Saints Writer

May the Most Sweet Child Jesus

2011-12-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

I want to wish you a most blessed Christmas by sharing with you a holy blessing from Saint Padre Pio. He wrote the following on December 30, 1915, from his monastery home in Italy. ( Saint Padre Pio is the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years.)

"May the most sweet Child Jesus bring you every grace and blessing, all the favors that are pleasing to His infinite goodness." (Saint Padre Pio's Letters, Volume Two)

During this holy Christmas season, if you have a need, ask Padre Pio to take it to Jesus for you. Jesus will never forsake you.

With love, Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

No One Can Take Your Joy From You

2011-12-18T11:43:00.001-08:00

Hold onto joy, my dear friend whom I love. Hold onto joy, for God is the God of joy. Saint Padre Pio—the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years—exuded joy to all he met. According to Malachy Gerard Carroll, in his book Padre Pio, written while the Saint was still here on earth, “Christianity means joy, joy even in the midst of pain. It means the gift of eyes that see the rim of eternal hope on the edge of the world, the eternal hills beckoning across the valley of tears. Holiness is a cleansing of spiritual vision, and with that cleansing comes joy. The greatest, the deepest joy of all, therefore, is in the heart of the Saint.”

And Saint Padre Pio knew that joy. He held that joy in his heart and he shared it with all he met. Please allow now his words to place some of that joy in your own heart today: “Joy, then,” says St. Padre Pio, “is an offspring of love, but if this joy is to be true and perfect it must be accompanied inseparably by the peace which pervades us when the good we possess is supreme and certain. Now, is not God the Supreme Good which the soul loves and which it possesses as the result of loving Him? This Good, as well as being supreme, must also be certain. Our divine Master assures us that ‘no one will take your joy from you’ [John 16:22]. What testimony could be more certain than this?” continues St. Padre Pio. “Pondering on all this you cannot fail to experience great gladness. This is what leads us to face the most painful trials with a cheerful heart.” (St. Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume Two)

May the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus fill you to overflowing with His love, peace, and joy! Amen.

Don't Feel Guilty

2011-12-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel guilty because your ailing and/or aging body won’t allow you to do all of the good things you used to do for love of God and His people? “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” said Jesus.

As vehement as he was about Christians regularly attending worship services, Saint Padre Pio—the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty long years—often ordered ailing and/or aged spiritual children to be easy on their bodies. For example, he forbade one of his dearest friends and “servants”—Mary Pyle, a once-Protestant American who went to live near Padre Pio’s monastery in Italy after she met him—to go to church services because “Brother Body was too heavy and her energy was no longer that of a young girl.” (see p. 118 in Mary Pyle, by Bonaventura Massa)

Of course, like Mary Pyle, you want to keep going, keep doing everything you’ve been doing, since you were young and strong and healthy, but “Brother Body”—or Sister Body—won’t allow it. Saint Padre Pio said to Mary Pyle in her suffering, “Fasten yourself to the Cross until He who was crucified comes to take out the nails.” In support of Padre Pio’s words, here is what Saint Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and this life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

In conclusion, here is a blessing for you from Saint Padre Pio: “May Jesus be always with you; may He sustain you in all the trials which He sends you out of sheer goodness; and may He fulfill in you His holy will for your salvation and for the salvation of all the other souls He wants to save. Amen.” (Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume II, p. 557)

May Jesus always smile on you, my dear friend whom I love.
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

The Heavenly Homeland and You

2011-11-29T14:36:00.001-08:00

So, the winter is dark. So, your life sometimes seem dark too. Never fear. The Divine Helmsman—as Saint Padre Pio called Jesus Christ Our Lord—is in charge of your life. Jesus will never fail you. Here is what Saint Padre Pio says to you today: “Live tranquilly and trust in the Divine Helmsman, if you want to come into Port [Heaven] soon, safely and rich in merit. … …continually praise God for the steadfastness He gives you in submitting yourself to His loving trials. … You must eliminate even that little residue of restlessness and worry in desiring to be freed soon, because it impedes the last effects of your patience, which is more perfect when it is least mixed up with disturbances and worries. Do not be frightened if the hour of trial is lengthy. … Do not strive to know why Jesus wants this, but remember that the sons [and daughters] of Israel were in the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land…. Courage, I beg you! Pay no attention to the path of trial, but I invite you to keep your eyes constantly fixed on He who guides you to the Heavenly Homeland.” (Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume Three)

I love you, my friend!
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

God's Blessing for You

2011-11-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

“May Jesus totally possess your heart and render you worthy of His singular purpose for your life!” This is what Saint Padre Pio’s blessing is for you today, my friend whom I love. St. Padre Pio—the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years—wrote these words to a spiritual child, and if you have asked Padre Pio to be your spiritual guide, then you, too, are his spiritual child, and his blessings are for you too: “May Jesus totally possess your heart and render you worthy of His singular purpose for your life!” Amen.

What about God’s blessing for you today? Here it is from God’s Holy Word: “’He that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.’ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord.” (1 Peter 3:10-15) Amen.

May God richly bless you, my friend whom I love.
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

God Will Bless Your Work and Give You Strength

2011-11-19T07:56:00.001-08:00

Have you been putting a lot of time and effort into some sort of good work, merely because you love the Lord and His people? Have you been waiting to see the fruits of your labor and are still waiting to see them? Don’t give up.
Saint Padre Pio—the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years—offers you today this encouragement: "God has warmed with His rays of love the seed that has been sown." So if God has indeed warmed with His love your efforts, don’t give up. God is not going to give up on you!
And for further encouragement, from God Himself, here is what the Holy Spirit says to you today, “As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)
Did you catch that one phrase: “as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies”? Yes, all you have to do is ask God for the strength to continue doing good works for Him. He will not fail you. You are His hands, feet, and voice. Don’t give up.
Love, Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Your Shepherd Forever

2011-11-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

So, my dear and precious friend in Christ, how are you feeling today? What problems are weighing you down? I thought I’d share with you some thoughts from the Psalmist and Saint James and Saint Padre Pio to lift up your spirits. All three of them were plagued by troubles and so they understood exactly how you feel when you are plagued with them too.

First, what if I share what Saint James says in James 1:2-4? “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Now, for a few words from our Psalmist, but first, let me suggest that you use the following as your own prayer, your own cry to God, Who is your Helper, your Savior, your Friend: “O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their Shepherd, and carry them forever.” (from Psalm 28)

And what kind and wise words does Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five ever- bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty long years, have to encourage you today? “I feel very weak, but I am not afraid,” says Saint Padre Pio, “for Jesus will see my anguish and the weight that oppresses me. He has told us…that, ‘As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him.’” (from Saint Padre Pio’s Letters)

I love you, my dear and precious friend. Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

God's Love Will Guard You

2011-11-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

What difficulties are you facing today? If you want to do so, you can right now—and every day—entrust yourself and your loved ones to the Lord, and He will surely take care of you. He loves you with an unconditional Love that we can’t even imagine; it is a Love that guards and guides us, if we entrust ourselves to Him. Here is His promise of exactly that, from Scripture, which my brother shared with me the other day. It is one of the scripture verses he memorized and took comfort from while in military combat for many years. We, too, are in combat of one sort or another every day of our lives, don’t you think? No matter what you are combatting, though, God is guarding you with His unfathomable Love. Here is one of my brother’s favorite verses, and it is God’s promise to you too:

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace, which transcends all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Now, I always like to leave you each week with a word from Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist-priest who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years:

“Let us humble ourselves deeply and confess that if God were not our breastplate and our shield, we should at once be pierced by every kind of sin. This is why we must invariably keep ourselves in God by persevering in our [prayers], so let this be our constant concern. We must continually keep alight in our hearts the fire of love and never lose courage. If some languor or spiritual weakness overtakes us, we must hasten to the foot of the Cross, immerse ourselves in the heavenly perfumes, and we shall undoubtedly be invigorated.” (Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume One, page 1023)

I love you, my dear friend, and pray for the very best for you that God has! Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

I Need to Forgive Someone

2011-10-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd share an experience with you which I had this week. Someone in our family, whom I thought for sure I had forgiven, came to my mind. Suddenly I recalled so many of the rotten things she had done and said to me over a period of about thirty years. So I'm telling you this now as sort of a personal confession and also to share with you what Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist-priest, said about forgiveness. One day a young woman came to him and told him how badly she'd been treated by her husband's relatives. "So, you hate them?" asked the Padre, peering at her with his dark penetrating Italian eyes. "Yes, Padre Pio." He didn't try to tell her that she had no reason to hate them. He told her this, instead, "You have good reason to be so angry with them because you are in the right. But for the love of God, you must forgive."
Now why did he say that? Because when I don't forgive--when I don't forgive the relative who hurt me for so many years--I'm really hurting myself. Do I want to do that? No. Neither do I want to hurt the other person, even though she hurt me so many times. For all I know, she was abused as a child or has a brain tumor or is a terribly unhappy person and simply can't treat me any better than she does. God knows her heart and He loves her just the same and wants me to forgive. Here is the remedy St. Padre Pio gave to the young woman, and I think I'll use that remedy too. What about you? Here it is:
"Think often of Jesus nailed to the Cross for our faults and sins when you find it difficult to forgive someone," advised St. Padre Pio.
Jesus on the Cross. For my sins. For yours. He has forgiven us everything. So I forgive that woman in my life too. Amen. "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me," says Saint Paul in Scripture, and that's the truth. You and I can forgive those who hurt us if we only ask Jesus to give us the strength and the love and the compassion to do so. Amen. So be it!
Before I forget, my brother shared with me last week the scripture verses that meant so much to him when he was in military combat, so I thought I'd share a couple of them with you too. Aren't we all in combat every day with the world and the devil and the flesh? But God will prevail in our lives. Amen.
Here are a couple of the verses my brother shared with me:
(1. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!"
(2. "Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness. The Lord is near.”
(3. "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."

I love you, my friend.
Talk to you next week. Don't worry; Jesus will never desert you.
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

What Do You Do?

2011-10-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2011

So, today I thought I’d share my thoughts with you about finding out your loved one has cancer, or some other life-threatening illness. What do you do? Well, that’s what happened to me today. So perhaps it has happened to you, too, and perhaps my thoughts would help you? I hope so. What is my source of hope and strength? First, God’s Word, so let me share with you one of my favorite verses from the Bible: "No temptation [or testing] has taken you but such as is common to humankind. But God is faithful and will not allow you to suffer beyond that which you are able to bear, but will, with the temptation [or test] make a way for you to escape so that you may be able to bear it." I love that verse which Saint Paul gave to us. Of course he God’s Holy Spirit was speaking the truth through Saint Paul, so we can completely trust that what God has said in that verse, God will do for us. Therefore, whatever you are facing today—or tomorrow or whenever—God will give you the grace and strength and love to bear it. Never fear. Never. And here is a second favorite Scripture verse of mine for you: "All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes." But perhaps I’ve already shared that one with you? Nevertheless, it is God’s promise to you that ALL things will work together for good in your life. So simply trust Him.
Now, for Saint Padre Pio’s encouragement for you, please read the following which I took from his Letters, Volume Two: “Do not give way to sadness, for the Lord is with you always. Aren’t you in the Hands of Divine Providence, a fonder Mother than we can ask for or imagine? Take heart, then,” says Saint Padre Pio to you, my dear friend, “for Jesus will not leave you for a single instant.” Amen!
I will return next week, God willing, with some more encouraging words for you from God’s Word and from Saint Padre Pio’s letters. In the meantime, as Padre Pio always said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Amen.

