Padre Pio

Going down a rabbit hole as I so frequently do, I ended up watching the last Mass of Padre Pio.  That led to watching an old black & white video of a "day in the life of" clips.  In one of the clips, he was standing in a hallway with his brother Capuchin talking to children gathered around him.

As I watched this video, it struck me that he was one man among many standing next to his brother Capuchins, dressed exactly like them.  I wondered, "What made him so different, set apart from the others?"

I kept digging.  Miracles, stigmata, and most intriguing, an account of him bi-locating.

He had been at a concert, thoroughly enjoying it, when, at the intermission, it was noticed that he was leaning forward on a chair, appearing to be resting, "silent and motionless," for about 5 minutes.  The people that were with him recounted that he never left, and after the show, went directly home.  You can read more about it HERE.

At the very time that he had been resting against a chair, he had visited (bi-located) a sick man, who the very next day, expressed his gratitude for a visit by him (during the time of the concert's intermission the night before.)

What a fascinating gift!  I've always wondered how it appeared to those around our saints when the gift of being in two places at once was happening.

Although you and I may not have the amazing gift of a saint like Padre Pio, that doesn't mean we are not called to sainthood.  Holiness, for us, may look less miraculous, but it is something that is within our reach.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2013, we learn:

"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." All are called to holiness: 'Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.^'"

^{So there you have it.  God's assignment to us:  love as perfectly as you are able.  If you can manage that, you will be well on your way to holiness!}

^{Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
#padrepio
#holiness}