@24 Padre Pio's quotes, virtues, defects, Catholic Church, Francis, John, Paul, who

Summary: Padre Pio’s quotes, virtues, defects, Catholic Church, St. Francis, St. Paul, who is Padre Pio.

“I am only sure of one thing: that my heart loves a lot; it’s made to love.”^{^[12]}

“I live only to serve the Heavenly Father: I don’t live for myself: only for Him.”^{^[13]}

“I am the torment of souls. I am a devouring fire, burning everything inside me.”^{^[14]}

"Among you I am your brother, on the Altar I am your victim, in the confessional I am your judge."^{^[15]}

“The Lord has chosen me, despite my faults, to help Him in the great endeavor of saving humanity.”^{^[16]}

“The Lord gave me a great mission that is known only to Him and me.”^{^[17]}

“The Lord from my birth showed me signs of a very special predilection.”^{^[23]}

March 25, 1914 to Padre Benedetto: “My soul, enriched by so much knowledge of celestial things,

"If God would take back what he gave us, we would be left with our rags."^{^[29]}

"Before going to sleep examine your conscience and turn your thoughts to God."^{^[33]}

“Padre, I don't believe in God.” Padre Pio: "But God believes in you."^{^[42]} ^{^[43]}

Padre Michele Piacentino saw a young fellow approaching Padre Pio in the sacristy.

“It is useless to try to figure out exactly what Heaven is like, because we can’t understand it.

But when the veil of this life is taken off, we will understand things in a different way.”^{^[39]}

From a letter to Padre Agostino on 10-14-12: "At night, when I close my eyes the veil is lowered

Padre Francesco Napolitano: “Padre Pio’s suffering was permeated with radiant joy,

“Everybody should understand the preciosity of time. Let’s treasure every instant.

”Do not delay for tomorrow what we can do today. How do we know that tomorrow we will still be alive?”[55]

“I, I, I. Always I in place of God!” (“Io, Io, Io. Sempre io al posto di Dio.” )^{^[56]}

“Nosiness is a defect that destroys charity, makes us lose peace, and has sad consequences.

“I resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and He crucified.” (cfr.1 Cor. 2:2) [61]

“I don’t condemn dancing as such, but I believe there is always the danger of sin.” [68]

“If I wore a torn habit I wouldn’t make a good impression of St. Francis.”[69]

"I wholeheartedly bless the work of catechizing children, the little flowers of Jesus."[70]

Virtues

To John McCaffery: ”God made all things. His creation includes the stars and the humblest domestic utensil. I belong to the second category.”^{^[72]}

“You have respect for me because you don't know me. I am the greatest sinner on this heart."[73] [74]

“Humility and charity go hand in hand. The one glorifies, the other sanctifies.”[76]

To a priest: “Souls are not given to us as gifts; they must be purchased; they must be paid for. Don’t forget how dearly they cost to Jesus.”[78]

Padre Pio frequently said about the revelations he received: “A king’s secret should be kept secret.” (Tob.12:7)[79]

Padre Romolo: “As far as chastity is concerned, his tact is extraordinary: as to this, nobody doubts he is an angel.”[81]

Padre Alberto: “In the little conferences he gave us seminarians he used to say: “Everything comes down to purity. Purity says it all.”[82]

Mons. Pogany: “Sometimes I was Padre Pio’s confessor. I don’t believe that he ever committed sin, not even a venial one. No, I don’t think so. I heard his confession.”[84]

Mons. George Pogany lived near the convent from 1940 until 1957. He helped Padre Pio and the friars, confessing, saying Mass, bringing Communion to bedridden people, and translating. He moved to the USA in 1957, and was a pastor in Irvington, New Jersey, for decades.

Padre Agostino:”I could swear that Padre Pio has kept his virginity, and never committed a venial sin against the angelic virtue. On day he told me: “I swear that I have never kissed; not even my mother.”[85]

Padre Agostino stayed in touch with Padre Pio from 1907 until 1967. He was his spiritual director. He kept a “Diary” about his experience.