My Experience This Week

2011-10-12T10:09:00.001-07:00

October 12, 2011

Why not, each week, share with you my experiences as a sinner, relate those experiences to the Word of God, and also relate them to Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatic priest? (By the way, we are all sinners; those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are sinners who are saved by the Blood of Christ; those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior are just plain sinners. I am a sinner saved by the Blood of Christ.)

This week’s experience to share with you would be my inner moanings about having to clean up a loved one’s vomit and blood and having to wait on that person “hand and foot” after that person’s return from the hospital and major surgery. Please picture this: here is this very sick man, pathetic really, and here I am, inwardly complaining—silently, of course—that I have to clean up oceans of vomit, toss out a perfectly good Penn State rug because of the vomit stains, and clean up blood, empty regularly the person’s bottle that hangs from his body that drains the blood and fluids from the internal wound, etc., etc., etc. Then, to my surprise—but it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all because it’s happened to me over and over again that when I need a shove in the right direction, there is the Lord Jesus, smiling and nudging me ever-so-gently in the right direction, sometimes using the soft wings of my Holy Guardian Angel—anyhow, to my surprise, one day this week when I opened my Bible for my daily reading, here was the Scripture and Jesus’ own words: “For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Jesus serves; Jesus is the Servant. Then what am I supposed to be? A complaining brat or a smiling, cheerful, giving servant? You guessed it; I chose to be a smiling servant, but I first asked Jesus for His grace to achieve that goal because I knew I’d fail if I continued to try to do it on my own. (“God loves a cheerful giver.”) And I continue to ask for that grace each day, each hour, each moment.

Oh yes, without Christ’s grace and love, I am doomed to fail because of all my weaknesses. But God’s Word says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That means all good things He calls me to do. Therefore, for my encouragement—and yours, in case you are also, like me, being asked to do servant tasks, perhaps day after day after day—here are Saint Padre Pio’s own words: “The grace that is meted out to you from above is sufficient for you, because God’s power achieves its purpose by means of our weakness.” (Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume One, page 1263)

May God richly bless you and yours, my dear friend!

Love,
Eileen
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

(If you wish, you can see more about my St. Padre Pio books on Facebook, at my blog, and at my publishers’ Websites: Our Sunday Visitor, Pauline Books & Media, The Word Among Us Press, Chelsea House Publishers)

In Spite of Your Troubles, Rejoice

2011-10-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

Since God's Word is infinitely more powerful than anyone else's, I'll just share that with you today and then follow it up with some wisdom from my favorite Saint, Saint Padre Pio.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let all people know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)

"Pray, hope, and don't worry," says Saint Padre Pio, echoing God's Holy Word for you today.

Your Holy Guardian Angel Wants to Help You

2011-09-28T15:39:00.001-07:00

Last week I wrote to you on Saint Padre Pio’s Feast Day, so I thought that this week I would continue to quote his letters, since they would be of greatest help to you, my dear friend whom I love. Because Padre Pio taught me so much about my Holy Guardian Angel and how my Angel wants me to speak to him and ask him to help me, I thought you might benefit from St. Padre Pio’s own words about his own Guardian Angel. His experiences can inspire you to turn to your own Guardian Angel—everyone has one, you know—and rely on your Angel to help you in all of life’s circumstances. God has given each of us a Holy Guardian Angel.
“On Saturday,” wrote St. Padre Pio in his Letters, Volume 1, “I turned to my Angel and after he had kept me waiting a while, there he was, hovering close to me, singing hymns to the Divine Majesty in his angelic voice. There followed one of the usual scenes; I rebuked him bitterly for having kept me waiting so long when I had not failed to call him to my assistance. To punish him, I did not want to look him in the face, I wanted to get away, to escape from him. But he, poor creature, caught up with me almost in tears and held me until I raised my eyes to his face and found him all upset. Then he said, ‘I am always close to you, my beloved young man. I am always hovering around you with the affection aroused by your gratitude to the Beloved of your heart. This affection of mine will never end, not even when you die. I know that your generous heart beats all the time for the One we both love; you would cross every mountain and every desert in search of Him, to see Him again, to embrace Him again in these extreme moments.…’”
You, my friend whom I love, have a Holy Guardian Angel, just like Saint Padre Pio has. Turn to that Angel; ask him to make known to you his presence in some special way. I know he will help you and be your best friend. Jesus has sent him to you.
And please know that I love you.

Happy Saint Padre Pio Feast Day!

2011-09-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Feast Day to you, my friend!

Yes, today is Saint Padre Pio’s Feast Day. Hooray for you, St. Pio! Since it is his day, I am going to let him speak for himself, rather than my sharing with you any anecdotes from his life or from the lives of those who knew and loved him.
So now, from Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume Two, I offer you these words of hope and encouragement:

“Do not lose faith in God’s Providence,” said Padre Pio. “Put your trust in God; abandon yourself to Him; and let Him take care of you. Then rest assured that you will not be confounded. I understand and am deeply aware that the trial is hard and the battle fierce. But I also understand that the fruit you will gather, in due course, will be very abundant. The crown that is being woven for you up above is far greater than can be humanly conceived. You will perhaps laugh at me for saying such things…but I know quite well what I am saying. Judge me as you think fit, but what I want from you is that, as the trial increases, your abandonment and trust in God may also increase. Immerse yourself ever more deeply in humility and in blessing the Lord, who in His goodness deigns to visit you in this way, so as to prepare you to share in building up the Heavenly Kingdom. I therefore exhort you, again, to be trustful. A soul who trusts in her Lord and places all her hope in Him has nothing to fear. The enemy of our salvation is always around us to snatch from our hearts the anchor that is to lead us to salvation, by which I mean trust in God our Father. Let us keep a very firm hold on this anchor and not relinquish it for a single moment.” (Saint Padre Pio's Letters, Volume )

Do you need faith, my dear friend? The Word of God says that “faith is a gift,” so now all you have to do is ask for that faith, and God will grant it to you. And while you are at it, why not ask Saint Padre Pio to always help you to hold onto that “anchor,” that “trust in God our Father,” about which he just spoke to you? Then “pray, hope, and don’t worry,” as Saint Padre Pio always advised.

Talk to you again next week, my dear friend whom I love.

Do You Wish You Had More Time to Spend with God?

2011-09-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a little tidbit from Dorothy Gaudiose’s book, Prophet of the People. She worked for St. Padre Pio at his monastery in Italy for three years, so she knew him well. This is a true story she related in her book:
At Our Lady of Grace in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, high on the mountain in his monastery home, St. Padre Pio would take a break from his hard work helping the thousands of poor souls who came to him, to go outside for some fresh air and sunshine. One day while enjoying the mountain air and the songs of the birds, he noticed that visitors from all over the world began to gather around him, the famous stigmatized priest who bore—for fifty years—the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side.
Padre Pio hated people making a fuss over him, but God did use him to save souls, so this day Padre Pio sighed and smiled gently as a young married woman from the village at the base of the mountain approached him. “Padre,” she said to him, her face blushing from her shyness and humility, “I live next door to the church and every morning after my husband goes to work and the baby is sleeping, I go into the church and hear Mass and receive Holy Communion.” The young woman, fearing St. Padre Pio would yell at her for leaving her little one, quickly added, “Worrying that my baby might wake up while I’m gone, I leave the church right after receiving the Host. Am I making God angry?”
Smiling at the young mother, Padre Pio said, “No, you’re not displeasing God at all.” St. Pio explained later to a crowd of people: “That young mother pleases God more with her little time in church than you or I do when we spend all day in church.” He continued, “She is taking time out of her duties in order to serve Him.”
So, my dear friend, do you want to spend more time with God in church but can’t afford the time from your daily duties. Do not worry one second. Take to heart these words from St. Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume 3, which I’ve chosen for you today: “During the course of the day, when you are unable to do anything else, call on Jesus even in the midst of all your occupations, with resigned groanings of the soul. He will come to stay untied to your soul always, through his grace and holy love.”
May Jesus always smile on you, my dear friend!

Never Fear: God Truly Is Within You

2011-09-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Probably, my wonderful friend, whom I dearly love, it would be better if I made my weekly messages to you much shorter. You are most likely very busy. And since you are so busy, perhaps a few words from three of the Saints—including, of course, Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist-priest—about taking time to rest and refresh yourself would be helpful to you?

First, these words of Saint Anselmo will help you to take a deep breath and let go of your troubles, at least for a few moments: “Come on…escape for a short time from your chores, leave your tumultuous thoughts. Put your busy activities and grave worries to one side for a moment.”

Nice words, right? But now what do you do during that brief time, after you’ve set aside your chores and worries? Saint Anselmo answers that question for you: “Wait a while for God and rest in Him. Go deep inside your soul and exclude everything except God and that which helps you search for Him, then close the door and look for God.”

Why go inside yourself to find God? Saint John of the Cross answers your question with this: “It is to be noted that Jesus, the Word of God, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, essentially and presently are hidden in the inner part of the soul. Therefore the soul which wishes to find them must retreat into itself as if all the rest didn’t exist.”

But you know how weak and sinful you can be, so you wonder how God could ever be within your soul. I totally understand; I too feel that way about myself, but in God’s great Mercy and Love for us, He chooses to dwell within us, so now take a third Saint’s word for it, Saint Padre Pio’s word: “The knowledge of your interior unworthiness and sinfulness is an extremely pure divine light by which your very being and your ability to commit any sin, without the help of grace, is placed before your consideration. That light is due to the great mercy of God and was granted to the greatest saints because it positions their souls in a place sheltered from all feelings of vanity or pride, thus strengthening humility, which is the foundation of true virtue and Christian perfection. Saint Teresa also had this knowledge….”

Please let Saint Padre Pio leave you with these consoling thoughts, my dear friend whom I love: “In conclusion, rest assured, and be happy, because God is pleased with you and finds His peaceful dwelling place within you. Temptations, discomfort, restlessness, etc., are the merchandise offered by the enemy, but you reject them, so they do no harm. Remember this: if the devil makes a din, he is still outside and not inside at all.” (St. Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume Three, pages548–550)

Never fear, my precious friend; Jesus is with you!

