Padre Pio, the Eucharist, and Reparation for Priests

 

From Vultus Christi:

It was for love of his Eucharistic Beloved, and not for any remembrance of old wounds, that Padre Pio cried that day as he recalled being denied Communion. We can say of Padre Pio, mutatis mutandis, what Saint Thérèse said of Saint Mary Magdalene, along with Saint Augustine, “these souls to Whom ‘many sins were forgiven because they loved much.'” She says:

…I love their repentance, and especially…their loving audacity! When I see Magdalene walking up before the many guests, washing with her tears the feet of her adored Master, Whom she is touching for the first time, I feel that her heart has understood the abysses of love and mercy of the Heart of Jesus, and, sinner though she is, this Heart of love was not only disposed to pardon her but to lavish on her the blessings of His divine intimacy, to lift her to the highest summits of contemplation.

Do we not sense in the tears of Padre Pio that his heart has understood the abysses of love and mercy of the Heart of Jesus? It was love alone that filled Padre Pio with a dread of sinning that is impossible for those who love less to understand. It was not scrupulosity, but love that made him say, for instance...(Read more.)

 

From The Catholic Gentleman:

When we think of great mystics and wonder-working saints, we often think of those who lived centuries ago. Yet, St. Pio of Pietrelcina was both a mystic and a performer of many miracles—and he died in 1968, only 46 years ago.

In many ways, this saint was and is a contradiction to our scientific, rational age, and despite their eagerness to prove him a fraud, skeptics remain consistently unable to explain the many miracles that accompanied St. Pio’s life.

But while St. Pio is remembered as a miracle worker, he was perhaps best known in his day as a spiritual father to countless souls. He gave wise and holy counsel to those dealing with the struggles of living a holy life in the world, and through his advice, he guided many souls to heaven.

Here are five habits St. Padre Pio believed all Catholics should practice, based on advice he gave to his spiritual children. (Read more.)