When he was a middle aged man, Padre Pio told another priest: “When I was a teen ager, I didn’t even know how human beings came about. None of the teenagers in Pietrelcina knew anything about sex in those days.”[86]

While Padre Pio was passing, a woman screamed: “Padre, touch me! Padre, touch me.” Padre Pio continued walking, mumbling to himself: “I’ve never touched a woman in my life, and I’m, not going to start now!”[87]

Padre Pio: “Guard jealously the purity of your heart and of your body. These two wings will make us almost divine."[88]

To a priest: “Lust is shortest and the easiest way to go to Hell. You know this and you say it to others. Try to practice what you preach.”[89]

To a priest: “Impurity is the rock against which many vocations are shattered.” [90]

Padre Pio: “The enemy tries to put in my heart thoughts of impurity and desperation”.[91]

Padre Lodovico: ““Whit the women he shows politeness, reserve, and at times has even been austere.”[92]

He treats all women with kindness and sweetness, but is much reserved. The women that frequent him carry in an exemplary and extremely devout life.[93]

Padre Cherubino: “He treats the women with affability and sweetness, but is always most reserved.”[95]

To William Carrigan: "Hypocrisy is the greatest evil of our time. It exists in all levels of our society, in high places and in low places."^{^[96]}

“In every man there is Jesus, but in the sick we can see Jesus twice.”^{^[97]}

Defects

Padre Lorenzo: “When he is summoned to see visitors, he once in a while reacts with irritation, although he immediately acknowledges it.”[98] “In the words of the Consecration I think he might have some scruples. I heard some words being repeated.”[99]

Mons. Rossi to the Holy Office: “He has his own liturgical flaws. He doesn’t bow his head at the name of the Holy Father in the Collect. He doesn’t open and close his hands at the Oremus. He doesn’t incline towards the Crucifix at the Per Dominum Nostrum Jesum Christum. When turning the pages of the missal he keeps the other hand up in the air. He doesn’t bow perfectly towards the altar at the “Munda” and at “Te Igitur”. He is not entirely precise in the ceremonies of Communion.”[100]

Mons. Rossi did a formal inspection of Padre Pio’s room in 1921, and wrote: “He doesn’t seem as tidy in the way he takes care of his things. In his cell, the various drawers are somewhat disordered: sheets of paper, gloves, quinine, candies for the boys, images, everything rather muddled.”[101]

Mons. Rossi: Sometimes escape him interjections such as “per Bacco” (by Jove), my God, my Jesus, in the middle of an animated conversation.[102]

Padre Tarcisio asked why he was so strict with some people. “My son, before making people suffer, I suffer a lot myself. But it’s necessary, because my job is to remove the old and put in the new.”[103]

To Padre Benedetto: "I sometimes raise my voice when correcting people. I realize that this is a shameful weakness. I regret it."^{^[104]}

Brusque manners were used at times by Padre Pio to shake up and bring repentance, to keep away the curious and the fanatics. There was always a reason for his roughness. People actually snipped bits off his habit with nail scissors when they knelt in the corridor as he was passing. "Go away. What are you her for? What do you want from me? They cut my cord and habit with scissors. This is paganism. This is fanaticism."[105] [106] "I'm forced to be rude. I am sorry, but if I don't act this way, they will kill me." ^{^[107]}

Catholic Church

Padre Marcellino: “By his example Padre Pio invited every priest to place on high Eucharist, Confession, and obedience to the Church.”^{^[108]}

Rev. Bernard Ruffin: “Padre Pio is certainly one of the Roman Catholic Church best “advertisements””[109]

Padre Pio suffered false sexual accusations and misunderstandings throughout his life, by even the highest Church authorities.^{^[110]}

Padre Pio never held animosity towards people that falsely accused him.^{^[111]}

"The thought of revenge has never crossed my mind. At most sometimes I told the Lord that if it is necessary a lashing to convert them, to go ahead, as long as they are saved.”[112]

“The hand of the Church is gentle even when it strikes us, for it is always our mother’s hand.”[116]

“The severity of the Church is always necessary in order to clarify our ideas. Otherwise there would be chaos.”[117]

“I would give my life a thousand times for the Pope and for the Church.”[118]

Francesco Morcaldi: “Padre Pio was completely submitted to all the Church’s orders with an humility that belongs only to the saints.”[119]

Padre Pio told Prof. Enrico Medi who was going to the Vatican to see Pope Pius XII: “Tell the Pope that I offer with immense joy my life for him. Tell him that I pray constantly.." [120]

Enrico Medi: “Padre Pio had a complete allegiance to the Church. When the Church asked him not to celebrate Mass in public, he did not celebrate in public. When the Church asked him for solitary silence, he went in solitary silence. When the Church asked him to talk, hi talked; to pray, he prayed; to celebrate, he celebrated; to disappear, he disappeared.”[121]

Padre Ferdinando da Riese: “Padre Pio was not a preacher. Never the less his obedience and allegiance to the Church have been his longest sermon, and the most convincing.”[122]

Padre Pio told Katharina Tangari: “Every Christian denomination in the world feeds off of the Catholic Church. Our Holy Catholic Church is like a great and extremely precious unpolished diamond, from which every so often somebody takes a particle and polishes it – not without the help of the evil one – so that it begins to shine better than the great unpolished diamond. And this shine draws men, dazzles them and deceives them, so that the particle necessarily is worn out and comes to nothing. This is the game of deception, which appears and reappears with time. Jesus warned us to watch out for it.”[123]

The Universe

Don Nello Castello, a priest from Vicenza met Padre Pio in 1957 and frequently visited until Padre Pio's death in 1968.