An Eternity of Joy and Peace Awaits You and Your Loved Ones

2011-08-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today, my dear friend, whom I love and whom God loves, I offer you Saint Paul’s words of comfort: “For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the Archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
Why do I speak of the dead today? It is because I feel that you might be fearful of death, fearful of the fate of someone you love who is dying, fearful of the outcome of a serious health problem you or a loved one is experiencing, fearful of what is to become of you and your family in this violent world in which we live. If so, take heart; there truly is a Heaven where you and your loved ones will spend eternity with God in joy and peace and love. Never fear. Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ for fifty long years in his hands, feet, and side, was visited countless times by souls who had gone to Heaven or Purgatory—the “waiting room of Heaven,” the place where we get gently “showered” by God’s grace so that any sins left on our souls are lovingly and tenderly washed away before we are whisked into Heaven to forever be in God’s glorious Presence and the presence of all those we love who have gone before us. Saint Padre Pio’s experiences with those who had died are to be found in the hundreds of books written about him. (Many of those books were written by me, by the way, by God’s grace and the intercession of St. Padre Pio and Our Lady and my Holy Guardian Angel.) Madame Katharina Tangari, in her book Stories of Padre Pio, (TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.), says that Saint Padre Pio’s life and mystical experiences with the “dead-in-Christ” should encourage us to “walk simply and naturally in the domain of the supernatural.” Madame Katharina, who visited Padre Pio more than seventy times, said that whatever St. Padre Pio does, “is rooted in Jesus Christ, which is why it becomes so efficacious [effective]. Even from afar, he can become for us God’s supernatural instrument, and as such he guides us, so that from time to time, we too may become little instruments of God’s providence and mercy.”
Even though he is now in Heaven, in that “afar” Madame Katharina just mentioned, Saint Padre Pio can do more for you today than he could while on Earth. What are your fears and concerns? What illnesses do you carry? What troubles are bombarding you and your loved ones? Look up. Padre Pio is smiling at you, waiting for you to ask him to intercede with Jesus Christ for you. Tell Padre Pio your troubles and ask him to help you. He will certainly do whatever he can for you. If you happen to smell a sweet aroma anytime soon, and the aroma seems to have no natural origin, know that it is a sign from Padre Pio that he has heard your prayer and is doing what he can for you. He is now closer than ever to the Source of Life, the Ruler of All Nature, Jesus Christ Himself.
I love you, dear friend. “Pray, hope, and don’t worry,” as St. Padre Pio always said.
Please let me end with a blessing just for you from Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume 2: “May Jesus be in your heart; may He bless you, console you, and smile upon you! Amen.”

Your Prayers are Perfume for God

2011-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello, my dear friend. Perhaps you’ve been feeling burdened? You can give those burdens to Jesus, you know, but don’t take my word for it. Let me share Saint Padre Pio’s words with you, his encouragement, because the words of Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist-priest, never go out of date; they can always lift up your spirit and speak to your heart and soul. Like the precious eternal all-powerful words of Holy Scripture, the words of all of God’s holy Saints echo His truths to us. But before I share with you some of Saint Pio’s words let me begin with The Truth, the Word of God:
“…in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of
facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all
things in Him who strengthens me. …my God will supply every
need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
(Philippians 4:12-19)
Now, for Saint Padre Pio’s words for you today: “I tell you,” says Padre Pio, “Let not your heart be troubled, as Jesus Himself said. Yes, do not let your heart be troubled in the hour of trial, because Jesus has promised His real assistance to those who follow Him. Therefore, remember Jesus when you are in the hour of trial. Turn to Him and you will always obtain relief, gaining and singing external victory.” (Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume 3)
Let me end with one more bit of encouragement for you, which I just found in my friend Dorothy Gaudiose’s book, Prophet of the People, on page 165. Dorothy was my close friend and worked for Padre Pio for three years at his monastery in Italy. Here are a few of his words that Dorothy recorded in her book: “Prayer must be insistent inasmuch as insistence denotes faith. The prayers of the Saints in Heaven and of just souls on earth are perfume that will never fade.”

There—your prayers, my dear friend in Christ, are perfume for our dear Lord Jesus. I can smell the sweet aroma rising as you lift your heart to Him. He loves you, and so do I. Amen!

Peace and Joy in This Life and the Next

2011-08-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today you might be interested in hearing about Saint Padre Pio’s gift of prophecy. God gave him the ability to sometimes foresee future events. For example, Padre Pio would often tell a couple what the sex of their unborn child would be or when a certain individual was going to be healed of a specific affliction. Sometimes, if a person really wanted to know when he was going to die, Saint Padre Pio—with his usual calm and faith and clarity—would share the day or week of death with that individual. One day after Mass at his mountain monastery in Southern Italy, Padre Pio turned to one of the policeman who had been assigned as a bodyguard for him and said, smiling as usual, “I’d like to see you in my cell after I finish here and after I make my thanksgiving.”
Happy that the famous stigmatist-priest wanted to see him personally, the policeman smiled and waited with joyful expectation outside St. Padre Pio’s cell.
Soon Padre Pio arrived and invited the policeman into his cell where he gently informed him, “Within a week you will go home to visit your parents and there you shall die.”
Imagine the policeman’s shock at Padre Pio’s words. “But I’m well and never felt better,” said the policeman.
“My son,” said Padre Pio to him, “don’t worry. What is this life? A pilgrimage. We’re all on a pilgrimage, my son. Ask for a leave of absence and go home to take care of your affairs. Tomorrow you’re going to die. Your parents love you and need to know.”
After Padre Pio spoke to the policeman’s superiors for him, the young policeman received a leave of absence. When the policeman arrived home, he told his parents, “Padre Pio told me I’m going to die, so I came to say goodbye to you and tell you how much I love you.” A week later he died.
Why did I share such a sad event with you today? I wanted you to know that if you have recently experienced the loss of a close friend or relative, do not fear. That person is with the Lord. And to prove to you that what I say is true, let me please quote Saint Padre Pio’s Letters, Volume 3, pages 729-30:
“Live tranquilly, always…. This present life is given to us in order to acquire the eternal, and due to a lack of reflection, we base our affections on that which pertains to this world through which we are passing, so that when we have to leave it we are frightened and agitated. Believe me, in order to live happily while on pilgrimage, we must keep before our eyes the hope of arriving at our Homeland where we will stay for eternity. And in the meantime we should believe this firmly, because given that it is God who calls us to Himself, He watches how we make our way to Him, and He will never permit anything to happen to us that is not for our greater good. He knows what we are, and He will extend His paternal hand to us while we are going through rough stretches, so that nothing will prevent us from running quickly to Him. … He has defended you up to now. Simply hold on tightly to the hand of His divine Providence, and He will help you in all events….”
May Saint Padre Pio, the miracle worker and stigmatist, intercede with Jesus to obtain for you, my dear friend, the peace and healing and joy you need in this life. And may Padre Pio intercede with Jesus also to obtain for you joy and peace and health in the next life where you will be forever with those you love who have gone before you. Amen!

Saint Padre Pio Tells You: "Jesus Has EXcused You!"

2011-08-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Perhaps today you would enjoy hearing Saint Padre Pio’s own words in answer to specific questions people posed to him?
For example, one day a friend asked Padre Pio, “The strong woman God talks about in the Bible, what is that woman like?” Saint Padre Pio answered, “She is a woman who fears God, who even at the cost of sacrifice does God’s will.”

Another time a person asked Padre Pio, “Father Pio, is it okay to criticize a man who blasphemes?” Saint Pio answered, “It is very holy and very right.”

Someone wanted to know why Jesus said to His disciples that He would go and prepare a place for them in Heaven. Saint Pio answered, “Because this is what He did after the Resurrection.” The person then asked, “Did He do this for us too?” And Padre Pio answered, “For everybody!”

One friend asked Padre Pio, “I’m worried that Jesus, because of my sins, has accused me before His Father. Has He accused me, Padre Pio?” And what did Padre Pio reply? He said, with a tender smile, “No, He has EXcused you, instead!”

And may I end today, my dear friend in Christ, with a verse from the Bible that backs up totally what Saint Padre Pio just said? Here it is: “If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Amen, and thank You, Jesus, my Lord and my God.

Little-Known Facts about St. Padre Pio and You

2011-08-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today, let me please share with you a little about Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist, priest, healer, prophet, lover of God. In addition to the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified (the stigmata) which Padre Pio bore in his hands, feet, and side for fifty long years, he also was given, by God, other spiritual gifts such as bilocation (the ability to be in more than one place at one time) and the gift of healing. Through the latter gift, Christ healed those who sought Padre Pio’s help, whether the healing was physical or, most importantly, spiritual. Today I’ll share with you some little-known facts about Padre Pio.
You may already know that Padre Pio was born in a little town in southern Italy called Pietrelcina, but did you know that the name was originally “Pretapucina,” which meant “stone hen”? The name came from the stone found in the foundation of the baronial chapel at Pietrelcina on which was chiseled a hen and her chicks.
Beginning at age five, Padre Pio began to have visions of the Mother of God, and you may already know that fact, but do you know that, at that young age, Padre Pio, little Francesco Forgione, as he was then known, also had visions of Jesus and the Devil? It seems, even at that tender age, God was drawing Francesco to Himself in many special ways.
Yes, Jesus, Our Lady, and even the Devil began to appear to St. Padre Pio at age five, and continued to appear to him throughout his eighty-some years, and perhaps you even knew all of that, but did you know that the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to Padre Pio when he was only five? Yes, in the church now called St. Anne in Pietrelcina, the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to Padre Pio at the main altar of the church and beckoned to him, begging him to come to the altar. There, Jesus put His Hand on little Francesco Forgione’s head, showing His approval of the fact that Francesco had recently consecrated himself to Jesus.
Now, do not fear, dear friend in Christ! If you consecrate yourself to Jesus, chances are slim-to-none that the Devil will appear to you. But Jesus Himself will “appear” to you in your heart. He will draw you close to His own Heart where you will find love, healing, and rest. Please go to Him now and abandon yourself totally in Him. He will never fail you. That is a promise. In fact, here are St. Padre Pio’s own words to you from his Letters, Volume Two, pages 69–70: “Oh! Trust in Him and do not be afraid, for you have no reason whatever to fear. Our most tender Savior has not forsaken you….”
And our most tender Savior will never forsake you!

2011-07-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

Padre Pio: A City On a Mountain, written by Pascal P. Parente, STD, PhD, JCB, relates true events in the life of Saint Padre Pio, the stigmatist who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years. (Padre Pio also had many other spiritual gifts from God, including bilocation—the ability to be in more than one place at a time.) Pascal Parente, Professor of Ascetical and Mystical Theology at the Catholic University of America, wrote his book circa 1958, when Padre Pio had already suffered through forty of the fifty years of his stigmatization. Pascal observed first-hand the life of Padre Pio, so we can trust what he wrote in Padre Pio: A City On a Mountain. Now out of print, the book came to me via my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose who worked for Padre Pio at his Italian monastery for three years. Please allow me to now share some of the true details about Padre Pio’s life as recounted in Pascal’s book:

During the fifty years of his stigmatization, Padre Pio led an austere, holy life, witnessed by millions of people who traveled from all over the world to see and hear him; to ask for his prayers; to be healed by God through Padre Pio’s intercession; to receive the Body and Blood of Christ during Mass from St. Padre Pio’s stigmatized hand. God was able to use Padre Pio in mighty ways because Padre Pio gave up everything to follow Christ, and also because Padre Pio daily “emptied” himself of himself through sacrifices and through his austere lifestyle. Pascal Parente, in his book, says that Padre Pio ate very little each day. “According to Dr. Festa,” wrote Pascal, “who personally observed Padre Pio at table many times in his repeated visits to the monastery, the nourishment he takes was extremely meager.” Pascal went on to say that Padre Pio ate no breakfast, drank no milk at any time, had one noonday meal at which he ate mostly vegetables. He ate meat and eggs “only rarely. Certain meats he avoided entirely.” But did Padre Pio’s meager eating cause him sickness? According to Pascal, “His health is perfect, and he continues his heavy schedule without the least indication of a breakdown.”

