which Christ declared He had come to give us," said St. Pio. "Let us listen to that Voice: 'As the Father has loved Me, so also have I loved you; continue then in My love.' To His activity as Divine Teacher, Our Lord added that of a healing physician. Having died once, He reigns, the Author of Life for evermore." (Prophet of the People, page 180)

So, my dear friend, please ask your holy guardian angel to take your needs to Saint Padre Pio and to ask our Padre to do whatever he can for you by presenting your needs directly to Jesus, Our Lord, Our Divine Teacher, Our Healing Physican.

Amen.

Remember

After the holidays I will share more of Saint Padre Pio's words with you, but for now, remember what he always said, "Pray, hope, and don't worry." Amen

Heavenly Homeland

You are hoping to reach the Heavenly Homeland, and when you do, you will finally rest in Jesus' Sacred Heart. Saint Padre Pio speaks of this future of yours when he says this to you: "May Jesus continue to possess your heart, as you will one day possess His in the Heavenly Homeland."

But if you fear you will not reach that Heavenly Homeland, take encouragement from what Padre Pio says next: "You must not fear at all, because God, who is always faithful to His promises, will not permit you to be oppressed." St. Padre Pio is basing that claim for you on God's own Word in 1 Corinthians 10:13, where the Holy Spirit says that if you put your faith in God, He will not allow you to be tempted "beyond that which you are able to bear, but with the temptation will also provide a way to escape so that you may be able to bear the temptation." (I've paraphrased that.)

But in reply, you say to me, "Oh, but I'm so weak and so often tempted to sin." Well, St. Padre Pio assures you in the next few sentences: "Once again I assure you that your soul is pleasing to God. You are not sinning in the trials which you are experiencing, do you understand? Therefore, you must not have any fear at all in this regard." (Letters 3, pp. 878-879)

You Are On Your Way to Holiness

Saint Padre Pio is so positive about your becoming and staying holy, my dear friend. He opens one of his letters with, "May Our Lord be always with you and make you holy." That is Saint Pio's hope for you, and he continues with his wish that "Our Beloved Redeemer" will always "keep you in His holy grace and invariably treat you as a chosen child."

You'll hopefully smile as you read what Saint Padre Pio continues with in that letter: "Well, then, Jesus wants to toss and shake you, to thresh you like wheat in order that your spirit may be cleansed and purified as He wishes. Could grain be stored in the barn if it were not free from all husk or chaff? Could linen be stored in the owner's cupboard if it had not first been made quite spotless? So, too, must it be with the chosen soul."

And you, my dear friend, ARE a "chosen soul," so take heart. When your daily life hands you little unpleasantries; the never-ending repetition of daily drugeries; and the frequent annoyances from friends, family, others, and even from your own body, you can look up at Jesus and smile and say, "Okay, Lord, you're jiggling me a bit to shake off the chaff and husk so that my dear soul can shine for eternity in Your Kingdom."

No matter what your day brings, always remember what Saint Padre Pio says to you: "Hold resolutely to the comforting thought that God is with you all the time and will never abandon you. . . ."

Amen!

(I have quoted St. Pio's Letters, Volume II, pages 75 and 76.)

When Tempted

When you are tempted to sin but refuse to give in to the temptation, you deserve a reward, according to Saint Padre Pio. One day one of his spiritual children, Mario Tentori, was afflicted with a violent temptation. Mario prayed to God and thought about Padre Pio who always prays for and cares about and looks after his spiritual children. As a result, Mario restrained from sinning. When he went to Confession a few days later to Padre Pio, the first thing Mario related to Padre Pio was about the difficult moment when he was near to offending God. Padre Pio, rather than chastizing him, as Mario had expected, said to Mario, "But you didn't do it!" Our Saint Pio knew that Mario was the scrupulous type, so he went on to explain that a rejected temptation is NOT a sin but is a reason for reward. (page 231, Testimonies, by Father Marcellino IasenzaNiro)

So keep "fighting the good fight," my dear friend, and don't be so hard on yourself. You're on the right path, so never fear; Jesus is with you every step of the way, accompanied by His Mother and Saint Padre Pio and your dear sweet faithful Holy Guardian Angel.

I love you.

You are a Seraphim of Love

"A seraphim of love." Such beautiful terms did Saint Padre Pio use! Right now, I ask him to bless you with the following, as he did to his friend to whom he sent this message in 1917: "May God be pleased to make you a seraphim of love. This is the most sincere wish, which I continually make for you before the Lord." (Letters 3, page 824)

May God make YOU, my dear friend, a "seraphim of love." Amen!

