“Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
A memorable story from the Holy One's life
Francesco Forgione was born to Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione, in the small farming town of Pietrelcina, Italy on May 25, 1887. Although the Forgiones were poor in material goods, they were certainly rich in their faith life and in the love of God.
Even as a young boy, Francesco had already shown signs of extraordinary gifts of grace. At the age of five, he dedicated his life to God. From his early childhood, he showed a remarkable recollection of spirit and a love for the religious life. His mother described him as a quiet child who, from his earliest years, loved to go to church and to pray. As a young boy, he was able to see and communicate with, not only his guardian angel but also with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In his simplicity, Francesco assumed everyone had the same experiences. Once a woman who noticed his spiritual demeanor asked him, “When did you consecrate your life to God? Was it at your first Holy Communion?” and he answered, “Always, daughter, always.”
When Francesco was fifteen years old, he was admitted to the novitiate of the Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor in Morcone, Italy. He was admired by his fellow-students as well as by his Superiors for his exemplary behavior and his deep piety. One of the novices stated, “There was something which distinguished him from the other students. Whenever I saw him, he was always humble, recollected, and silent. What struck me most about him was his love of prayer.”
On August 10, 1910, at the age of twenty-three, this holy one was ordained to the priesthood. The celebration of the Holy Mass was for him, the center of his spirituality. Due to the long pauses of contemplative silence into which he entered at various parts of the Holy Sacrifice, his Mass could sometimes last several hours. Everything about him spoke of how intensely he was living the Passion of Christ. The parish priest in Pietrelcina called his Mass, “an incomprehensible mystery.” When asked to shorten his Mass, he replied, “God knows that I want to say Mass just like any other priest, but I cannot do it.”
His parishioners were deeply impressed by his piety and one by one they began to come to him, seeking his counsel. For many, even a few moments in his presence, proved to be a life changing experience. As the years passed, pilgrims began to come to him by the thousands, from every corner of the world, drawn by the spiritual riches which flowed so freely from his extraordinary ministry. To his spiritual children he would say, “It seems to me as if Jesus has no other concern but the sanctification of your soul.”
This holy one is understood above all else as a man of prayer. Before he was thirty years old he had already reached the summit of the spiritual life known as the “unitive way” of transforming union with God. He prayed almost continuously. His prayers were usually very simple. He loved to pray the Rosary and recommended it to others. To someone who asked him what legacy he wished to leave to his spiritual children, his brief reply was, “My child, the Rosary.” He had a special mission to the souls in Purgatory and encouraged everyone to pray for them. He used to say, “We must empty Purgatory with our prayers.” Father Agostino Daniele, his confessor, director, and beloved friend said, “One admires in (this holy one) him, his habitual union with God. When he speaks or is spoken to, we are aware that his heart and mind are not distracted from the thought and sentiment of God.”
He
suffered from poor health his entire life, once saying that his health had been
declining from the time he was nine years old. After his ordination to the
priesthood, he remained in his hometown of Pietrelcina and was separated from
his religious community for more than five years due to his precarious
health. Although the cause of his prolonged and debilitating illnesses
remained a mystery to his doctors, he did not become discouraged. He offered
all of his bodily sufferings to God as a sacrifice, for the conversion of
souls. He experienced many spiritual sufferings as well. “I am fully convinced that my illness is due to a special permission of
God,” he said.
In
addition, God endowed this holy one
with many extraordinary spiritual gifts and charisms including the gift of
healing, bilocation, prophecy, miracles, discernment of spirits, the ability to
abstain beyond man’s natural powers from both sleep and nourishment, the
ability to read hearts, the gift of tongues (the ability to speak and
understand languages that he had never studied), the gift of conversions, the
grace to see angelic beings in form, and the fragrance which emanated from his
wounds and which frequently announced his invisible presence. When a friend
once questioned him about these charisms, he said, “You know, they are a mystery to me, too.” Although he received
more than his share of spiritual gifts, he never sought them, never felt worthy
of them. He never put the gifts before the Giver. He always remained humble,
constantly at the disposal of Almighty God.
His
day began at 2:30 a.m. when he would rise to begin his prayers and to make his
preparation for Mass. He was able to carry on a busy apostolate with only a few
hours of sleep each night and an amount of food that was so small (300-400
calories a day) that his fellow priests stated that it was not enough food even
to keep a small child alive. Between Mass and confessions, his workday lasted
19 hours. He very rarely left the monastery and never took even a day’s
vacation from his grueling schedule in 51 years. He never read a newspaper or listened
to the radio. He cautioned his spiritual children against watching television.
