Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Reach Out and Touch Jesus' Cloak

A most-beautiful June to you!

Remember when Jesus was passing by a woman who had suffered from a bleeding problem for twelve years? She had heard about Jesus and how He was able to heal people. Her hope was that He would heal her too. She had spent a lot of money on doctors for a cure, which never came—at least not through any of them. But this day, as Jesus passed by, according to the Gospel, she reached out and touched the edge of His cloak, and at once her bleeding stopped. She was healed.

"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. Peter asked Jesus how He knew someone touched Him when there were crowds of people around Him, pressing in on Him. But Jesus knew, and now the woman knew that He had discovered what she had dared to do. When she confessed to Him what she had done, He lovingly said to her, "My daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." (See Luke 8: 43-48.)

Do you need a healing? Does someone you know and love need a healing? Do you dare to reach out and touch Jesus' cloak? Let me say to you, "Cristo Gesu e Vivo! Jesus is alive!" He is waiting for you to simply call on Him and reach out and touch Him. He will reward your act of faith. You will experience His love and compassion and Presence.

According to Saint Padre Pio's dear friend and "bodyguard" in his last years, Father Alessio Parente, OFM Capuchin: "Rather than touch Jesus' cloak, Padre Pio held onto it tightly throughout his life, never letting go, because for him, it was the reason for all his hope.

"Let each one of us follow Padre Pio's example," continues Father Alessio, "and hold tightly onto Jesus' cloak and we can be sure that we will receive many, many graces and blessings from Him." (from Padre Pio Our Good Samaritan, by Fr. Alessio Parente, OFM Capuchin)

May I end with words of encouragement from Saint Padre Pio's Letters, Volume One: “May the Most Holy Virgin, who was the first to practice the Gospel teaching in all its perfection, give us the impetus herself to go [to Jesus]. . . Let us make an effort. . . to always follow behind the Blessed Mother; to always walk close to her" because she will always lead us to her divine Son, Jesus Christ, and there we can hold onto His cloak and find healing, comfort, peace, and love.

May I once again say to you, "Cristo Gesu e Vivo! Jesus is alive!" He is waiting for you to call on Him and reach out and touch Him. He will reward your act of faith. You will experience His love and compassion and Presence.

Love to you,
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Life of Padre Pio: A Mystery of Love

Hi! I thought today I would share with you Dorothy M. Gaudiose's words about Saint Padre Pio and his life as a "mystery of love." She worked for him in his monastery town in Italy for three years and wrote two books about him, which are still published by Alba House. Dorothy will always be a close friend of mine and was the one who encouraged me to write my first book about Padre Pio. So far I have published, through Our Sunday Visitor, The Word Among Us Press, and Pauline Books & Media, six books about Saint Padre Pio. LISTENING TO GOD WITH PADRE PIO has just been released by OSV. But may I please say this: Any good I have done, am doing, or will do is done by God's grace working through me; but first that grace of God flows through Our Lady, St. Padre Pio, my Holy Guardian Angel, and dear friends like you. Infinite thanks!

Now, here are Dorothy's words—and they are true because she was an eyewitness of St. Padre Pio’s life—about Padre Pio as a mystery of love:

“Padre Pio did not make speeches and did not make a show of himself,” said Dorothy. “Humble and poor, he suffered, prayed, heard confessions, and said Mass with an angelical fervor conscious of the living presence of Christ. His works, the facts, his suffering of blood [he bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years], and his humble and poor life silently speak for him. This took place for fifty years with an amazing crescendo of devotion and love of faith and hope from believers and atheists. Padre Pio lived for others, taking on himself the sins and pains of others. He offered his daily sufferings to save, pacify, encourage souls, and to obtain from God pardon for sinners and the health of soul and body for all those who believe in the efficacy of his prayers and sufferings with God. [If you would like to see the Scriptural proof that our sufferings—yours too—can be used by God to save souls, read Colossians 1:24.] The life of Padre Pio,” continued Dorothy, “is a mystery of love, expiation, and salvation. He never promised anything; only his prayers. He never asked for anything; only love and penance and faith in God.”

Next week I will continue about the life of St. Padre Pio as a mystery of love. In the meantime, please know that if God can do good through me, a sinner, He can do good through you too! Just ask Him. And don’t forget to do as St. Padre Pio always advised, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Amen.

Have a great week!

P.S. If I make any spelling or typographical errors in what I write, I hope you will forgive me. Thanks.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Miracle Through St. Padre Pio's Intercession

Hi! I look forward to sharing with you each week about Saint Padre Pio.