He asked padre Pio about life in the universe, and reported the answers in the book "così parlo' Padre Pio "(So Padre Pio spoke ). The book was published in 1974, and has the Imprimatur of the Bishop Carlo Fanton, at the time Auxiliary of Vicenza.

Don Nello Castello: "They say that on other planets there are more creatures of God."

Padre Pio’s answer: "And you wanted that the Omnipotence of God was limited to the little planet Heart? And you wanted that there weren't other creatures loving the Lord?"

Still Don Nello Castello said: "Padre, I have been thinking that the Earth is nothing, compared to all the other stars and planets."

Padre Pio replied: "Yes, we born on the Earth are nothing. The Lord has certainly not restricted his glory to this little planet. On other planets there might be beings that have not sinned like we did." (pag. 235)

Cleonice Morcaldi said to Padre Pio: “When I was told that there are more inhabited plates I was shocked.” Padre Pio: “Why? You don’t want that other beings exist? Would you think that God’s omnipotence is limited to our little planet?”

Saint Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio side by side

Padre Pio loved and admired St. Francis to the point that he decided to spend his life in the Franciscan Capuchin Order.

St. Francis was born in Assisi on Sept. 26, 1181 to Pietro di Bernardone, a prominent businessman, and to Pica Bourlemont, originally from France.

He was baptized Giovanni in honor of St. John the Baptist, while the father was in France for business. When Pietro came back he decided to call him Francesco instead.

Padre Pio was born in Pietrelcina on May 25, 1887, to Orazio Forgione and Maria Giuseppa De Nunzio. They farmed their own land. The day after birth Padre Pio was baptized Francesco.

Francesco was self-thought, and by himself read a lot of books, learned several languages, and he liked enjoying the company of many friends.

Padre Pio went to Mass and recited the rosary daily with his family since his early childhood. He received informal schooling through private teachers, including elementary and junior high levels.

In 1201, age 20 Francis was a soldier in a military expedition against Perugia, was taken prisoner at Collestrada, and spent a year in captivity.

In 1204 Francis left for Puglia to enlist in the army of Gualtiero di Brienne. But on his way, in Spoleto he had a celestial vision, and decided to return to Assisi.

In the fall of 1205 in the church of San Damiano the icon of Christ Crucified came alive and said to him three times: “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.”

In January 1206, age 25, his father was very indignated with him because of his religiosity. After a final interview at the presence of the bishop Guido II, Francis renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garment he had on, and started living as a beggar and preaching.

Padre Pio spent the years to age 23 preparing for priesthood in the Capuchin order.

He spent the 5 years after ordination as a recruit in the Italian army spending most of the time in Pietrelcina, where he prayed and meditated and receive the invisible stigmata..

In 1209, age 28, Francis and his followers went to Rome and got approval from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order.

He called the community ‘lesser friars” (frati minori), and they lived in a deserted lazar house in Rivo Torto, near Assisi.

Two years later, on Palm Sunday, 28 March 1211 Francis received Clare at the Porziuncola and established the Order of Poor Dames, later called Poor Clares.

When Padre Pio moved to the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo in 1918, age 31, he encouraged his spiritual children to join the third order of Saint Francis.

He exchanged numerous letters of spiritual direction, promotes prayer groups, and started first the Saint Francis Hospital, and then the House for the Relief of Suffering.

In 1217 the growing congregation of 5000 friars, followers of Francis was divided in provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East.

In 1219 Francis went to Egypt. Crossing the lines between the sultan and the Crusaders in Damietta, he was received by the sultan Melek-el-Kamel. He visited the holy places in Palestine in 1220.

La Verna, a gift to Francis from the count Orlando di Chiusi was his favorite spot for prayer and contemplation. While he was praying on 14 September 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, he received there the stigmata.

Brother Leo reported: "Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ."

Padre Pio got the invisible wound in 1910 at the age of 23 in Pietrelcina, and the visible wounds by the Crucifix in the choir of the church in 1918.

