St. Padre Pio and Your Mental and Physical Health

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

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

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

Believe All Things are Possible with God

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Expect a Miracle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You Cost Him Too Much That He Should Abandon You

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

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

Amen!

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

Saint Padre Pio is Still Your Good Samaritan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great day!

Saint Padre Pio and Saint Faustina of the Divine Mercy

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

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

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

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

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

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