Tag: Padre Pio

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

From the responsorial psalm: “He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 8:16-18)

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

Speaking to the crowd, Jesus uses the image of light to describe every good gift of God that shines through the darkness. Light reveals what is hidden in darkness, penetrating every dark nook and corner, illuminating it and bringing it into clarity. “Take care, then, how you hear,” Jesus says. What is it to take great care in how we are hearing? To the one who has the light of Christ, more will be given; from the ones in complete darkness, even what they seem to have will be taken from them. The light of God’s love—pure gift—is the only thing we get to keep as he guides us on our path to him.

God, help me be attentive today to you as the source of light and what it reveals. I want more of what cannot be taken away; remaining in you, help me be a source of light to others that points to you. Bring to light the opportunities and events of the day that lead to you and give me the grace to use them to give glory to you. As Padre Pio said: “Do you want great love from me, Jesus? I too desire this, just as a deer 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!” Saint Pio, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Priest

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 8:4-15)

Jesus answered his disciples: “The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

After Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a large crowd, Luke tells us that he calls out to them: “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” By saying this, Jesus explicitly states that the message of the Gospel is for everybody, that the word of God is meant to go out to peoples of all nations. And at the end of the parable, what happens to the seed that falls on good soil? They are the ones, Jesus says, who bear the fruit of the word that first blossoms forth through perseverance and grows to produce a bountiful harvest in knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. An abundant harvest means there is more than enough for oneself and others.

Father in heaven, help guide me today to make myself rich soil for your word. Keep me close to you and away from any path that exposes the seed to destruction through temptations, worldly anxieties, or the lure of riches and pleasures. Give me the grace of greater love for the gift of your word, the wisdom to guard it and cultivate it within me. Give me the means to let it take root in my heart.

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” Saint Padre Pio, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” In today’s Gospel reading, the words the disciples use to describe who people think Jesus is are nearly identical to those that Herod had been hearing: “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” This is to say that only Mary, Joseph, and a few close followers knew who Jesus was, as Peter said: “The Christ of God.”

Every day, Lord, I face the battle of the seen versus the unseen; that is, I know you are alive and present, but I give precedence to things seen and sensed. While Peter and others saw you face to face in his present reality, that seeming advantage is surpassed by your presence in the sacraments, in your real presence in the Eucharist. Thank you, God, for these gifts that Jesus instituted by his life. At various times, I have wondered about my faith in you, Jesus, and doubted my beliefs. I want to see you with the certainty of sight that the eyes of faith give. Help me see you and know who you are.

Jesus, thank you for asking the disciples the same question you ask me: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” It causes me to question in what or in whom I place my identity. As the Psalms say, what am I that you take notice of me? “Man is like a breath; his days, like a passing shadow.” Yet, Lord, you have put the timeless into our hearts. As Padre Pio says, “Admire the heavenly regions which can be reached by no other road than that of suffering. This is our true home.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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