Today I want to encourage you to ask him to intercede for you and your loved ones, for anything you need. He is always ready to help us, and he is so powerful because his power comes from the Ruler of All Nature: Jesus Christ. Amen. To give you further encouragement, to go to Saint Padre Pio for his intercession, I have selected a true story—absolutely true—about a real miracle obtained from God through the intercession of Saint Padre Pio. As you read this true account, keep in mind that often, after someone asks for Padre Pio’s intercession, they will smell the most beautiful and sweet aroma that seems to have no natural source. It is a sign that he has heard their prayer and will answer.

“Miss Giuseppina Marchetti of Bologna, Italy, age 24,” wrote Francesco Napolitano in his book Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, “had fractured her right arm, the very arm that had been injured in a serious accident three years previous. She had had to undergo surgery. After a second operation, which was followed by long, painful therapy, the surgeon told the young lady’s father that she would never regain the use of her arm....

“Despondent, both father and daughter left for San Giovanni Rotondo, [where Padre Pio’s monastery home is located],” continued Francesco. “Padre Pio received them, blessed them, and declared: ‘Above all, no despondency! Have faith in the Lord! The arm will heal.’ That was the end of July, 1930. The sick girl returned to Bologna without even the slightest sign of improvement. ‘No doubt,’ thought the girl, ‘Padre Pio was mistaken!’”

Months passed, and on September 17 of that same year, suddenly Giuseppina Marchetti’s apartment was flooded with a sweet and delightful aroma that seemed to have no natural source. “The phenomenon,” said Francesco Napolitano, “lasted about a quarter of an hour, while the surprised tenants searched in vain for its source.

“On that day, the girl regained the use of her arm,” declared Francesco. “An X-ray, which she carefully treasures, shows the restoration of the bone and cartilage [which the doctors had said would never heal].”

Do you have a condition, a need, a problem, a misery that seems incurable, that seems beyond hope? Take your problems to Saint Padre Pio. He will intercede for you with Jesus. Have faith in the Ruler of All Nature. He still works miracles—and very often through His Saints, like St. Padre Pio.

Amen!


Now, I wanted to share with you the good news: the publication of my latest book about Saint Padre Pio. It’s in a series called the “Listening to God” series published by Our Sunday Visitor. God in his great mercy uses me, and if He can use me, He can use anyone, including you, my dear friend! And may I also add that God uses me, through the intercession of St. Padre Pio, my Holy Guardian Angel, and the Mother of God. May He continue to always use me, for His glory and for His good pleasure. In Jesus’ Most Precious Name I pray, amen.

You can order my new book from OSV:

LISTENING TO GOD WITH PADRE PIO

Compiled by Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti
In his great love for everyone, St. Padre Pio felt
everyone's pain, whether moral, physical, or mental.
He wanted to share their pain and help to
alleviate it through his intercessory prayers,
through his gifts of healing and
reading of souls, and through his own
endless suffering from the ever-bleeding stigmata.

Also in the “Listening to God” series:

Listening to God With Blessed John Paul II
Compiled by Amy Welborn
Blessed John Paul II tells us it is in listening to God that we live most fully -- that God doesn't just speak to us during quiet, reflective moments, but also over the course of everyday life, in all of its noise, confusion, and complexity.
Experience this unique connection to God every day with passages from Blessed John Paul II's homilies, General Audience talks, addresses, and other writings, and see God's constant presence in our lives -- His continual whisper in our hearts.

Listening to God With Mother Teresa
Compiled by Woodeene Koenig-Bricker
Imagine how your daily outlook would be enhanced by your spending time with one of the spiritual giants of modern Church history.
These selections of her quotes, comments, and writings, matched with short Scripture passages, are sure to center your heart and mind on Christ as only Mother Teresa could do. Her words will encourage and challenge you to listen to God in all the circumstances of your life.

YOU CAN ORDER Eileen’s new book TODAY:
800-348-2440 Ext. 2172
or visit www.osv.com

And for more about Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti’s other book titles, you can visit www.kcnet.org/~edbertan; or http://eileendunnbertanzetti.blogspot.com; or visit her Facebook page; or visit her publishers at:
(1. Our Sunday Visitor—(www.osv.com ; 1-800-348-2440)
(2. Pauline Books and Media— (www.pauline.org ; 1-800-876-4463)
(3. The Word Among Us Press—(www.wordamongus.org ; 1-800-842-0646)
(4. Chelsea House Publishers—(www.chelseahouse.com)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Dear friend,

Each week I share with you Saint Padre Pio's words, and today I hope the following message of his will bless you, as it does me. Here is Padre Pio’s encouragement for you from his Letters, Volume Three:

"How fortunate we are to be held so tightly to our Heavenly Teacher [Jesus Christ]. We need do no more than we are doing at present; that is to love Divine Providence and abandon ourselves in His arms and Heart." Amen! Jesus Christ will never let you down, my dear friend. Trust Him.

