Have you met St. Padre Pio?

 

I was first introduced to St. Padre Pio during a season of Advent many many years ago by a generous lady we affectionately called “Granny Jan”.  

It was also during that Advent season when I learned that she was a former nurse and retired after being diagnosed with cancer. During her healing and recovery, she developed a deep devotion to both our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Padre Pio. Both of which Granny Jan has now blessed our home and family with through gorgeous artwork and blessed sacramentals. 

She happen to introduce us to St. Padre Pio during a scary time when one of my kids had suffered a misfortunate accident and had gotten quite a severe concussion. Granny Jan heard about the incident and insisted on giving us her second-class relic of St. Pio. We humbly took the relic and blessed our child who recovered quickly without any complications. Praise God!

 

Afterward, I became very curious about this Saint and I began reading books, magazines, newsletters, and prayer cards and watched a couple movies about him.  

I came to learn quite a bit about this incredible mystical capuchin monk, priest, and now Saint.  I fell in love with him immediately and Granny Jan was so thrilled that she gifted us with this absolutely beautiful 3-foot outdoor statue of Padre Pio (see photo above).  

 

I think one of the first things that made me feel connected to him was when I read about his temper.  Apparently, St. Padre Pio had little tolerance for certain things, such as ladies coming to the confessional dressed immodestly. It got to the point that his brother monks had to screen the people who came to see him for confession. 

On the other hand, St. Padre Pio was also known to be as gentle as a lamb. He showed such tender love as noted in his letters, conversations, and the many supernatural visits he had with different eyewitnesses. All of whom became his very devoted spiritual children.  Reading about St. Padre Pio’s encounters was not only warm and caring but so admirably attractive and so enlightening. 

 

He was also well known for bearing the wounds of Christ through the stigmata. And he could celebrate Masses that would last for hours.  Could you imagine? That must have been amazing to be present at one of his Masses! St. Pio has developed an intimate relationship with his Guardian Angel since childhood and people testified hearing him having arguments with his Guardian Angel when he was an adult. I got such a chuckle and immense joy in reading those stories about him. 

St. Pio also had many long and exhausting nights in his cell battling Satan and his evil dominions.  Many years later when I was learning more about different types of torments that evil spirits manifest, this one God permitted with St. Pio we’re called ‘vexations’.   On the other hand, St. Pio was witnessed having many many beautiful encounters and ecstasies with the Christ-child Jesus and our Lady, Mother Mary. 

 

It quickly became obvious St. Pio was granted several extraordinary supernatural charisms and he used them to help save many many souls.  Honestly, I could read stories about him, all day long! He helped so many people from all over the world and from all walks of faith and from so many different generations. 

St. Pio definitely helped me to get another perspective on who was each person of the blessed Holy Trinity, and what Heaven and Hell were like.  His intimate encounters with each Heavenly being gave me glimpses into what an intimate relationship with our Lord could actually look like.   

 

This past Advent season I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with this amazing supernaturally gifted, mystical priest from the past, through each of these delightful daily devotions. 

Somehow being inspired by each day’s readings and prayers I have felt strongly compelled and convicted to write this post and introduce you to this powerful Saint.  My prayer is that you too will come to know a side of God through St. Padre Pio’s life, which will deepen your desire to know, love, and serve God more.  If you don’t know much about St. Padre Pio, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend getting to know him better. His intercessory prayers are supernaturally powerful! ❤️🙏

Today, dear reader I’m asking a favor.  Could you please say a quick prayer for Granny Jan who introduced me to this incredible Saint? 

St. Padre Pio to pray for us.

 

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I pray you found what you were needing today. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this post might have been helpful for you.

 Remember you are not alone! No matter what you’ve done or failed to do you are still loved unconditionally by a very merciful and just Lord and Savior!

May God Bless You,

Leslie

What's holding you back?

 

This past Advent I’ve really enjoyed spending the season preparing for Christmas with one of my favorite saints. There were several daily readings where I got such consolation and insight into what God was doing in my life right now. And they all came through different stories about this Saint.  These moments of joy-filled encounters with the Holy Spirit through this saint kept bringing back a conversation I had this past year with a dear woman. 