In addition to his meager diet, Padre Pio, according to Pascal, did “not sleep more than three or four hours, and generally rose at 3:30 a.m.” At that time Padre Pio said “the Little Hours” and prepared for Mass in his monastery cell.

St. Padre Pio voluntarily-made sacrifices, such as those I mentioned above, helped Padre Pio to empty himself of himself, as I said earlier, so that God could better use him to help all those in need who came to the Padre for help. But I haven’t mentioned those sacrifices, those austerities of Padre Pio in order to make you think you, dear friend in Christ, should also practice those austerities. No! Living well your daily life as best you can, carrying your cross daily as Christ asks you to do, and following in Christ’s footsteps—these will help you to lead a holy life and to grow closer to Jesus. You don’t need to add any austerities to those. But for you and for all, St. Padre Pio—and the other Saints of God—offered up extra austerities and prayers to God so that He could better use them to help others, to help you! So, do you have a great need today? Is a loved one or friend, too, in need of a miracle? What if you take your needs—and theirs—to St. Padre Pio? He’ll hear your plea; trust me. And he’ll do whatever he can for you. Remember this truth: he is now in Heaven and so he is now closer than ever to the Source of Life, the Ruler of All Nature, Jesus Christ, God. As Padre Pio always said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”

I love you, my friend.

Saint Padre Pio Tells Us How to Pray

2011-07-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

According to Dorothy Gaudiose, a close friend of mine who worked three years for Saint Padre Pio at his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy: one day an elderly woman in a long black dress grabbed Padre Pio’s sleeve while he stood in the monastery hallway after saying Mass. “Please tell me how to pray,” she pleaded with him. “I’m always distracted by something.”

“Don’t be voluntarily distracted,” Padre Pio told her kindly, “but if you are distracted unintentionally, continue to pray, and you will have great merit, for Our Savior knows that you are not an angel praying to Him, but a poor woman. Go on praying without ceasing. And when you find it difficult to concentrate, don’t waste more time stopping to consider the why and the wherefore. It’s like a traveler who loses his way. As soon as he realizes he is on the wrong road, he immediately sets himself on the right road again. So you must continue to meditate without stopping to reflect on your lack of concentration.”

According to Dorothy, Padre Pio advises that we place ourselves in God’s Presence whenever we pray. “The first reason for that,” he said, is to render to God the honor we owe Him. This can be done without Him speaking to us or us to Him. Our obligation of honoring God is fulfilled in recognizing that He is our God and we His humble servants, prostrate in spirit, awaiting His commands. … The second reason is that we may speak to Him and hear His voice through His inspiration and illumination. … When God answers us, He spreads over us a thousand precious soothing and fragrant oils which bring great joy to the soul.” (Dorothy Gaudiose, Prophet of the People)

May you, my sweet friend in Christ Jesus, enjoy the beautiful fruits of prayer, all the days of your life. And remember what Saint Padre Pio always said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Amen.

A True Story of Healing through St. Padre Pio's Intercession

2011-07-12T09:51:00.001-07:00

Are you suffering because of something someone said or did to you? Saint Padre Pio said, “Suffer with patience all the iniquities you receive from your fellow people, because God will reward you with His Love in Heaven—tenfold.” (page 49 in PADRE PIO AS I KNEW HIM, by Lina Pancaro) That is so hard to do, though, isn’t it? To love those who are less-than-nice to us. Nevertheless, we can do it, if we ask for divine help, and we can get that help through the intercession of St. Padre Pio, so why don’t we simply ask for it? If you do that, if you ask for the help you need—for anything at all—Jesus is sure to help you through His servant St. Padre Pio. Padre Pio bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years—in his hands, feet, and side—which can be for us a sign of God’s Presence and Love in our world. If you go to Padre Pio and ask for his intercession, don’t be surprised if you smell soon a sweet odor that doesn’t seem to have a natural origin. That odor is a sign that Padre Pio has heard your prayers and will see what he can do for you.

Here is a true story Lina Pancaro tells in her book which I mentioned above. This story backs up the truth about the sweet odors people often smell after asking for St. Padre Pio’s help. “Believe me,” wrote Lina, “such messages from Padre Pio [the sweet odors] my family has experienced.

“Our fifth daughter Fernanda had been admitted to the hospital for the birth of her first child. …” Fernanda soon delivered a “darling little girl.” But suddenly Lina received the startling phone call, “the ugliest shock in my life,” said Lina. Fernanda was calling her mother Lina from her hospital bed to tell her she was “going through hell.” Fernanda was going through what the doctors called a “postpartum psychosis” She was on the verb of losing her mind.

When Lina and her husband arrived at the hospital, she suddenly noticed that her husband was a nervous wreck over Fernanda’s dire condition. “He knew better than I did what could happen,” said Lina. “God forbid—a daughter in a mental institution, a small baby to be taken care of! It was indeed a very difficult situation.”

Then, Lina’s husband looked at her “with a perplexed expression and said, ‘Do you note a beautiful aroma of flowers?’” Lina did not smell anything, but she looked around to see if there was a bouquet of flowers anywhere that someone may have brought to the hospital for a sick person. No. No flowers in sight.

“You must be imagining things,” Lina told him.

“Oh, no,” he said, “I am sure it is a SIGN. I was just making a supplication to Padre Pio, thinking how you once told me in San Giovanni Rotondo [where St. Padre Pio lived in his monastery]—during a time when I was discouraged—not to fear, and that our children would be St. Padre Pio’s children, too, if I entrusted them into his care. So a few moments ago, here at the hospital, I said to him, ‘Please now help us, Padre Pio.’”

Moments later, when Lina and her husband entered their daughter’s hospital room, they were appalled to find her delirious and hallucinating. “She was so confused,” said Lina, “she kept saying that the nurses were ‘out to get her.’ I recall one particular nurse who said to us, ‘She is so angry with all of us, she tells us all to get the hell out of the room!’ We are afraid to go near her. She is so strong, she tore the drapes around her bed yesterday, and she even scratched the doctor! But we understand that she is going through a very, very bad state of psychosis.’ The doctors wanted Fernanda to have shock treatment, but her husband would not allow it.

Lina felt sorry for the doctor and nurses. Her husband had brought a book with Padre Pio’s picture on it to the hospital, and before he and Lina left, he put the book in Fernanda’s hands. She burst into tears. That night a “very strong fragrance of flowers enveloped the room, in spite of the fact that no flowers were present, none even in the hallway. Lina and her husband believed the fragrance was another sign that Padre Pio was answering her husband’s plea.

“To shorten the story,” said Lina, “I can assure you our daughter left the hospital with a darling little angel. Today the child is six and my daughter is well and her usual self. She had NO shock treatment, no tranquilizers, no medicine of any kind. … We firmly believe that Padre Pio helped us through this storm.” (pages 49-52, in PADRE PIO AS I KNEW HIM, by Lina Pancaro)

Do you have a great need today? Just ask St. Padre Pio to help you, and he will. After all, he is now closer than ever to the Source of Life, the Ruler of All Nature, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our God. And if, as you await an answer, you smell the sweet aroma of flowers that seems to have no natural origin, it is indeed a sign from St. Padre Pio that he is interceding for you with our Divine Lord.

Love,
Eileen
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Saint Padre Pio's Love for the Mother of God

2011-07-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Please let me share with you today the truth about Saint Padre Pio’s love for the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God.

Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatist who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years, intensely loved Jesus' mother. Padre Pio began having visions of her when he was only five years old in his home in Pietrelcina, Italy. In later years, when he shared about his visions with a fellow friar, the friar said, "But why didn't you tell us sooner about seeing Our Lady?" St. Padre Pio replied, "I thought everyone saw her!"

Padre Pio liked to call Our Lady "My little Mother," or "La mia Madonnina" in his native Italian. Often when he spoke to others about her, tears would flow from his eyes, his love was so intense. But did he love her more than he loved Jesus, her divine Son? He said to Our Lady, "You are so beautiful and sweet, if we humans did not know better, we would make you into a goddess." But Padre Pio never placed her above Jesus, above God. He knew she was a creature, just as he was a creature.

One day he said, "She treats me as if I were her only child on earth!" As Padre Pio always did, if you, my dear friend in Christ, turn to Our Lady right now and ask for her intercession, for her help, she will never fail you. How can she? She is always in the Presence of the Source of Life, the Ruler of All Nature, her Son, the One she bore in her womb. She is the Ark of the New Covenant (see Revelations). She is the New Eve. (See Genesis.)

Please take encouragement from St. Padre Pio. Even though he led a virtuous life, constantly in touch with God and Our Lady and his Holy Guardian Angel, he still needed to pray—all the time. He carried his rosary beads with him everywhere. He called them "our weapon." Even if you never pray the rosary, please seriously consider carrying rosary beads with you. They have the Cross of Christ Crucified on them, the sign of faith that the devil and all evil spirits hate. St. Padre Pio said, "Hold on tightly to your rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus."

And if we have Jesus, we have Everything! Amen.

A True Bilocation Story About Saint Padre Pio

2011-06-28T05:22:00.001-07:00

In 1958, in his book Padre Pio: A City On a Mountain, Pascal P. Parente (STD, PhD, JCB, Professor of Ascetical and Mystical Theology at the Catholic University of America) told a true story about Padre Pio and his gift of bilocation, the ability to be in more than one place at one time. Today I’d like to share that true story with you.

“The late Monsignor D’Indico of Florence,” wrote Pascal Parente, “reported that his sister was dying of typhus, despite the best of medical care. On July 20, 1921, she was in a coma. The Monsignor was alone in his office when suddenly he felt that someone was standing behind him. He looked around and saw a friar who suddenly disappeared.”

According to Pascal Parente, the Monsignor left his office, and when he spotted one of his chaplains, he told him immediately about his strange experience of feeling as if someone—and invisible someone—were standing behind him in his office. The chaplain told the Monsignor that he had hallucinated all of it because of his great concern about his dying sister. But later the two men went together to visit the Monsignor’s sister and, to their surprise, found the woman no longer in a coma! In fact, she was totally out of any danger of dying.

“Even more surprising,” wrote Pascal Parente, “the Monsignor’s sister, from her hospital bed, told them that a friar, Saint Padre Pio, had come into her room and spoken to her [before she started to suddenly get well].”

Padre Pio, transported in spirit by God’s Holy Spirit, had entered the woman’s hospital room and told her not to be afraid. “Your fever will disappear tomorrow,” he said, “and in a few days no trace of your sickness will be left.”

According to Pascal Parente, the woman said to Padre Pio, “But Father, you must be a saint!”

“No,” he replied, “I am a creature whom the Lord uses for His mercies.”

The woman asked Padre Pio if she could kiss his brown Capuchin habit. But he told her to, instead, kiss the bleeding wounds on his hands, because they were the “marks of the Passion” of Christ Crucified. (Padre Pio bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side for fifty long years!) After the woman kissed his hands, he blessed her.

The next day the woman felt completely well, and a week later she was “completely cured,” according to Pascal Parente.

Do you or someone you love need a healing today, my dear friend in Christ? Please turn to Saint Padre Pio and tell him of your needs. Pour out your heart to him. He will indeed hear you and do whatever he can for you. Now, in Heaven, he is closer than ever to the Source of Life, the Ruler of All Nature, Christ Our Lord and Savior. If, after you ask for St. Padre Pio’s intercession, you smell a sweet odor that seems to have no natural source, know that it is a sign from Padre Pio that he will answer your prayers in one way or another. “All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.” Everything, my friend. Everything.