In
his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo, he lived the Franciscan spirit of
poverty with detachment from self, from possessions, and from comforts. He
always had a great love for the virtue of chastity, and his behavior was modest
in all situations and with all people. In his lifetime, he reconciled thousands
of men and women back to their faith.
The
prayer groups that he established have now spread throughout the world. He gave
a new spirit to hospitals by founding one which he called “The Home for the Relief of Suffering.” He saw the image of Christ
in the poor, the suffering, and the sick and gave himself particularly to them.
He once said, “Bring God to all those who
are sick. This will help them more than any other remedy.”
Serene
and well prepared, he surrendered to Sister Death on September 23, 1968 at the
age of eighty-one. He died as he had lived, with his Rosary in his hands. His
last words were GesΓΊ, Maria – Jesus, Mary – which he repeated over and over
until he breathed his last. He had often declared, “After my death I will do more.
My real mission will begin after my death.”
Truly, his words have come to fulfilment. As a witness; I would love to share with you some insights of my encounter with him. Thus, sharing the reasons why I admire him.
Why I admire him
There are a number of
reasons I so much admire this Holy One
of the Church. Below are just few points;
o
The
element Humility; this holy
one remained humbled despite he was bestowed with extraordinary spiritual
gifts such as healing, bilocation, prophecy, miracles, and the ability to read
hearts. He rather recognized all these gifts to be coming from God. And I
suppose, he never even prayed for or desired it. From the onset, what he desired
was “to offer himself to the
Lord as a victim for poor sinners and for the souls in Purgatory.”
o
His great devotion to and
love of prayer;
a man who first of all identified what would draw him closer to Christ and His
people. In fact, he spent his whole life praying for others and the world at
large. Personally, I have the conviction that “he hardly prayed for himself.” I
am been reminded here that, “I don’t have
to be worthy, I only have to be willing."
o
A model of complete trust
in God;
though this saint’s health was debilitating, he entrusted his life unto God’s
hands instead of worrying about such. That is why he often said, “God
will never permit anything to happen to us that is not for our greater good.” And so, brethren all
these sufferings he dedicated it for the service of God and the conversion of
sinners. Here, he understood that there is no reason to worry. Another is “Pray,
hope, don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your
prayers.”
o
His love for the
sacraments
Above all, I am reminded to strive hard to live a life worth emulating. Thus, to be myself. for it is
by this I would be able to uncover all the hidden mysteries stored for me by the Lord Jesus Christ.
His
whole life might be summed up in the words of St. Paul to the Colossians, “Now
I rejoice in my sufferings
for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is
lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is,
the Church.”
(cf. Colossians 1:24 NRSV)
Guess
what brethren; I prefer to call him Padre
or Holy One- rather than the “Saint”
attached to his name.
He is more a Padre or a Holy One to me than just a
saint. Today, a question I would ask him if he had been
present here is: “Padre, what’s your secret?” Could you just
teach me as your child. I suppose many of you here
would have asked same or
otherwise different.
This
Padre or Holy One is no other person than St. Padre Pio de Pietrelcina π
Brethren,
I think by learning more about his (Padre Pio’s π)
life and other saints, we can develop a
relationship with the saints and look
to them as models for how to live for the glory of God.
Other
holy ones (Saints) that are so much dear
to my heart are Mother Teresa, Giuseppe Moscati, Maria
Faustina Kowalska, and Teresa de
Lisieux.
A Prayer to St. Padre Pio
Glorious, humble and beloved Padre Pio. Teach
us, we pray, humility of heart, so that we may be counted among the little ones
of the Gospel to whom the Father promised to reveal the mysteries of His Kingdom.
Help us to pray without ceasing, certain that God knows what we need even
before we ask Him. Amen.
Compiled by; Terence A.
References
A.J.M.
Mausolfe & J.K. Mausolfe. Saint
Companions: For Each Day. Revised and updated by, Ladislaus L. D’Souza.
Mumbai: The Bombay Saint Paul Society, 1986.
A
Short Biography. Padre Pio
Devotions. Retrieved from: https://padrepiodevotions.org/a-short-biography/
Zimak, Gary. (2012). Ten Saints Every Worrier Should Know. Following the Truth. Retrieved
from: http://www.followingthetruth.com/ten-saints-every-worrier-should-know/
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