And, my dear seraphim of love, "live tranquilly, follow the path on which the Lord has placed you and, in a holy manner, diligently try to keep Jesus satisfied and pleased; this Jesus who suffers the abandonment of his Father for love of us, and by whom this heavenly Father wanted you to be accompanied. So just like a bee who is carefully making the honey of holy devout practices, also make the wax of domestic affairs, because if the former brings with it a sweetness pleasing to Christ, who while He lived in the world nourished Himself with butter and honey, as Scripture tells us, the latter superabounds with glory for Him, because it serves to make lighted candles for the edification of your neighbor. God, who has taken you by the hand with special care, is guiding you to the port of eternal salvation. Let us confide in Him and have no fear." (Saint Padre Pio, Letters 3, pages 841-842)

Amen, dear friend in Christ. Amen!

Scripture to Sustain You

Of course the entire Bible is the Word of God and used by the Holy Spirit to inspire and uphold and comfort you, my dear friend, but in my reading Saint Padre Pio's letters, I discovered he had favorites that he often quoted. Let me please share a few of them with you so that you can take strength and comfort from them too.

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) No matter what the evil one, the world assails you with, my dear friend, don't worry; Jesus will never fail you!

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) "All things" means ALL THINGS, my dear friend, even your pain, your suffering, your misery.

"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. . . ." (Colossians 1:24) Yes, offer your sufferings, no matter what form they take, to the Lord as prayer; He will accept them and use them for the salvation of souls.

Your sister in Christ,
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Yes, Dear Friend, You are Faithful

I am delighted, dear friend, that you are trusting in the Lord. Here is what Saint Padre Pio says to you:

"Well, then, always place your confidence in Jesus, and He will know how to comfort your soul, even when it is tossed about in a stormy sea. Never be afraid of the enemy's enticements, for no matter how strong they may be, they will never be able to sweep you into the enemy's nets, as long as you remain faithful to the Lord and on your guard, while you build up your strength by prayer and holy humility. God has promised that He 'opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble' [James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5]. God has promised that those who 'watch and pray' will not 'enter into temptation' [Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38]. What are you afraid of, then? Is our God not faithful to His promises?" (Letters 2, pages 500-501)

Yes, God is faithful, my dear friend. He will never let go of you!

Do Not Halt Halfway on Your Journey, My Friend

Dear friend, you are such a wonderful soul, I want you to take encouragement today from Saint Padre Pio's words to you:

"The knowledge of God's plan for you must serve, on the one hand, to arouse gratitude in the depths of your soul towards so good a Father, so that you may give continual and heartfelt thanks to your heavenly Benefactor. You should unite your praise to that of Mary Most Holy and Immaculate, of the Angels, and of all the blessed inhabitants of the Heavenly Jerusalem. On the other hand, this knowledge must serve as an incentive to lay aside all fear and not come to a halt halfway on your journey, because of the sufferings and trials which must be endured if you are to reach the end of this extremely long road.

"The Lord has allowed me to show you all these things chiefly to prevent you from any uncertainty as you travel this road. Run, then, without growing weary, and may the Lord direct and guide your steps so that you may not fall. Make haste, I tell you, for the road is long and time is very short. Run, let us all run so that at the end of our journey we may say with the holy apostle, 'I am already on the point of being sacrificed, the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith' [2Timothy 4:6-7]." (Letters 2, pages 316-317)

May God richly bless you, my dear friend!

What Cross are You Carrying Today, Dear Friend?

What is the cross you are carrying today, my dear friend? Please do not carry it alone. It makes you feel lonely, I know, when your cross is so heavy, and perhaps you've carried it for a long time now, which adds to your pain, but Saint Padre Pio offers you his blessing as he smiles on you from Heaven, and he says the following to you, just as he said it to another spiritual child of his:

"May the grace of the divine Spirit comfort your soul with that consolation which can come from God alone. May Jesus make you ever dearer to Him and ever more like Him on the path of suffering. May Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, enable you to undertand all that is contained in the great secret of suffering borne with a Christian spirit. May she obtain for you all the strength you require to climb the summit of Calvary loaded with your own cross. Great strength is needed, unfortunately, to follow this path, but take heart, for the Savior will never leave you alone or without His help. Let us make haste, then, to join and mingle with all those pious and faithful souls who follow the divine Master. Let us hasten, I say, and not remain far behind this holy company. Let us always be united with them and never lose sight of them." (Letters 2, pages 487-488)

Yes, dear friend, take heart, as Saint Padre Pio said, and know that your Savior will never leave you alone or without His help.