I love you,
Eileen
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Saint Padre Pio's Mysterious Handprint on the Window

2011-06-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to share a true story with you from Father Alessio Parente's book titled Padre Pio: Our Good Samaritan. Father Alessio was one of Saint Padre Pio's fellow monks at the monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, and was also a dear friend and "bodyguard" of Padre Pio during the Padre's last years. I corresponded with Father Alessio and have enjoyed his many books about Padre Pio. Now, from his Padre Pio: Our Good Samaritan, I bring you the following true story:

“In July, 1957, Father Placido of San Marco in Lamis, Italy, a friend of Padre Pio’s from his novitiate and student days, was urgently hospitalized, in Foggia, near the monastery. Father Placido had an acute form of cirrhosis of the liver. His condition deteriorated, despite medical treatment. One night, Father Placido saw Padre Pio [in spirit, because Padre Pio never physically left the monastery, so Jesus had to very often transport him in spirit to get to people God wanted Padre Pio to help—that gift is called ‘bilocation’]. That night Padre Pio appeared beside Father Placido’s hospital bed, speaking to him, urging him to have patience; comforting him and assuring him of his recovery. Then Placido saw Padre Pio go towards the window of the hospital room, place his hand on the glass, and disappear.

“In the morning when Fr. Placido woke up,” continued Fr. Alessio Parente, “he felt better; he remembered the welcome visit of the night before and now looked toward the window. He was surprised to see the mark of a hand on the glass. He got out of bed and approached the window to examine the mark carefully, close up. He recognized Padre Pio’s handprint [because Padre Pio bore the ever-bleeding wounds of Christ for fifty years in his hands, feet, and side]. Fr. Placido was then convinced that Padre Pio’s visit had not been a dream, but reality. He told the whole story to the nuns, the nurses, and the hospital staff.

“The news spread throughout the city, and immediately there was a rush of friends and people to the hospital to see the mark of Padre Pio’s hands.” (A true story from Fr. Alessio Parente, OFM Capuchin’s Padre Pio: Our Good Samaritan.)

The above story is only one example of the many wonderful things God did through St. Padre Pio—and continues to do through St. Padre Pio. Do you need a healing or a blessing of any kind today? Do your loved ones have an urgent need? Please look up at St. Padre Pio, because he’s there, waiting to intercede for you with Jesus. Our Saint is so close now to the Source of Life, the Great Physician, the Ruler of All Nature, now that Padre Pio is in Heaven. Turn to him. He’ll do what he can for you, my friend.

With love and prayer for you,
Eileen Dunn Bertanzetti

Those Who Knew St. Padre Pio

2011-06-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

From my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose who worked for St. Padre Pio for three years in Italy, I "inherited" hundreds of books, now out of print, about Padre Pio. (From those books I’ve been able to write many of my own books about Padre Pio—by God’s grace working through Padre Pio’s intercession—and get them published by Our Sunday Visitor, The Word Among Us Press, and Pauline Books & Media. Of course I’ve had the faithful help of my Holy Guardian Angel and Our Lady, too. You can find more about my books and publishers online at my Facebook page, blog, and website.) I'm always thrilled to find personal accounts of people who actually knew St. Padre Pio. Right now I have with me a little book by Lina Pancaro, titled "Padre Pio As I Knew Him." Let me share a few tidbits from her book with you today.

One day Lina and her friend were on their way up the mountain in Southern Italy toward Padre Pio's church, Santa Maria delle Grazie. "We passed the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (Home for the Relief of Suffering)," wrote Lina, "a grandioso edifice erected stone upon stone. [The hospital was a result totally of St. Padre Pio's brave idea and promotional work on its behalf.] I should stress," continued Lina, "that all building material was brought to the abandoned mountain by mules on the then-dirt road, miles and miles from Foggia [the nearest town]. The sight of this beautiful hospital was truly like a mirage in the desert: the miracle of a poor, humble monk, the Stigmatist, Padre Pio. One really wonders how so much material could have been brought up, tons and tons of it, all by man and beast. This, too, I thought to myself, was a miracle.

"The tiny Church was already half filled with people, the early comers, and Padre Pio was hearing confessions. The altar of Saint Francis of Assisi had been tastefully decorated with flowers, beautiful ones sent from faraway places by the many devotees of Padre Pio. The church was ablaze with candles—and made all present so happy. The noon hour soon approached and we were told to quickly get into the little corridor, where Padre Pio would come to the door and recite with us the Angelus. The door opened. I was so confused to see him standing there with the brown wool mittens over his hands [the gloves were fingertipless], to cover the Stigmata he bore. [He bore the Stigmata, the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified, for fifty years!] We pushed toward him," said Lina, "so that we could be nearer to him and ask for his prayers and blessings. He smiled and blessed us all. The few who were in the front row reached for his hand to kiss it. Others were invoking him for prayers in their illness. Many were visibly moved and weeping. He was so happy today. Here, truly, was a man of God. A man God had sent to us bearing the wounds of Christ Jesus."

Today, my dear friend in Christ, you, too, can ask St. Padre Pio for his prayers and blessing. He is now in heaven, but ever-closer to Jesus, the Great Physician. Now St. Padre Pio can ask Our Lord for what it is that you need. Simply take your requests to Padre Pio. He'll do what he can for you. Be sure to wait with great expectation for something good to happen. And if you should happen to smell a sweet aroma that seems to have no natural source, you can be sure that it is a sign that St. Padre Pio has heard your prayer.

Have a great day! I love you.

2011-06-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XV was in favor of St. Padre Pio. He believed in the genuineness of Padre Pio's spiritual gifts, which included the stigmata (the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified which Padre Pio bore for fifty long years); bilocation (the ability to be in more than one place at a time); prophecy; and even levitation, which was witnessed by fellow priests and monks. According to Dorothy M. Gaudiose, in her book PROPHET OF THE PEOPLE, "In 1921 Pope Benedict said to a group of lawyers, 'Padre Pio is indeed an extraordinary man. He is one of those whom God sends from time to time to convert mankind. Take on the task of making him better known. He is not appreciated as he deserves.'"

My friend Dorothy and I have worked to do exactly that by writing books about Saint Padre Pio--all by God's grace through the intercession of Padre Pio and our holy Angels and Our Lady. Dorothy worked for Padre Pio for three years at his monastery in Italy, and now here is more of what she says in her book about Pope Benedict XV and Padre Pio: "Many of the faithful shared the Pope's good sentiments about Padre Pio, but not all. One skeptic was a bishop who was a member of the pope's advisory staff. 'You've been badly informaed about Padre Pio,' he told the pope. But the pope wasn't convinced and asked him to go to San Giovanni Rotondo [the location of Padre Pio's monastery in Italy] and see the stigmatist for himself.

"The bishop arrived at the railway station," continued Dorothy, "and was greeted by two young Capuchin monks, brother monks of Padre Pio. 'Who told you that I was coming?' the bishop asked them. He was utterly amazed.

"'Padre Pio told us,' they answered.

"'This is incredible!' the bishop exclaimed. 'No one except His Holiness knew I was coming.'

"'I only know,' said one of the friars, 'that Padre Pio told us to go to the railway station and greet the bishiop who was coming to San Giovanni Rotondo, sent by the Holy Father.'

"The bishop was dumbfounded. He threw up his hands and said, 'Please tell Padre Pio that I'm not coming to see him, that I'm going to take the next train back to Rome, because if he knew of this, then he knows how bitterly I've felt about him and all the damaging things I have done against him with my tongue.'

"The Capuchins went back and told Padre Pio. He nodded, not the least surprised." (PROPHET OF THE PEOPLE, by Dorothy M. Gaudiose)

Even now, Saint Padre Pio can know exactly what you, my dear friend in Christ, are doing and what you need. He wants to help you. He can do more for you now than when he was here on earth, because now he is so much closer to the Source of Life, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Ruler of All Nature. All you have to do is speak to St. Padre Pio and tell him your needs. He really cares about you. He will do for you what he can. Just wait and see.

In the meantime, as Padre Pio always said, "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

I love you. Have a great day!

Reach Out and Touch Jesus' Cloak

2011-05-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

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

The Life of Padre Pio: A Mystery of Love

2011-05-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

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.

Miracle Through St. Padre Pio's Intercession

2011-05-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-05-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

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)

Words of Saint Padre Pio

2011-05-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

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

Saint Padre Pio on the Holy Trinity

2011-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I hope your Easter was fabulous. This week I thought I'd share with you Saint Padre Pio's explanation of the Holy Trinity. Of course no one can totally understand the Trinity, but the Saints, such as Padre Pio, try to help us as much as they can by sharing, as best they can, what God has revealed to their hearts and souls during contemplation, which of course cannot be totally explained or expressed using human language. Nevertheless, here is what St. Padre Pio said, and I am using Dorothy Gaudiose's words, since she worked for three years in Italy for him and was my dear friend:

“In 1922,” said Dorothy, “a young girl by the name of Giovannina Rizziani, had her faith tested by her teachers, some of whom did not believe in God. Troubled in mind, the girl went to Confession to Padre Pio and asked him a question about the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

"Using language that was simple enough to be readily understood by a young girl," continued Dorothy, "he proceeded to give the following explanation: 'My daughter, when a housewife makes bread, what does she use? Three different ingredient; flour, yeast, and water. She kneads the dough, which has been mixed and formed into one single substance. She uses this dough to make three loaves of bread. Each loaf is of the same substance, yet separate from the other two. From this example, we can proceed to God, who is one Being, and at the same time, He is Three Persons, each one equal yet distinct from the other two. God the Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. God the Father begets the Son; the Son proceeds from the Father; and the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son. They are three individual beings, equal and at the same time distinct. Nevertheless, they are one God only, because the Divine Nature is unique and identical.'

"Elaborating upon this mystery of faith,” concluded Dorothy, “Padre Pio, who had been inspired by God, was easily able to dissipate the doubts that had troubled the girl."

If you ever have doubts about God, my dear friend, simply ask St. Padre Pio to help you to let go of those doubts and to let God fill you with faith in Himself, since "faith is a gift," according to the New Testament, “lest any should boast.” Simply ask God, through St. Padre Pio’s intercession, to give you that gift. God will do it.

May the Resurrected Christ hold you always in the palm of His loving hand! Amen.

I love you, dear friend, and will talk to you again next week. In the meantime, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry,” as St. Padre Pio always said.

Saint Padre Pio's Mass

2011-04-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today I’d like to share with you about St. Padre Pio’s Mass. Dorothy Gaudiose, my dear friend, assisted at many of Padre Pio’s Masses in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, at his monastery, because she worked for him for three years. Therefore, I would like to use her own words, since I know they are the truth.

“What moved people the most was the manner in which Padre Pio celebrated Holy Mass,” said Dorothy. “It is difficult, and indeed nearly impossible, to describe the Mass of Padre Pio. Many have tried without too much success, because he was not an ordinary priest, but a creature in pain, who renewed the Passion of Christ with the devotion and radiance of one who is inspired by God.

