Tuesday, September 23, 2025

 

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest

(Ezra 6:7-8.12b.14-20; Luke 8:19-21)

In today’s gospel Jesus reshapes his family.  He considers as “brothers and sisters” all who hear the word of God and act on it.  He does not exclude anyone -- much less his mother and his brothers -- who listen to God’s word and live it.  His mother will prove to be his faithful disciple to the end.  His “brothers” – whatever this term means – men like James and Jude will also teach Jesus Christ as Lord for the rest of their lives.

Today’s patron saint, Pius of Petrelcina, certainly lived as Jesus’ brother.  This twentieth century Capuchin priest was gifted not only with the stigmata, the wounds of Christ crucified, but also a remarkable insight into souls.  Residing most of his life in a southern Italian friary, “Padre Pio,” listened to the confessions of scores of people every day.  His spiritual guidance brought many to a closer relationship with the Lord.

We too are brothers and sisters of the Lord.  Moved serve others by the word of God and especially the definitive word, who is Jesus Christ, we become like him in spirit and truth.

Thursday, September 23. 2021

 Memorial to St. Pius of Pietrelcina, priest

(Haggai 1:1-8; Luke 9:7-9)

Today’s gospel reports that King Herod wants to see Jesus.  His motive, however, is not revealed.  From what the other evangelists say of Herod’s interest in John, the Baptist, he might have been a perplexed person seeking spiritual support.  However, his interest in seeing Jesus turns sour.  Later in the gospel Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod seeks to kill him.

Many people wanted to see St. Pius of Pietrelcina.  He was an Italian mystic of the last century who developed fame as a confessor and a prophet.  At 31 years of age, Padre Pio, as he was called, received the stigmata or wounds of Christ’s crucifixion.  Perhaps more astounding, however, was this priest’s power of discernment.  It is said that he could tell a person’s sins before he or she confessed them.

Like Herod and no doubt Padre Pio we seek to know Christ.  But we do not need to go very far.  Christ is constantly seeking us!  When we cease worrying about impressing others, we will know his presence as a solace, a support, and a stimulus to greater love.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Amos 7:10-17; Matthew 9:1-8)

It is said that St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) could tell when a person needed confession.  His eyes seemed to look into one’s soul.  A similar capacity was shown in the movie last year about Mr. Rogers.  Seeing a young man with an injured nose, he knew that it was due to more than the excuse he was given.  In today’ gospel Jesus exhibits this ability of looking into the heart of people.

A paralytic is brought to Jesus.  Ostensibly he comes to have his body healed.  But Jesus recognizes that the corporal defect is not what is most ailing the man.  Jesus forgives the paralytic’s sin causing the most distress.  The religious workers comment that Jesus’ action violates God’s sovereignty over sin.  Jesus then shows that he has received authority to forgive sins by curing the paralytic’s physical ailment.  The passage ends with the people glorifying God for giving men the power to forgive.

We should hear the word “men” as referring to priests today.  God has given to the priests of the Church authority to forgive sins.  We are not helpless if we find ourselves guilty of an unjust deed.  We do not have to journey to a faraway place to make a sin offering.  We only have to repent of our wrong-doing, confess our sin to a priest, and sincerely promise to avoid the sin in the future.  We can put aside the worry of having done something that will upend us forever.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest

(Ezra 9:5-9; Luke 9:1-6)

In Italy many stories are told about Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, known universally in the Church as Padre Pio.  A story told in America about him occurred during World War II when American soldiers were marching up the Italian peninsula.  A group of soldiers stopped at the Franciscan monastery where Padre Pio lived.  The saint spotted one of their numbers and told him that he had to go to confession.  The soldier knew what he was talking about and relieved his conscience of a heavy burden.  In today’s first reading a whole nation similarly relieves its conscience.

The issue causing Ezra’s public repentance with the approval of the people is the apostasy of many Israelites.  In great numbers Jerusalem’s men have taken foreign wives and converted to pagan idolatry.  Ezra knows that faith is both precious and elusive.  Unless the people take strides to practice and preserve their faith, it will slip from their possession like a fish just out of water from one’s hands.

Few of us seem to have the stomach for private penance, much less public demonstrations of remorse.  Friday is a day of penance on the books, but even church organizations do not hold back from celebrating on that day.  Yet penance is more about building up the self than tearing it down.  It acknowledges God as the supreme source of our strength and appeals to Him to correct our faults.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, priest

(Haggai 2:1-9; Luke 9:18-22)

St. Pio of Pietrelcino, known as Padre Pio, is famous for having received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, and for his perspicacity as a confessor. He suffered debilitating sickness throughout his life which corresponds to the stigmata. His sensitivity as a confessor also may be related to his acquaintance with pain. In the gospel today Jesus expresses awareness that he will similarly have to suffer if he was to realize his true identity.

Luke’s account of Jesus’ admonishing his disciples not to reveal his identity as Messiah differs from Mark’s and Matthew’s. In Luke, immediately after he commands his disciples not to tell anyone, Jesus states his reason: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly…” It is not so much that Jesus is the Messiah that he wants kept secret but that the Messiah will have to suffer. The people, he understands, will not accept the idea of a Messiah who has to suffer. In the popular mind messiahs are to relieve the suffering of others, not to suffer themselves.

We want to be god-like, and we think that this means to be invulnerable. In one sense it is true. God is spirit that cannot physically suffer. But the basic message of Christianity is that God in His omnipotence took on a human nature so that He might suffer with us. In doing so, He has transformed our pains into seeds of glory. The process can be illustrated. First, in freely accepting suffering Jesus expresses God’s love. His desire to endure hardship with us teaches us to share the suffering of others. Second, by suffering patiently Jesus reminds us that suffering is not an outrageous offense which we do not deserve but rather is triggered by human sin in which we participate. Finally, Jesus’ suffering does not end in oblivion but in resurrection. This truth gives us hope that by suffering with his love and patience, we may also share fully in his divine life.