My Yoke is Easy, My Burden is Light

Are you carrying a heavy load, my dear friend? Let Saint Padre Pio's words lighten that load for you: "May Jesus enable you to appreciate more and more, along with all the souls who love Him with a sincere and pure heart, His most loving invitation, 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.' [Matthew 11:30] May this most tender invitation of the Divine Master console you in this trial. . . . It can truly be said that your new state is a most singular favor of the Lord, a favor that He usually grants only to those strong souls who, in His mercy, He holds most dear.
"Rejoice then, along with me, at this outstanding benevolence of our good God. Oh how delightful and consoling it is to know that without any merit of our own, this most tender Father has raised us to such high dignity. Oh, open your heart to this Father, the most loving of fathers, and let Him act freely within you. Let us not be stingy with One who enriches us even too much, whose generosity is endless and knows no limits." (Letters 2, page 385)

Here is my prayer for you, my dear friend, from Saint Padre Pio: "May the Holy Spirit sanctify you more and more, make you worthy of greater charisms, and make you a most chaste spouse of the Son of God. Amen." (Letters 2, page 384)

Be Kind to Yourself

Are you too harsh on yourself, my dear friend? Take some solid advice from Saint Padre Pio:

"You say that you pity yourself because you see yourself full of pride, with no trace of humility, always falling down and never able to stay on your feet, but all this is quite untrue. It is a snare set by the evil one to make you lose heart and to hold you up, if that were possible, on the way of love by depicting the path of perfection as too difficult for you."

"Banish these false persuasions from your mind," says Saint Padre Pio to you, my friend, "and have no fear because you have no reason to be afraid. Get rid of your conviction that evil passions are too lively in you. Listen to me; let your mind dwell as little as possible on this matter, for thoughts of this kind usually do more harm than good. They dry up our hearts rather than enkindling in them the fire of love for the Supreme Good, just as the north wind dries up our fileds. Pray, of course, and ask the heavenly Spouse never to allow this harsh northerly wind to blow over the little garden of your soul, but to deign in His compassion as Lover to send invariably the south wind which is the only one capable of awakening chaste and holy love." (Letters 2, pages 110-111)

Embracing Your Heart and Giving You Peace

Do evil influences ever annoy you, worry you, cause you to fear for your soul or for the souls of your loved ones? St. Padre Pio asks you, "Why are you so afraid of your adversary, my child? Don't you know that our good Jesus is invariably with you and that the enemy of souls has no power over those who have resolved to belong entirely to God? In reality, the more you are afraid, the safer you are; and the more tepid you feel, the more secure you are." (Letters 2, page 110)

St. Pio's words above might sound illogical to the world, but to you, who are "in this world but not of it," his words will embrace your heart and give you peace.
God bless you, my friend!

Divine Love in Your Heart

Yes, dear friend, Divine Love does dwell in your heart. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and let your heart and mind rest in that Love which embraces you. Here are St. Padre Pio's words of assurance for you:

"Be quite at peace in the meantime as regards the existence of Divine Love in your heart. Cast aside all that futile anxiety and have no fear. How could it be opssible that a soul consecrated to heavenly Love, a soul that is endeavoring with God's help to please Him, that desires and longs more and more for the waters of this Divine Love, how is it possible, I say, that this soul should lack Love? How could it be possible at the extreme hour of our life to depart from this arid cold world without yearning for God, without Divine Love? Does it not seem to you a real contradiction? . . . God in His goodness not only does not reject repentant souls but invariably goes out in search of the obstinate ones. Come now, I beg you in our most tender Jesus not to yield to this fear of not loving God, for to me it seems that the enemy is trying to decieve you. I understand that nobody can worthily love God, but when a person does all he can himself and trusts in the Divine Mercy, why should Jesus reject one who is seeking Him liike this? Has He not commanded us to love God with all the strength we have? Well then, if you have given and consecrated everything you have to God, why are you afraid? Say to Jesus, as St. Augustine said: 'Give what you command and command what you will.' [Say to Jesus,] 'Do you want great love from me, Jesus? I too desire this, just as a hart longs to reach a flowing stream, but as you see I have no more love to give. Give me some more and I'll offer it to You.' Do not doubt that Jesus who is so good will accept your offer, so be at peace." (Letters 2, pages 424-425)

Yes, dear friend, be at peace, for Divine Love does indeed dwell in your heart.