Suffering from several ailments, Francis was brought to the Porziuncola were he spent the last days of his life.

Padre Pio stayed in the same convent for 52 years. He died whispering “Gesu’, Maria.”

Francis preached to the birds, talked to the wolf in Gubbio, created the nativity scene in Greccio.

He was a poet of the creation and called the things in the “Cantico delle creature��: mister brother sun, brother wind, brother fire, sister moon, sister water, sister death, mother earth, madonna poverty.

His prodigies are reported in the “Fioretti” “The little flowers of St. Francis”, and in the writings of Tommaso da Celano, one of the first disciples of St. Francis.

Padre Pio confessed many hours a day, celebrated daily a majestic mystical Mass, recited innumerable rosaries, healed souls and bodies in person and bilocation, built a grandiose hospital for the suffering.

He had special gifts that are unique in the catholic literature, for quantity and variety.

He had unparalleled detailed access to the world of afterlife, giving us spectacular glimpses of it.

On 16 July 1228 less than two years after his death, Francis of Assisi was pronounced a saint by pope Gregory IX. His feast day is observed 4 October.

On June 16, 2002, 35 years after his death, Padre Pio was proclaimed saint by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is observed 23 September.

The day after canonization, on July 17, 1228 Pope Gregory IX laid the foundation stone for the church.

The Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, built on several levels, was consecrated by Pope Innocent IV in 1253, 25 years after construction was started.

On April 24, 2008, after 42 years in the crypt of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the body of Padre Pio was translated in the crypt of the new church dedicated to him.

In 1959 Padre Pio was show the newly built church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, just before the inauguration on July 1^{s t}. The church was several times larger than the original church, and to everybody’s surprise Padre Pio was not impressed and called it “a mousetrap”. He said “Ma che avete fatto. Nu mastrillo? Doveva essere piu’ grande, molto piu’ grande.” “What did you make? A mousetrap? It should have been bigger, much bigger.”

The wish of Padre Pio has been fulfilled after his death, with the San Pio church, that he certainly loves.

It is a spectacular new modern rendition of a grandiose “grazie” “thank you” to God from all the faithful for His generosity in giving us Padre Pio, the man that reached the fusion with Christ.

Padre Pio and the apostle Paul

"I'm giving you an example and model of the true Christian in my beloved Apostle St. Paul."

"I cannot read St. Paul's letters without experience a fragrance that reaches the very apex of my spirit."

Col.1,24 “In my own body I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of the Church."

Acts 14:11-12 So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”

People unable to approach Padre Pio in person were often granted a cure by contact with some objects that had been touched by him.

St John of the Cross and Padre Pio

In 1568, at 26, he joined St. Teresa of Avila, in the foundation of the Discalced Carmelites.

St. John and St. Teresa are the most brilliant, articulate, energetic and successful figures that the Counter-Reformation has produced.

On December 3, 1977 he was imprisoned for more than nine months in the convent of Toledo in a narrow stifling six feet by ten feet dark and cold cell, in complete isolation. The severe regime included public lashing there times a week before the community of the monks. He escaped in a miraculous manner in August 1578. In prison he wrote some of his exquisite poetry.

He was austere to the extreme and also full of joy and kindness. He was declare saint in 1726, and Doctor of the Church in 1926.

St. John of the Cross explained in a poem “The dark night of the soul”, the test of abandonment which God reserves for those who have followed him with sublime generosity, to reach the perfect union with the Creator.

Padre Pio wrote in a letter to his spiritual director on 12-12-23:” In vain I turn to God. Everywhere there is silence, even in Heaven, which has become as bronze to me.” “I live in a perpetual night.”

At the end only the veil of the flesh separates the soul from the Beatific Vision.

Padre Pio completed all the stages and reached the “fusion” with God, as He said: “Like two candles that melt together and are no longer distinguishable.”

Who is Padre Pio

With Padre Pio the extraordinary was ordinary, the uncommon was common, the supernatural was natural, the unthinkable was routine, and the unpredictable was norm.

It cannot be imagined a more complete, lasting, unwavering selflessness in a human being.

From birth to death every day of his life was consumed by the love and imitation of God through Jesus, consumed by the love and help for the suffering humanity of his brothers and sisters on earth, consumed by the love and suffrage of the souls in Purgatory to shorten and mitigate their pain, consumed by the love and obedience at any price to the Roman Catholic Church.