“Padre Pio celebrated a daily Mass at 5 a.m.,” continued Dorothy. “And nearly a thousand persons from all over the world came every morning, in all kinds of weather, to be present for it. When the hour of Mass approached, Padre Pio could be seen coming, hobbling painfully on his pierced feet. In one of his writings, he related how the Madonna [the Mother of Christ] had accompanied him to the altar that very morning: ‘You’d think,’ he wrote, ‘She had nothing else to do.’ Padre Pio was very humble.

“When he reached the altar,” said Dorothy, “and made the Sign of the Cross, he seemed to pass into ecstasy. This ecstasy spread throughout the crowd and held it spellbound.

“During the Mass, suffering shone through his features, and all could see the painful contractions of his body, especially when he leaned on the altar and genuflected, as though he bore the weight of the Cross. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and from his mouth came words of prayer, of supplication for pardon, of love for his Lord Jesus of Whom he seemed to be a perfect replica [because Padre Pio suffered the pain and constant bleeding of the Stigmata—the five wounds of Christ Crucified in his hands, feet, and side—for fifty years.]”

About the Mass, St. Padre Pio once said, “I should like to shed, not a few tears, but torrents of tears when faced with the mystery of a God-Victim. During the Mass, I suffer unworthily all that was suffered by Jesus, Who deigned to allow me to share in His great enterprise of human redemption.” (St. Padre Pio’s Letters.)

Let me continue with Dorothy’s own account now: “The only time Padre Pio removed the fingerless gloves that covered the wounds in his hands was to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass. At the Consecration, the wounds in his hands bled, and all those present witnessed this spectacle.

“Also, none of those present,” said Dorothy, “noticed the passage of time. It took Padre Pio about one and one-half hours to say Mass, but the attention of all was riveted on every gesture, movement, and expression of St. Padre Pio., the celebrant.”

Next week, my dear friend, I will share with how Padre Pio explained the Holy Trinity, and how St. Pio guided souls. You know, don’t you, that Padre Pio will guide you too? Oh course he will! Just ask him. Let him put peace in your heart, which he can obtain for you from Our Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t forget Padre Pio’s words: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”

Until next week—and forever—you’ll be in my prayers. Love, Eileen

St. Padre Pio's Stigmata: Part 3

2011-04-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hi! The past two weeks I have shared with you about St. Padre Pio's stigmata, the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified, which Padre Pio bore in his hands, feet, and side for fifty (yes, 50) years, until only days before his death. I've told you about the wounds in his feet and hands; today I'll share with you about the wound in his side. Since my dear and close friend, Dorothy Gaudiose, worked for Padre Pio for three years at his monastery in Italy, and since she gave me written permission to quote her little booklet she wrote about him, let me share her own words with you, since she is an eyewitness:

"The chest wound," says Dorothy, "was two and three-quarter inches in length with a tapering line, not appreciably deep, but it was bloody and had the shape of an inverted cross. It was located about one inch below the left nipple, close to the border of the heart, and offered the same characteristics as the other wounds, with a flow of arterial blood. The edge of the lesion showed it was not superficial. The tissue that surrounded the lesion was not inflamed, but it was painful at the slightest touch. Although this chest wound was superficial in appearance, Dr. Giorgio Festa said that he witnessed drops of blood trickling in greater quantity from the side wound than from the other four wounds. [See my last two weeks of notes which contain information about Dr. Festa.] According to the records at the monastery," says Dorothy, "Padre Pio lost about a teacupful of blood a day. [For fifty years!]

"Whenever people suggested that the stigmata were caused by too great a concentration on Christ's passion," continues Dorothy, "Padre Pio told them, 'Go out to the fields and look very closely at a bull. Concentrate with all your might. Do this and see if horns grow on your head.'

"It is interesting to know," says Dorothy, "that three months before Padre Pio's death, the wounds began to gradually emit less and less blood, and on the day he died, September 23, 1968, the wounds had completely closed.

[Let me add here, to Dorothy's account, that after his death, no scars were ever seen on Padre Pio's hands, feet, and side, where the stigmata had been for fifty years. Therefore, it is obvious that his wounds were not self-inflicted, which is what some misinformed individuals declared. There is also proof abounding that Padre Pio did not psychologically induce the wounds into his own flesh, but I don't have time today to go into details. I might do that, though, in another posting, if you would like me to so.]

Now I continue with Dorothy's eyewitness account: "The first day that the body of Padre Pio was viewed in the church [after his September 23rd death], his hands could be seen, and the wounds were closed, but after the first day, the friars put on his hands the brown fingerless mittens that people were used to seeing on his hands, and he was buried with them."

Next week, I will share with you how St. Padre Pio celebrated Mass, and how he regularly went into ecstasy during Mass and how people could see blood dripping at times from his wounded hands. (He only appeared in public without the fingerless gloves while saying Mass.) By the way, sometimes before Mass he would levitate. This was witnessed by his fellow priests. Over the next weeks and years, God willing, I will continue to share with you many wondrous things God has done and does and will do, through Saint Padre Pio's intercession.

Until next week, "Pray, hope, and don't worry," as Padre Pio always said.

My love to you, dear friend!

The Stigmata of St. Padre Pio

2011-04-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

According to my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose who worked for St. Padre Pio, "The first person to be sent to make a medical report on Padre Pio's stigmata [the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified which he bore for fifty years] was Dr. Luigi Romanelli. After fifteen visits, the doctor felt obliged to state that he had been unable to discover a scientific explanation that would authorize him to classify such wounds.

"Among other doctors sent from the Vatican who examined Padre Pio's wounds were: Dr. Amico Bignami, an atheist, and Dr. Giorgio Festa, a good Christian.

"Dr. Bignami was left puzzled by the wounds, but Dr. Festa concluded that the five bleeding wounds on the body of Padre Pio corresponded to: 'The five parts of Our Lord's body that He offered up in His supreme sacrifice to faith. They can only constitute a mystery for those unable to see a connection between natural truth and the truths of faith and religion.'

"But the honor of bearing these bleeding wounds brought much sorrow to Padre Pio. Above the door of his room were written these words: 'The Glory of the World has Sorrow for its companion.'

"The wounds, or the stigmata, as described by Dr. Luigi Romanelli, the first medical doctor to examine him, is as follows: 'The wounds in his hands were almost circular in shape with clean-cut borders, having a diameter of little more than two centimeters or three-quarters of an inch. These lesions were covered by red-brown scabs, and there was no bleeding point, no edema, and no inflammatory reaction in the surrounding tissue. The wounds in his feet present identical characteristics as those in his hands, but are wider at the tip.'

"The red-brown scabs were produced by the progressive drying of blood that flowed from them continuously for fifty years, and these scabs, from time to time, fell off and revealed the wounds in all their details. Their contours were so clean that even under a magnifying glass they produced no edema or reddening. When soft, the scabs detached themselves first from the edges, then from the center, until they fell off completely and gave way to the formation of new scabs."

Next week, I will continue about St. Padre Pio's stigmata by sharing with you details about the wound in his side, which was also part of the Stigmata.

Until then, "Pray, hope, and don’t' worry," as St. Padre Pio always said. Jesus is with you and for you, so what do you need to fear? Nothing.

The Stigmata of St. Padre Pio

2011-03-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Since so many people are intrigued by St. Padre Pio's stigmata, I think that is what I'll talk with you about today. Actually, the best way to explain to you about Padre Pio's stigmata—the five bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified, which God placed in Padre Pio's hands, feet, and side, and which bled for fifty long years—would be to let St. Pio do the explaining. Here are the words he used in his Letter to his Superior:

"On the morning of September 20, 1918," wrote Padre Pio, in obedience to his Superior, "in the choir [of the church in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, at his monastery], after I had celebrated Mass, I yielded to a drowsiness similar to a sweet sleep.

"All the internal and external senses and even the very faculties of my soul were immersed in indescribable stillness. Absolute silence surrounded and invaded me. I was suddenly filled with great peace and abandonment which effaced everything else and caused a lull in the turmoil. All this happened in a flash.

"While this was taking place I saw before me a mysterious celestial person [whom Padre Pio later admitted was Christ Crucified Himself], similar to the one I had seen on the evening of the 5th of august. The only difference was that his hands and feet and side were dripping blood.

"This sight terrified me and what I felt at that moment is indescribable. I thought I should die and really should have died if the Lord had not intervened and strengthened my heart which was about to burst out of my chest.

"The vision disappeared and I became aware that my hands, feet, and side were dripping blood and pained me a great deal. I lacked the strength to rise. So I managed to crawl from the choir to my cell, down the whole length of the long corridor. The Fathers were all of them out of the monastery at the time. I lay on my bed and prayed that I might see Our Lord again, but then I pulled myself together and examined my wounds. Weeping with joy and thanksgiving, I prayed." [St. Padre Pio's Letters.]

Next week, my dear friend, I will continue with true events that followed St. Padre Pio's reception from God of the stigmata. Just know, in the meantime, that any problems you have can be taken to St. Padre Pio and he will do what he can for you. He is a powerful intercessor in Heaven now with Jesus, Our Lord and God. Go ahead now and ask your Holy Guardian Angel to take your prayer requests to Padre Pio.

"All things work together for the good for those who love God." Amen.

Saint Padre Pio: Part Ten

2011-03-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last week I began sharing with you about St. Padre Pio's childhood, his personal history. Using the words of author Dorothy M. Gaudiose, who worked for Padre Pio in his monastery in Italy for three years, I now continue for you, dear friend in Christ:

"The desire of young Francis Forgione [the future Saint Padre Pio] to become a monk posed a hardship for his parents," wrote Dorothy, who was a personal friend of mine. Southern Italy--where Francis grew up, in the late-1800s and early-1900s--was poverty stricken. People sometimes had to resort to killing starlings in order to feed their families. "So," continued Dorothy, "Francis' father immigrated to America and worked as a laborer in Long Island, to help educate his son Francis to the priesthood. Orazio Forgione's weekly letters to his wife Giuseppa contained nine American dollars. That small amount helped to alleviate the family's financial burden by feeding and clothing their five living children and by educating Francis. Due to his poor health, Francis was privately tutored until the age of fifteen.

"Francis Forgione was fifteen years of age when he left home and entered the Capuchin order on January 3, 1903," said Dorothy. "Here was to begin a life of prayer, fasting, and diabolic attacks on the road to the priesthood."

Next week, dear friend in Christ, I will continue with Part Eleven of St. Padre Pio's life, as told by Dorothy M. Gaudiose who knew him well.

Until then, "Pray, hope, and don't worry," as St. Padre Pio always said.

Saint Padre Pio: Part 9

2011-03-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

So far I've been sharing with you the facts about Saint Padre Pio's many spiritual gifts he received from God and which used to help and comfort and save souls. Today I'd like to begin sharing about Padre Pio's personal background, as told by Dorothy M. Gaudiose in a little pamphlet she has allowed me to quote. She worked for Padre Pio for three years in Italy, wrote two books about him, and was a dear friend of mine. Here is part of what she wrote. I will share the rest with you as the weeks progress.

