Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina ( Padre Pio )
September 23rd, 2010
"All I want is to know Christ – to share his sufferings"
Philippians 3 : 10
Today we celebrate one of our most popular saints – St. Padre Pio. Francesco Forgione was born in 1887 to a very poor but faith-filled family in Italy. As a boy he felt very close to Jesus and His Mother, Mary. Conversing with them came naturally to him. This love of prayer, sown and nurtured by his parents was to become the hallmark of his life..
At the early age of 14 Francesco had already decided to give his life to God so he joined the Capuchins ( Franciscans ) and was given the name Pio. As a Priest Padre Pio spent most of his day in prayer, offering Mass and hearing confessions. Like St. Francis he experienced the wounds of the crucified Christ on his hands, feet and side. He bore these wounds painfully for 50 years.
People came from near and far to receive Padre Pio’s blessing. Many were cured and all received spiritual help. He had great compassion for the sick and for sinners. Prayer was always his weapon. He often described himself as a poor Friar who prays and his advice to others was, ‘never grow tired of praying’. In order to help people to pray, he set up a network of prayer groups in Italy and beyond. These groups which meet monthly are flourishing in several countries today. They are, in St. Pio’s own words ‘a tremendous chorus, linking Heaven to earth, and people to God.’
Prayer
Lord Jesus we thank you for the gift of St. Padre Pio to our church. May his love and prayer and his acceptance of suffering inspire us and may his prayer help us on our pilgrimage of faith. Amen.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