And Padre Pio made good use of them, with healings, resurrections, levitations, prophecy, reading the hearts, speaking in tongues, reading unknown languages, spreading a scent of flowers, multiplying food in times of need, permanent visible presence of the Guardian Angel, frequent visitations with heavenly Beings, seeing the souls from Purgatory, knowing in details the status of the deceased,

preventing bodily harm in bilocation, preventing car accidents in bilocation, preventing destruction of things in bilocation, healing in bilocation, assisting in bilocation dying people for a peaceful trespassing.

He did those things while ingesting minimal food, taking minimal sleep, having constant headaches, enduring a chronic bronchitis, going through bouts of extremely high fevers, profuse nightly sweating.

Padre Pio’s distinguishing characteristics were kindness, joy, serenity, humility, modesty, piety, attitude of forgiveness, perfect obedience to all ecclesiastical authorities,

His fingers went through millions of rosaries. His lips uttered billions of "Ave Maria".

Each and every one of His trillions of heartbeats was a grandiose symphony for the Glory of God.

In Paradise he continues to work for us, pray for us, intercede for us, distributing all kinds of graces for the asking.

[1] Epist. I, 769

[2] Epist. I, 800

[3] Gal09, 8

[4] Win88, 154

[5] Ale99, 24

[6] Ale99, 36

[7] Epist. IV, 92

[8] Pio10, 122

[9] Chi99, 230

[10] Duc68, 21

[11] Epist. I, 1247

[12] Cle87, 173

[13] Epist. I, 497

[14] Cle87, 50

[15] Chi99, 237

[16] Epist. I, 304

[17] Cle97, 180

[18] Cle87, 144

[19] Ias06, 9

[20] Ing75, 23

[21] Duc68, 21

[22] Sch87, 78

[23] Epist. III, 1006

[24] Epist. I, 462

[25] Epist. I, 1247

[26] Pio10, 167

[27] Pio10, 13

[28] Pio10, 172

[29] Pio10, 157

[30] Pio10, 12

[31] Pio10, 231

[32] Iase06, 137

[33] Pio10, 147-8

[34] Pio10, 160

[35] Epist. IV, 450

[36] Pio10, 136

[37] Pio10, 7

[38] Mul09, 178

[39] Mul09, 178

[40] Nap76, 95

[41] Epist. I, 308

[42] Win88, 121

[43] Gau74, 168

[44] Par11, 29

[45] Pio10, 7

[46] Pio10, 175

[47] Pio10, 61-2

[48] Pio10, 229

[49] Pio10, 33

[50] Mod, 23

[51] Pio10, 51

[52] Alb10, 161

[53] Nap76. 93

[54] Pio10, 5

[55] Pio10, 4

[56] Ale10, 337

[57] Epist. IV, 437

[58] Epist. IV, 469

[59] Del62, 555

[60] Pio10, 13

[61] Ale10, 310

[62] Epist. IV, 469

[63] Cle88, 133

[64] Pio10, 130

[65] Pio10, 135

[66] Pio10, 131

[67] Alb07, 269

[68] Iase06, 147

[69] Iase06, 148

[70] Pio10, 173

[71] Ing78, 68

[72] McC78, 66

[73] Pio10, 154

[74] Alb07, 260

[75] Pio10, 159

[76] Del50, 561

[77] Pio10, 154

[78] Bru69, 161

[79] Epist. II, 119, 258, 309

[80] Cas11, 70

[81] Cas11, 70

[82] Sch87, 47

[83] Mul99, 13

[84] Ruf91, 420

[85] Ago12, 100

[86] Ruf91, 39

[87] Gau73, 164

[88] Pio10, 8

[89] Iase06, 142-3

[90] Iase06, 143

[91] Epist. I, 235

[92] Cas11, 192

[93] Cas11, 198

[94] Cas11, 194

[95] Cas11, 70

[96] Car13

[97] Jas06, 77

[98] Cas11, 158

[99] Cas11, 161

[100] Cas11, 99

[101] Cas11, 95

[102] Cas11, 94

[103] Per02, 387

[104] Epist. I, 1170

[105] Fer10, 453

[106] Ias07, 596

[107] Alb07, 237-8

[108] Isa02, 18

[109] Mul99, 4

[110] Mul99, 13

[111] Mul99, 13

[112] Pio10, 179

[113] Pio10, 161

[114] Pio10, 161

[115] Epist. III, 839

[116] Ing78, 121

[117] Ing78, 124

[118] Mul99, 60

[119] Fer10, 494

[120] Fer10, 490

[121] Fer10, 492

[122] Fer10, 495

[123] Tan 96

24 Quotes, virtues, defects, comparisons

Padre Pio’s quotes