REFLECTIONS

Prayer of
St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so
much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we 
are born to eternal life

St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 25,1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, into a simple peasant family. At the age of 15, he entered the Capuchin Franciscan Friars and was ordained a priest in 1910. In September 1916, he was assigned to the Friary in San Giovanni Rotondo in central Italy, where he lived for the rest of his life.

After celebrating morning Mass on September 20, 1918, during his prayers of thanksgiving before the Crucifix, Padre Pio received the "Stigmata." His hands, feet and side were pierced with the nail marks and the lance wound of the Crucified Christ. Doctors estimated that for the next 50 years, he lost a cup of blood every day. His five wounds were deep, bleeding and painful, but completely free of inflammation and swelling.

News of his holiness spread rapidly. Millions of people attended his Masses. He received letters from believers all over the world, who asked for his saintly counsel in their times of distress and misfortune. Countless were attracted to his confessional, where he celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for as many as 16 hours a day. People waited as much as two weeks to have him hear their confession, for they perceived in Padre Pio, the true heart and soul of the Gospels, expressed in a simple and uncomplicated manner. His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer, continual sacrifice, and strict austerity. He had a very deep union with God, a burning love for the Holy Eucharist, and a fervent devotion to Our Blessed Mother.

Worn out by half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio was called to his heavenly reward on September 23, 1968. He was canonized a Saint by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002. Today his tomb is the most visited shrine in Europe, surpassing even Fatima and Lourdes - a place of extraordinary holiness for those in search of inspiration.

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our
life, our sweetness, and our hope. To
you, do we send up our sighs, mourning
and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us; and after
this, our exile, show unto us the blessed
fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement,
O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the
promises of Christ.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters leads me;
He refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
In the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
All the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
For years to come.

CAPUCHIN FRANCISCANS - WESTERN AMERICA PROVINCE
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  Last updated April 13, 2011