"Who is Padre Pio?" Dorothy asks. "I shall begin by saying, Padre Pio was a Capuchin priest who wore the habit of Saint Francis of Assisi. Padre Pio was born on May 25, 1887, at Pietrelcina in southern Italy. His parents were Grazio Forgione, also known as Uncle Orazio or Z'Orazio. Padre Pio's mother was Maria Giuseppa DeNunzio Forgione, or Zia Giuseppa, or Aunt Josephine. Padre Pio was baptized Francesco, or Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the next day in the parish church. There was an older brother Michael, and later three younger sisters in the family: Felicita, Pellegrina, and Grazia, who later became a nun.

"Francis' parents were simple, humble, hardworking farm people who reared their children in the stern, staunch manner of peasants, placing God above all things.

"Francis was a well-behaved child and always obeyed his parents. They were never forced to punish him. His mother would sometimes say to him, 'Francis, go out and play with your friends for awhile,' but he would refuse, saying, 'I don't like to play with them because they swear.' Nevertheless, Francis was amiable, well-liked, and respected by everyone in the village and an example for other boys.

"When old enough," continued Dorothy, "Francis often accompanied his parents to work in the fields and later tended the sheep.

"At the age of five, Francis expressed a desire to become a Franciscan. As he grew older, his father asked him what he wanted to become, and Francis replied, 'I want to be a monk with a beard.' The Capuchins, a branch of the Franciscans, wore beards, and eventually, that is what Francis became, a Capuchin Franciscan."

Next week I'll continue to share more with you about Saint Padre Pio's personal background. In the meantime, ask your Guardian Angel to take your prayer requests to St. Padre Pio, and Padre Pio will do what he can for you. He will take them to Our Lady who will place them before her Divine Son.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry," my dear friend.

Saint Padre Pio: Part Eight

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dear friend, I thought I'd begin today with an encouraging quote from Saint Padre Pio that I'm looking at right now in his third volume of Letters. He is speaking to you when he says, "Don't let temptations frighten you. They are the trials to which God subjects His chosen ones when He sees they are strong enough to sustain the trials, and thus weave the crown of glory with their own hands. Therefore, live tranquilly and do not fear because Jesus is with you." Amen.

Please let me continue sharing with you Dorothy M. Gaudiose's account of St. Padre Pio's life. As I've said in Parts One through Seven, she worked for Padre Pio for three years in his monastery, and she was a good friend of mine. In fact, the two books she wrote about Padre Pio are published by Alba House, and Dorothy was the impetus behind my writing my first of many books about Padre Pio, published by Our Sunday Visitor, The Word Among Us Press, and Pauline Books & Media--all by God's grace, of course. Last week I shared with you about Padre Pio as Confessor, and now this week I'll continue that topic:

"Many said Padre Pio could be gruff and irate in the Confessional," wrote Dorothy, "and he would shut the Confessional's panel door in the penitent's face. They said Padre Pio could demolish a penitent with a searing phrase. This is sometimes did actually happen, but it was always because Padre Pio would first recognize immediately any insincerity, hypocrisy, or falsehood on the part of the penitent, and then Padre Pio struck at it. But it was not out of vindictiveness that he did so. He loved souls too deeply for that. It was his way of 'netting the fish.' And where Padre Pio had been rough or angry, the penitent would be found later to have returned to Confession in a more correct or chastened disposition, and then Padre Pio would receive him with gentle forgiveness.

"When Padre Pio left the Confessional," continued Dorothy, who herself used to go to Confession to him, so she knew the truth of all that she wrote about him, "his step was slower and he looked tired. It was as though, in addition to his own cross, he was bearing those of the souls he had brought back to God through Confession.

"It is also well to know that when Padre Pio has 'bought' a soul by means of his suffering, he does not allow Satan to recapture it, for he is always on hand to guide, to support, and to help it in every circumstance that may arise. [And since St. Pio is now in Heaven, and closer to the Source of Life, he can look after you, too, my friend, even better than he could while on Earth.] It was thus that Padre Pio reassured a lawyer from Rome who was fearful lest he return to his former sinful ways," wrote Dorothy. "Padre Pio said to the lawyer, 'My son, pray without ceasing and never leave off, and you can be sure that when I have rescued a soul, I never let it fall again.'"

Dorothy continued, "One of Padre Pio's spiritual sons said to him one day, 'Padre Pio, you love what I fear--suffering.' St. Padre Pio replied, 'No, I don't love suffering itself; I ask it of God because I desire its fruits: It gives glory to God, saves my brothers and sisters here in this earthly exile, and frees souls from the fires of Purgatory. What more can I ask?'

"The spiritual son asked, 'Padre Pio, what is suffering?' And St. Pio replied, 'Expiation!' The spiritual son said, 'And for you, what is it?' Padre Pio answered, 'My daily bread; my delight!'

"Many of the Saints of the Church," continued Dorothy, "had one or more of these spiritual gifts, [which I elaborated on in Parts One through Eight], but none had as many as Padre Pio of Pietrelcina."

Do you have a great need today, my dear friend? Ask your holy Guardian Angel to take your need to St. Padre Pio. Padre Pio will do what he can to help you; he will intercede for you with Our Lady, the Mother of Christ, who will then intercede for you with her Divine Son, the Source of Life, the Author of All.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry." Amen.

Saint Padre Pio: Part Seven

2011-03-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

About Saint Padre Pio, the famous stigmatized priest, I've been sharing with you from Dorothy M. Gaudiose's written account she left me. She knew Padre Pio well and worked for him for three years at his monastery in Italy. Also, she wrote two books about him for Alba House publishers and insisted I write my first children's book about him, which was subsequently published by Pauline Books & Media. After that, as if Padre Pio had opened the door for me--and I believe he did--I wrote many more books published by Our Sunday Visitor, The Word Among Us Press, and Chelsea House. All my success, though, I owe to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Without Him working through Our Lady, St. Padre Pio, my Holy Guardian Angel, my husband, and friends like you, I would be nothing. Worse than nothing.

But back to Saint Padre Pio: Let me share with you today Dorothy's words about his gift as a Confessor. (I have her written permission to quote her account.)

"CONFESSOR: Saint Padre Pio's day revolved chiefly around his confessional," wrote Dorothy. "I believe he would have wished to be remembered as a Confessor more than anything else. Hour after hour, day after day, week after week, he sat there for fifty long years.

"Padre Pio was unique as a confessor," continued Dorothy. "What distinguished him from other priests was his faculty of bringing to the mind of his penitent certain sins that he wished him [or her] to confess. He sometimes mentioned these faults before the penitent could mention them, as if reading that penitent's conscience, and Padre Pio often reminded the penitent of some sin he [or she] had neglected to mention in previous confessions.

"The first time that Alberto del Fante--who later became a biographer of Padre Pio--went to Confession to him," said Dorothy, "Alberto said, 'Padre, I have never had faith, but I have always been honest.' 'Even when,' said Padre Pio, who proceeded to tell Mr. del Fante things that no mortal could have known, things that Alberto had forgotten or not mentioned because they seemed to him to be unimportant.

"Padre Pio," continued Dorothy, "could tell you exactly how many times you missed Mass, how many promises you broke, and the mortal and venial sins you committed." [Dorothy knew all this as fact, since she often Confessed to Padre Pio while in Italy.]

"How was Padre Pio as a Confessor?" wrote Dorothy. "All things to all people, paternally. Where tenderness was needed, it flowed out from him. Where help and prompting were required, they were given. Where bracing and strengthening were called for, they were provided. All sincere men and women were at once enveloped in the mantle of his sanctity. They came away not only cleansed, but more keenly aware of what sin really meant."

Dorothy wrote more about Saint Padre Pio as Confessor, but I would like to continue with that next week, because today I would like to leave you with the above positive thoughts. And I hope that those thoughts will encourage you, my dear friend, to ask Saint Padre Pio--at any time, day or night--to hear what is on your heart and mind and--most importantly--your conscience. You know, from Heaven he can do more for you than he could on earth, for now he is even closer to the Source of Life, the Author of all that is good and holy. Ask Padre Pio to help you, and he will. He always said to send him your Guardian Angel with any message you might have, and that the Angel would then take it to Padre Pio, and Padre Pio would do for you what he could.

As you wait for the answer, please remember what Saint Padre Pio always said, "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

See you next week!

Saint Padre Pio: Part Six

2011-02-23T11:16:00.001-08:00

Hello again, dear friend. So far I've shared with you about Saint Padre Pio's gifts of Stigmata, Perfume, Conversion, Bilocation, Miracles, and Discernment of Spirit. As you know, I've been using, as my fact and quote source, the pamphlet written by my dear friend Dorothy M. Gaudiose who worked for Padre Pio for three years at his monastery home in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. (She gave me written permission to freely quote her material.) Today I'd like to share with you what Dorothy said about Padre Pio's gift of Prophecy. And of course, as with all of Padre Pio’s many spiritual gifts, the Source of them is God, and it is God who does all the wonderful work through St. Padre Pio.

"Padre Pio, during World War Two," said Dorothy, "predicted that not a bomb would fall on the city of San Giovanni Rotondo, and not a bomb fell, even with tan air base only fifteen miles from the city occupied first by the German army and then by the American army. He predicted a monastery would be built in his hometown of Pietrelcina," continued Dorothy, "and it was [despite the poverty and near-inaccessibility of the town at the time].

"Saint Padre Pio foretold, during the reign of Pope Pius XII," said Dorothy, "that the Blessed Mother would save Italy from falling into the hands of the Communists, and she did. During World War Two Padre Pio predicted the defeat of Germany, and the rise of Communism. He foretold the building of his hospital, the Home for the Relief of Suffering, and that it would triple in size. [People scoffed at him and said it could never be built, first of all, in the remote and rocky area near his monastery. He proved them all wrong!] The hospital--originally dedicated in 1956 as a three-hundred-bed hospital--became a nearly one-thousand-bed hospital in 1968, the year he died. Padre Pio," said Dorothy, "lived long enough to see this prediction come true.

"Now Padre Pio had this gift of foretelling the future events in an individual's life, too," continued Dorothy. "For example, Corrado Cardinal Ursi of Naples, Italy, told of an experience he had with Padre Pio. The Cardinal said that when he was Bishop of Potenza, a city near Rome, he went to visit Padre Pio, who asked him where he was from. Three times the then-Bishop answered, 'Potenza,' and three times Padre Pio contradicted him, 'No, you're from Naples.'

"Finally," said Dorothy, "the Bishop gave up in exasperation. When he returned home from his visit with Padre Pio, he found an official letter from the Vatican on his desk. The letter said he had been appointed Cardinal of Naples. That's when the new Cardinal Ursi recalled Padre Pio's prophecy."

Yes, Saint Padre Pio could prophecy about the future, and God was able to help people through Padre Pio when he used that spiritual gift--and any of his other spiritual gifts too. Are you worried about your own future, dear friend? Our Lord Jesus knows exactly what your future holds, and He is not going to allow anything to come your way that you--with His mighty help--cannot handle, so don't worry. Ask Saint Padre Pio and your faithful Holy Guardian Angel to help you too. They will. And remember to try to do as Padre Pio always recommended: "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

Next week I'll share with you about Saint Padre Pio's gifts as a Confessor. Okay? In the meantime, if you have something weighing on your conscience, go right now to Padre Pio and share your heart and soul with him. He'll bless you for doing that, and you'll have sweet dreams tonight.

See you next week!