During this conversation, we were discussing in particular her conversion from being an atheist to a now-proclaimed agnostic. Which was a big step forward for her. For sure.  However, during that conversation, she made two statements that have been coming back to me throughout this Advent season.

 

While discussing with her how God was working in her life, the first statement she made was she could see how something bigger than her was watching over her, but she had no desire to be affiliated with any churches or institutions right now in her life. Primarily I think it was because she didn’t want any hypocritical people telling her what she should or shouldn’t be doing. I think considering where she was in her transformation that statement was “fair enough”.  I too remember from personal experience not wanting to be controlled by a bunch of hypocrites who thought their church and rules were the right and only way.  

Today, I look back and see how those thoughts really came from a place of fear, ignorance, and pride on my part.  For one there are zero perfect people whether that be in a church or institution or society. Since we all fall short, no better place to grow and become healed than in a community of like-minded people. I also had to come to the realization that the process of converting to Christianity doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, education, awareness, and actual life experiences with God, self, and others. 

I learned over time that this conversion from agnostic to Christianity is one that can never be done alone.   We human beings were created for communion not to live and grow in isolation. God knows that better than we do. So it makes total sense as to why He had to send His only son, the second person of the Trinity, to come to earth to complete what His chosen people imperfectly started and could never finish. Before ascending to the right hand of the Father of course he established ONE, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. This was the only way for all His present and future generations of disciples could grow and develop in objective Truth. 

 In time I pray God will continue to place the right people, situations, and circumstances in this dear woman’s path to help her take the next right step forward.

 

Back to the conversation, it was this dear woman’s second statement that concerned me the most. Unfortunately, it’s one I’ve heard too many times from ignorant people.  She adamantly stated she did not believe in "saints or anything supernatural, nor would she ever".  It was the tone she used that really stood out to me. One of obstinacy and pride.

I felt bad for her because one of the most profound impacts on my faith journey has been the stories told about beautiful mystical encounters these people from the past have had with the supernatural world.  It was through their life experiences that I have grown to better understand my faith, how the Catholic Masses play such a vital role in our salvation, how the Eucharist is food for our souls, and most importantly how to have an intimate relationship with our triune God. 

I remember a time when I struggled with what an intimate relationship with God was even supposed to look like.  Why? Because if I was already stuck at maintaining close relationships with my family and friends in my current life, how in the world was I supposed to have one with God?  Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the biographies and testimonies left behind for us to read. The stories of how different saints showed up and overcame struggles while here on earth, I would be SO lost today. 

 

Of course, God has brought devout people, priests, and nuns into my life, who have each helped me to grow in my faith. However, these people are still on this side of Heaven which means they have not overcome their own sinful faults,  failings, and trials. There’s no guarantee they are going to Heaven to be with God for all eternity. It would be foolish to assume just because they’ve been baptized and are subjectively ‘good’ people that their lives and examples are trustworthy.

 

That being said, having the biographies and testimonies of devout people who have had their earthly lives evaluated through a beatification process, which means they lived in a manner that was in alignment with the teachings of the Scriptures and the Magisterium of Jesus’s Church, offers me more reliability and trustworthiness to follow their examples. These saintly people who were from all walks of life have been incredibly instrumental in my own growth as a Christian in the Catholic Church. They’ve shown me a better understanding of who God is; how He lives outside of time; what He expects from us during our time here on earth; what Eternal life could actually look like; how to use our free will in alignment with God’s will; and so so much more.

I pray down the road this dear woman’s heart will soften and she will be able to be more open-minded in learning more about our Creator from the creatures that once lived on this side of Heaven and all the beings that now live closest to Him in Heaven for all eternity.  

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I pray you found what you were needing today. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this post might have been helpful for you.

 Remember you are not alone! No matter what you’ve done or failed to do you are still loved unconditionally by a very merciful and just Lord and Savior!

May God Bless You,

Leslie

Have bad things happened to you?

Yes, absolutely!  Maybe the better question is how do you cope when bad things happen to you?

Almost a decade ago there was a season in my life when I thought I was drowning and suffocating in a series of bad things. For almost five consecutive Fall and Winter months, I was hit with one major tragedy (painful life experience) after another from the brain surgery of a parent, to the serious motorcycle accident of my child, to the unexpected suicide of a close friend, to the death of two loved family members.
 