Now, I wanted to share with you the good news: the publication of my latest book about Saint Padre Pio. It is a small hardback in a series of hardbacks called the “Listening to God” series published by Our Sunday Visitor. May I add that God in his great mercy uses me, and if He can use me, He can use anyone, including you, my dear friend! And may I also add that God uses me, through the intercession of St. Padre Pio, my Holy Guardian Angel, and the Mother of God. May He continue to always use me, for His glory and for His good pleasure. In Jesus’ Most Precious Name I pray, amen.


You can order the new 'Listening to God' series from OSV:

LISTENING TO GOD WITH PADRE PIO

Compiled by Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti
In his great love for everyone, St. Padre Pio felt
everyone's pain, whether moral, physical, or mental.
He wanted to share their pain and help to
alleviate it through his intercessory prayers,
through his gifts of healing and
reading of souls, and through his own
endless suffering from the ever-bleeding stigmata.

List Price: $12.95
112 pages, hardcover


Listening to God With Blessed John Paul II
Compiled by Amy Welborn
Blessed John Paul II tells us it is in listening to God that we live most fully -- that God doesn't just speak to us during quiet, reflective moments, but also over the course of everyday life, in all of its noise, confusion, and complexity.
Experience this unique connection to God every day with passages from Blessed John Paul II's homilies, General Audience talks, addresses, and other writings, and see God's constant presence in our lives -- His continual whisper in our hearts.
List Price: $12.95
128 pages, hardcover


Listening to God With Mother Teresa
Compiled by Woodeene Koenig-Bricker
Imagine how your daily outlook would be enhanced by your spending time with one of the spiriutal giants of modern Church history.
These selections of her quotes, comments, and writings, matched with short Scripture passages, are sure to center your heart and mind on Christ as only Mother Teresa could do. Her words will encourage and challenge you to listen to God in all the circumstances of your life.
List Price: $12.95
112 pages, hardcover


YOU CAN ORDER THESE THREE TITLES TODAY:
800-348-2440 Ext. 2172
or visit www.osv.com

And for more about Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti’s other book titles, you can visit www.kcnet.org/~edbertan; or http://eileendunnbertanzetti.blogspot.com; or visit her Facebook page; or visit her publishers at:
(1. Our Sunday Visitor—(www.osv.com ; 1-800-348-2440)
(2. Pauline Books and Media— (www.pauline.org ; 1-800-876-4463)
(3. The Word Among Us Press—(www.wordamongus.org ; 1-800-842-0646)
(4. Chelsea House Publishers—(www.chelseahouse.com)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Words of Saint Padre Pio

Hi there. Today I thought I'd simply share with you some of Saint Padre Pio's profound words, hoping they would bring to you the same comfort and strength that they bring to me. Why do I put so much emphasis on Padre Pio? (I’ve written many books about him, which are published by Our Sunday Visitor, Pauline Books & Media, and The Word Among Us Press.) Don't I know that Jesus is God, not Padre Pio? Mais oui, but of course! But God chose to come to us through another human being, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and God also comes to us through each other; He speaks to us through each other, including through the Saints, so why not allow God to speak to you and to me through Saint Padre Pio? Mais oui! Therefore, let me share with you, if you please, a few of Padre Pio’s words and how you can apply them to your problems, to your life, today.

For example, here is part of a letter Padre Pio wrote to one of his Superiors, Padre Agostino: “My very dear Father, May Jesus be always with you and with all the souls who love Him sincerely and with a pure heart. Amen. With a trembling hand I am writing these few lines. Jesus is inebriating me more and more with His sufferings. May He be blessed for ever for it!”

Now, why would a Saint be happy that God is “inebriating” him with sufferings? Like Saint Paul (Colossians 1:24), St. Padre Pio believed that God allows us to share in Christ’s sufferings here on earth in order to save souls. What? Didn’t Christ, once and for all, suffer and die and in doing so provide salvation for anyone who comes to Him and accepts it, His free gift of Self to us? Of course, but God’s ways are far beyond our comprehension, and if St. Paul says that we can help save others by offering up our sufferings to God, then why not offer up your sufferings for the salvation of the souls of all those you love? Why not offer your pains and trials and worries and miseries to God as prayer for others? If you don’t believe the efficacy, the benefit, of offering up your sufferings to God, then read Saint Paul’s own words about it in Colossians 1:24:

"I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I
am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of
His body, that is, the church."

Wow, I know, if it wasn’t in Scripture, who would believe it? But it is there, and it is God’s Word, and Christ is The Word, so we can believe it. Therefore, dear friend in Christ, today—and every day—offer up your sufferings to God; offer up your miseries in union with Christ on the Cross. God will greatly bless you—and your loved ones—for your sacrifice.

Until next week, may God richly bless you, and may you receive the benefits of practicing what Padre Pio always said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Amen.

Love,
Eileen
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

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