Saint Padre Pio: Part Five

2011-02-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

Well, dear friend, here I am again, sharing with you more of Saint Padre Pio's fascinating and holy life. I have been using Dorothy M. Gaudiose's little pamphlet for the facts about his life, because while she was on earth she was a close friend of mine, and because she worked for him at his monastery in Italy for three years and knew him well. In fact, her two books about him were published by Alba House. I have her written permission to quote her pamphlet, so here is my Part Five for you:

So far I've shared Dorothy's personal observations and collected facts about Saint Padre Pio's spiritual gifts of perfume, conversion, bilocation, and miracles. Today I'll share with you about his gift of discernment of spirit.

"DISCERNMENT OF SPIRIT: Padre Pio knew the condition of your soul," said Dorothy Gaudiose. "He knew how you stood before God. To a young woman, Padre Pio said, 'Since you had the courage to imitate Mary Magdalen in her sins, now have the courage to imitate her penances!' [The woman had not told Padre Pio that she had been having an affair with a man who was not her husband, but Padre Pio had read her soul and knew of her sin.]

"A woman driver," continued Dorothy, "who had blasphemed but had not confessed this sin to Padre Pio, was reminded by him of the circumstances of her transgression.

"On another occasion," said Dorothy, "Padre Pio merely looked at a certain man and said, without knowing his sinful history, 'Oh man of Genoa, you live by the sea, but you have a dirty face!' by which he was referring to the condition of the man's soul.'"

Now, who gave Saint Padre Pio all these gifts to which Dorothy refers and which she witnessed while living near him in Italy? God, of course, is the Giver of those gifts, and God worked through Padre Pio to help and heal and comfort all who came to him, especially repentant sinners. God can "read" your soul, too. In fact, God knows all about you. But don't let that frighten you. Oh no. Jesus said He didn't come for those who were righteous, but rather He came for those--like you and like me--who need a Savior. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Next week I'll share with you about Saint Padre Pio's gift of prophecy. In the meantime, my dear friend, "Pray, hope, and don't worry," as Padre Pio always said.

Saint Padre Pio: Part Four

2011-02-09T04:06:00.000-08:00

Well, dear friend, today, for this week, I thought I'd continue to share with you what Dorothy M. Gaudiose wrote about Padre Pio, since she worked for him for three years at his monastery in Italy. I had already told you what Dorothy said about Padre Pio's gifts of "perfume" and "conversion" and "bilocation," so now I'll go on to share with you about his gift of "miracles."

Here is what Dorothy says about St. Padre Pio's gift of miracles:

"Padre Pio [by Christ's grace] cured the blind, the crippled, the deaf and dumb, and people with all sorts of diseases. In 1923 he cured a child, Maria Pianisi of tuberculosis of the lungs. Today she is a retired school teacher. He caused a doctor to be cured of leukemia, and in gratitude the doctor became a member of Padre Pio's hospital staff. [Padre Pio had a huge, modern hospital built near his monastery.] Padre Pio cured a child, Gemma DiGiorgio from Sicily, of blindness. A young woman now, she can see without having pupils in her eyes. [Dorothy gave me two photos of Gemma which I still have. One is of Gemma as a child and one as an adult.]

"Whenever Padre Pio accomplished one of those astonishing cures," continued Dorothy, "he said, 'God has granted you this grace. Address your thanks to Him and not to me.' Although Padre Pio was well aware of his power, he never allowed it to impair his humility."

So, my dear friend, do you need a miracle today? Look up and say to Saint Padre Pio, "Would you please do your best to obtain this miracle for me from Jesus?" Or send your request to Padre Pio via your holy Guardian Angel who has never left you since you were born and who will never leave you until you reach Heaven. Have a great day, my friend!

St. Padre Pio's Gifts: Part Three

2011-02-03T03:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, dear friend. Today I'll continue sharing with you what my friend Dorothy M. Gaudiose wrote about St. Padre Pio in her little pamphlet, "Padre Pio." (I obtained written permission from her to quote it.) Dorothy worked for St. Padre Pio for three years at his monastery in Italy, and she was my dear friend too. Here is my Part Three of what she wrote:

"In addition to the Stigmata [the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified which Padre Pio bore in his hands, feet, and side for fifty years], Padre Pio possessed other supernatural gifts, namely:

"(1. PERFUME [which I spoke to you about last week].

"(2. CONVERSION: Padre Pio converted thousands of persons, some well-known personalities. When atheists, bitter enemies of the Church, and habitual sinners change their conduct at a word or a look from Padre Pio--or sometimes the mere mention of his name or virtue--we have something as extraordinary as a miracle, a moral miracle of grace that everyone can see and understand. Padre Pio made Christianity real. Almost all who professed a change through Padre Pio's ministry persisted and, despite inevitable highs and lows in their spiritual life, grew as practicing Christians.

"(3. BILOCATION: After several years, Padre Pio never left the monastery where he was stationed, but he was seen by persons around the world. For example, a saintly priest, Don Luigi Orione, met Padre Pio praying at the tomb of Pope St. Pius X in Rome. And many people saw Padre Pio at the canonization of St. Theresa of the Little Flower at the Vatican in 1925, but Padre Pio had never physically left the monastery. A famous case is that of General Luigi Cadorno, the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian armies of World War I, who--discouraged by a terrible battle defeat-- decided to commit suicide. Padre Pio appeared to him in bilocation and told him such an act was foolish, thereby saving the General's life. Once, when questioned by a doctor about bilocation, Padre Pio replied, 'It is a prolongation of the personality.'"

Next week, my dear friend, I will share with you more of St. Padre Pio's supernatural gifts given to him by God. In the meantime, if you have a need, tell your Guardian Angel (yes, you have one who never leaves you, no matter what!) about your need and ask him to take your message to St. Padre Pio in Heaven. Padre Pio has promised he will do for you whatever he can. "Pray, hope, and don't worry," as he always said.

Padre Pio's Gift of Perfume

2011-01-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

As a continuation of what I told you last week that my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose wrote about St. Padre Pio, here is what she said about his gift of perfume. (She worked for him in Italy for three years, wrote two books about him published by Alba House, and was a dear friend of mine.)

"There emanated from Padre Pio, from his stigmatized hands or even his clothes or objects touched by him," said Dorothy, "a sweet perfume that reminded you of a combination of roses, violets, and lilies; other times of an odor of carbolic acid or a disinfectant. It occurred when someone was near or even at a great distance or when you had been thinking of Padre Pio or speaking of him. It indicated his presence or was a sign of some grace bestowed by God through his intercession."

Since St. Padre Pio can still receive your prayers and intercede for you with Jesus, why don't you take your concerns to him and ask him to do what he can for you? Don't be surprised if you receive the consolation of a sweet odor that seems to have no origin. In the meantime, dear friend, "Pray, hope, and don't worry," as St. Padre Pio always said.

Next week I'll tell you about his gifts of conversion and bilocation.

You Can Count on God's Promises

2011-01-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

I am going to share just a few thoughts from St. Padre Pio that I believe would most help you today.

St. Padre Pio knew Scripture so well, it was implanted by the Holy Spirit in his heart and soul. Padre Pio always trusted God's promises in Scripture. For example, often he would quote the verse that says that "God will not test you beyond that which you are able to bear but will, with the testing, also provide a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 paraphrased)

Padre Pio always believed this Scripture too: "When I am weak, Christ is strong in me." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 paraphrased)

And, Padre Pio believed Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

You, too, my friend, can claim those same promises. Have a blessed day!

She Who Knew Padre Pio

2011-01-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Dorothy M. Gaudiose knew Saint Padre Pio and worked for him at his monastery in Italy for three years. She wrote two books and also gave many talks around the country about Padre Pio. She says the following in a little pamphlet she wrote, (I have her written permission to use any and all of it):

"Before I give you a brief summary of Padre Pio's life," w

The Name of Jesus

2011-01-12T04:36:00.000-08:00

According to Saint Padre Pio who bore the five ever-bleeding wounds of Christ Crucified for fifty years--yes, 50 years--the name of Jesus is the most powerful in all eternity.

"The eternal Father decreed that all creatures should be subject to Him: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. [Philippians 2:10] This is what the apostle tells us and this is true," says St. Padre Pio. "Jesus is adored in heaven, and at this divine name," he continues, "moved by gratitude and love, the blessed in heaven never cease to repeat what St. John the Evangelist beheld in a vision: They sang a new song, he says, saying 'worthy art Thou, O Lord, to take the scroll and to open its seals, for Thou wast slain and by the blood didst ransom people for God' [Revelation 5:9]

"This most holy name," says St. Padre Pio, "is venerated on earth; and all the graces for which we ask, in Jesus' name, are fully granted by the eternal Father: Whatever you ask in My name, the divine Master tells us, I will do it. [John 14:13-14]"

Therefore, my friend in Christ, what are you waiting for? Ask our heavenly Father for what you need--but ask for it "in Jesus' name," and believe that you will receive it. Believe. As St. Padre Pio always said, "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

Don't worry, my dear friend. Jesus is with you and He loves you. I do too.

The Gift of Perfume Shared by Many Saints, Including St. Padre Pio

2011-01-07T16:21:00.001-08:00

When my daughter-in-law Jill Bertanzetti and I were attending a Saint Padre Pio convention in New Jersey, suddenly she smelled the aroma of flowers, but none were in sight. No one was near her wearing perfume. She said it was Padre Pio telling her that he had heard her prayers and that he was going to intercede with Jesus for her. Now, let my dear friend Dorothy Gaudiose tell you more about the "gift of perfume" shared by many of the Saints, including St. Padre Pio:

"In the history of the Saints, a perfumed odor is not new," says Dorothy in her book Prophet of the People. "St. Dominic's hands gave off a perfume when people kissed them, and St. Helena had the gift of perfume when she received Holy Communion. Some Saints' bodies gave the perfumed odor after death, such as in the cases of St. Coletta and St. Martin de Pores."

Dorothy Gaudiose worked for Saint Padre Pio in his monastery in Italy for three years, and she said that his "gift of perfume," if you were blessed to experience it after asking for his intercession, was meant to encourage you, or to focus your intention on some immediate danger, or to remind you of his presence, or to encourage you to ask for his advice and guidance. What my daughter-in-law Jill experienced, you can experience, too, my dear friend. Just say a little prayer to Padre Pio and ask for his help. Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, you will smell a sweet scent that seems to have no nearby origin. Know that St. Padre Pio has heard your prayers and is going to intercede for you.

In the meantime, dear friend, remember what he always said: "Pray, hope, and don't worry." Amen!

P.S. Dorothy was a personal friend of mine for years before her death. She was instrumental in getting me to write my first book about Padre Pio, which was subsequently published by Pauline Books & Media. Then I went on to write books about Padre Pio for Our Sunday Visitor and also for The Word Amond Us Press. You see, St. Padre Pio and his friends, like Dorothy, can help you too. They are so much closer to the Source of Life now that they are in Heaven.

May God richly bless you, my dear friend. Amen!

Take Heart, My Friend, and Do Not Fear

2010-12-30T09:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-10-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-20T05:23:00.000-07:00

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'

2010-10-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

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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

2010-09-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-11T05:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-06-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-04T12:41:00.001-07:00

"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

2010-04-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-14T11:41:00.001-07:00

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?

2010-04-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-11T03:44:00.001-08:00

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

2010-03-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-02-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

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.