It was during that time, I was given this quote by St. Teresa of Calcutta…

…while these wise words did offer some comfort, they didn’t stop the silent negative impact these events were having on my already existing seasonal affective disorder. I remember being completely exasperated and desperate for a break, after the fifth year in a row.  To this day the Fall and Winter seasons are still quite difficult for me.
 
I prayed so many times during those difficult years, pleading and asking our Lord, "Why did I have to experience all these bad things in my life and when were they ever going to stop?!” I remember thinking if there was some kind of lesson God wanted me to learn I just wished I’d hurry up and learn it so He could stop “kissing me”.  I would beg Him for some kind of neon sign or two-by-four to hit me over the head so I could get the clarity I obviously wasn't learning yet and the relief I was desperately needing! 
 
Fortunately, an unexpected answer to my desperate prayers finally came during the summer of 2019 after spending an unusual amount of time covering many Adorations, for guardians who were not able to attend their regularly scheduled weekly hours.

 

That incredible summer I was introduced to this beautiful soul, aka kindred spirit, called Sonja Corbitt. Known as the Bible study Evangelista! 

Sonja happened to be one of the presenters at the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Eucharistic Congress. She apparently made quite an impression on several of the parishioners from my church that were able to hear her talk. It was their enthusiasm that piqued my curiosity so I did some research of my own and learned that Sonja happened to be a convert to the Catholic faith from a southern Baptist denomination. Just like my husband and me!
 
I found not only her application of the Scriptures through her L.O.V.E. the Word program, but her extensive knowledge of Biblical and Church history, as taught through all her books and Bible studies, to be such incredible gifts to all of us Catholics.  Actually, to all of us Christians!!

So, what does that have to do with my desperate prayers and suffering?

 

Well during Sonja’s talk at the Eucharistic Congress, she alluded to a Father's wound. In doing some more research the Holy Spirit led me to this incredible recording online of Sonja’s complete life-changing story about healing the Father's wound.
 
Afterward, I felt the Holy Spirit immediately convict me as to the reasons why all those tragedies, injustices, and life pop quizzes had been permitted not only over the past five years but throughout my lifetime to date.
 
Sonja’s talk helped me to see that I was not only saved and made holy through prayer, the Eucharist, and the sacraments of the Church but “God was sanctifying me mainly through the sacrament of living… whatever happens to me — good or evil — all God asks is that I face it whether it is just or unjust, logical or illogical, reasonable or unreasonable”.
 
It didn’t mean I had to condone the evil inflicted on me or agree with the injustices that were done or put on masks to try and cover the pain and suffering. All I was asked to do was face them and only, when possible, change them.
 
Every time I disassociated and masqueraded to avoid facing the pains, fears, and hurt of the emotional realities, I had suffered yesterday, today, and tomorrow, I was like “the dog who returns to its vomit” (Proverbs 26:11) and this was definitely not following God’s will in my life.  My vomit may have looked different than Sonja’s, but like all vomit, it destroys the relationships in our lives!!
 
This ultimately meant that I needed to acknowledge all my fears and the emotional pains associated with past unresolved grief, losses, tragedies, and unjust circumstances. In theory, this sounded super easy, but in actual application, it definitely has not been!
Then some years later the Holy Spirit led me down another deeper healing path where I learned how to find the root causes aka uncover the thoughts behind each of my inflictions.
 
I’ve learned that not only was “this how I was going to carry my own cross through the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus”, but this was how I could 'set my neighbor free'.
Did you know purgatory is something we can all do on this side of Heaven? And it can actually be more meritorious. This has been a reprieving thought I hang onto whenever I’m faced with carrying another cross through my garden with Jesus. 
 
I was reassured this was not a purgative journey that needed to wait until after my death, nor was it ever going to be one I could do on my own. It has been a journey of redemptive healing that I take with our Lord, one day at a time.  Ultimately this is now my welcomed redemptive suffering.

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 I pray you found what you were needing today. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this post might have been helpful for you.

 Remember you are not alone! No matter what you’ve done or failed to do you are still loved unconditionally by a very merciful and just Lord and Savior!

May God Bless You,

Leslie