You are Chosen

Don't you know, dear friend, that you are chosen by God? You might not FEEL chosen. You might be suffering sickness of mind, body, soul, finances, or family, or undergoing other trials and tribulations. You might feel as if God has discarded you, forgotten you, given up on you because sometimes you feel overwhelmed by your difficulties, perhaps even by your own weaknesses. Please take heart from Saint Padre Pio's words for you:

"The most afflicted souls," he says, "are those chosen by the Divine Heart, and you must rest assured that Jesus has chosen your soul to be the chosen-one of His adorable Heart. You must hide yourself in this Heart; you must pour out your desires in this Heart; you must live in this Heart the remaining days that Providence will grant you; you must die in this Heart when the Lord wishes. [He has] placed you in this Heart; therefore you live, are, and move in this Heart." (Letters 3, page 971)

Yes, dear friend, you are chosen!

Depressed?

Maybe you're feeling depressed or gloomy because of the weather, the economy, your family, your whatever. Saint Padre Pio has some words of encouragement for you: "Your suffering is by no means a chastisement [from God], because nobody fears being unworthy when he truly is or wants to be such. This uncertainty is permitted to all the living by God, in order to avoid their being presumptuous, and in order that they move cautiously as regards their eternal salvation. . . . Even the martyrs believed while they suffered. The most beautiful Credo is that pronounced in darkness, in times of sacrifice and when you have to make a great effort to do this." (Letters 3, page 549)

So don't be so hard on yourself, dear friend. God loves you and hasn't cast you aside just because you're feeling low. You are precious in His sight and nothing will change that.

A Rememdy for Your Dreadful Torture

Whatever pain you're experiencing today, St. Padre Pio offers you a remedy: "May Jesus always be with you, and may He console and comfort you in this extrememly painful trial. I well understand the dreadful torture that is consuming you totally, and neither do I know how to give you some relief. But if I, a miserable creature, am unable to do so, at the same time I have absolute trust that Jesus will not leave you to suffer at length in this state, which is more acute than death itself." (Letters 3, page 916)

Trust Jesus, my dear friend. He will never let you down.

True Love

What is true love? St. Padre Pio says it is the love you have for Jesus and the love He has for you. "The bitterness of love is still sweet and its weight suave," St. Pio said. "Therefore, why do you continually say, when feeling its great transports, that you are unable to contain it? Your heart is small, but it is expandable, and when it can no longer contain the grandeur of the Beloved, and resist its immense pressure, do not fear, because He is both inside and outside of you. By pouring Himself into your interior, He will surround the walls. Like an open shell in the ocean, you will drink your fill, and exhuberantly you will be surrounded and carried along by His power." (Letters 3, page 1040)

Please forgive me, dear friend, by the way, for not posting anything last week. I was recovering from surgery.

Implore Jesus

Don't give up praying about whatever problems assail you just because you don't see any results. "But where is God?" you ask. "Yes, where are You, Lord?" Well, He's right here with you, so never fear. Saint Padre Pio recommends that you pray to Jesus continually: "Implore Jesus, I repeat, to the point of becoming tiresome. Insist with Him and speak continually to Him." (Letters 2, page 64)

Yes, continue to speak to Jesus, presenting your needs to Him without fear of bothering Him. He loves you more than anyone here on earth ever could. He loves you unconditionally. Think about that.

Your friend,
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Graces Within You

Have you been trying hard to be a "good person" but no one seems to notice? You've been asking the Lord to help you grow in holiness. You've been praying more. You've been offering up your daily trials as prayers for others. You're doing "all the right things," but still, no one seems to notice. Do not worry. God and His Holy Angels and Saints notice, and they applaud you. In fact, Saint Padre Pio sees what you're doing and he says to you, just as he said to a friend in a letter, "I admire the workings of grace within you, and I render heartfelt thanks to the Lord for this. Be cheerful and rest trustingly, as always, in the arms of Divine Mercy and do not fear." (Letters 3, page.907)

The Longer Your Trials, the Greater God's Comfort

During his eighty years in Italy, Saint Padre Pio was sometimes harrassed by those who were jealous of him. After all, he had many gifts, including bilocation (the ability to be in two places at one time); the reading of souls (he could tell you in Confession what you'd done wrong without your saying a word); the odor of sanctity (his wounds would often give off a delightfully sweet scent); and the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ Crucified; St. Pio bore these ever-bleeding wounds in hands, feet, and side for fifty years). Once when one of his "enemies," a Monsignor, was re-assigned to a remote location in order to get him away from harrassing Padre Pio, St. Pio said, "The longer the trial to which God puts His elect, the greater His goodness in comforting them during oppression and exalting them after the struggle." (St. Padre Pio's quote is from page 220 in Prophet of the People, by Dorothy M. Gaudiose, my dear friend in Heaven.)

What struggles are you deailng with, my friend? Give them to Jesus. He will comfort you and be with you every step of the way until you are no longer suffering.

A blessed New Year to you!