Padre Pio: Pray, hope and don’t worry!
“I want only to be a poor friar who prays... Pray, hope and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer... Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips but with your heart; in fact on certain occasions you should speak to Him only with your heart... One searches for God in books. One finds Him in meditation.” Padre Pio E just took my sisterin-law and her husband to the NAIA airport after a brief vacation here in the Philippines. My family and I were in fact heading back to Baguio. It never occurred to us that we would be led by some divine force to the St. Pio of Pietrelcina Chapel at E. Rodriquez Bagumbayan, Quezon City after a sumptuous breakfast at Eastwood. It was really out of the blue! The day was January 22. I only came to realize that it was the famous “Don’t Worry Be Happy Day”, in honor of Padre Pio’s famous advice: “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry!” and I never knew this day existed. Now, I am more convinced than ever that God has His own ways to get you into his path!
The St. Pio Chapel grounds imbued tranquility. Some kind of feeling that is quite difficult to put into words. Bouquets of unnumbered rosaries adorned most of the area and everything was so peaceful and quiet. It was only the sound from the pigeons grooming at the birdbath and the sweeper that broke the silence. It was a spacious place for both indoor and outdoor veneration. The chamber of rows of candles, the Sacred Place (Il Luogo Sacro) bearing St. Pio’s “body” and relic, the columns of letters of requests, the thanksgiving, framed stories of testimonials and finally a life sized statue of Padre Pio behind a thick glass with an opening where you could actually clasp on to his praying hands and touch his stigmata while meditating. All these were indeed fascinating, inspiring, encouraging and promising. But above this all, it was his innate praying character and attitude that made him so distinctive and admirable not only in the Philippines but
Wthroughout the whole world.
Who is Padre Pio? Padre Pio (Francesco Forgione), 1887- 1968, born in Pietrelcina Benevento, Italy, is one of the most popular saints who is venerated by the Catholic Church. He was beatified about 30 years after his death (1999) and canonized after 3 years (2002) at the Vatican by Pope John Paul II. Padre Pio is known for his “stigmata”, bodily marks, pain and bleeding in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ which he acquired when he was about 31 years old. His popularity grew due to his stigmata and spiritual gifts of healing, bilocation, levitation, prophecy, miracles, extraordinary abstinence from sleep and nourishment, the ability to read hearts, the gift of tongues, the gift of conversions, and the fragrance of his wounds. His sanctuary is at San Giovanni Rotondo Foggio, Italy where devotees visit his uncorrupted body. In the Philippines, prayer groups and organizations were formed even before Padre Pio became a saint. His feast day is celebrated on September 23. Info from Padre Pio Wikipedia and the Philippine Centre for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Inc. website.