"Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" Luke 9:9b
Today we commemorate St. Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), declared a saint in our lifetime by St. John Paul II on June 16, 2002. St. Pius, self-described as "a poor brother who prays" maintained that humility throughout his entire life from a family farm childhood through being ordained to the priesthood in 1910, and receiving the stigmata. His greatest joy was bringing relief of suffering, whether physical pain through his House of Relief from Suffering, or hearing confessions (including that of a young Polish priest – the future Pope John Paul II). In the face of his own chronic sufferings, St. Pius rejoiced, "In contemplating the Cross on Jesus' shoulders, I always feel strengthened and I exult with holy joy... All that Jesus suffered in His Passion, I too have suffered, insofar as it is possible for a human creature." St. John Paul II gave us words that can comfort us during the continued epidemic. During the Rite of Canonization, he said, "The life and mission of Padre Pio prove that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted out of love, are transformed into a privileged way of holiness, which opens onto the horizons of a greater good, known only to the Lord." Don't be caught saying, as Herod does in today's gospel, "Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" (Lk 9:9b)
Do I believe in miracles, here and today?
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more (from a prayer attributed to St. Pius).
Today's Reflection is by:
Alan Gauzens
Did you know...
Alan Gauzens is a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin. There, he is a lector and active in men's ministries including the Knights of Columbus, That Man Is You! and Tap Into Discipleship. A 2019 graduate of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute, Alan and his wife Joanne have been married for 40 years and are blessed with 4 children.
