| Padre Pio was truly a servant of God. He had a | | | | and kind mother cannot do less than exult with joy on |
| lifelong love affair with Our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. | | | | this holy day in memory of her greatest triumph, her |
| To him, the Eucharist was the center of all spiritual | | | | Assumption into Heaven and Coronation as Queen of |
| benefits. It was the life breath of the soul. We believe | | | | all the Angels and Saints... |
| the Lord gave him an insight as to the power and the | | | | After Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, Mary longed |
| magnitude of the Eucharist, from a very early age. As | | | | with an ever growing desire to be reunited with Him. |
| a young man, before he entered the priesthood, he | | | | And oh! with what ardent sighs and pitiful weeping did |
| spent hours in the church, adoring Jesus in the Blessed | | | | she supplicate Him to call her to Him. Without her divine |
| Sacrament. After his ordination, he took a long time for | | | | Son, she was in a most painful exile... But finally the |
| the Consecration of the Mass, to the point where | | | | hour she so desired came, and she heard the voice of |
| parishioners complained about all the time he spent, in | | | | her desires calling her from above... |
| ecstasy, before the bread and wine as they became | | | | Now, who can adequately describe the triumphant |
| the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus. He had to | | | | entrance of Mary into Heaven? St. Anselm says that |
| control himself, to break out of his ecstasy, and force | | | | Our Savior wished to ascend into Heaven before His |
| himself back to the Mass, at the orders of his | | | | Mother so as not only to prepare a throne worthy of |
| superiors. | | | | her but also so as to make her entrance more glorious |
| He began his preparations for Mass hours before the | | | | and triumphant by being able to meet her Himself with |
| Mass began. He would constantly ask his fellow Friars | | | | all the Angels and Holy Souls of Paradise." |
| what time it was. He always thought it was time to | | | | Very seldom was Padre Pio ever seen without the |
| begin Mass, even though it might have been two hours | | | | Rosary in his hand, beads slipping through his fingers, |
| early. When it came to celebrating the Eucharist, he | | | | his lips moving silently, as he prayed the mysteries. He |
| was like a young race-horse, chomping at the bit, | | | | had such a special relationship with Mary. She was his |
| waiting impatiently to get out of the starting gate. | | | | Mother, his Friend, and his Queen. Some of his writings |
| We read an eyewitness account in the Voice of | | | | about Mary projected his undying love for her. |
| Padre Pio, about Padre Pio and the celebration of the | | | | "This most tender mother, in her great knowledge, |
| Mass. | | | | mercy and goodness, has desired to punish me in a |
| "But as he started vesting for Mass, his body began to | | | | very high way by pouring into my heart so many |
| bend forward. As he slowly approached the altar, his | | | | graces..." |
| body stooped over more and more as if he was being | | | | "My poor little mother. How much she loves me. I |
| crushed under a heavy cross beam on his shoulders; | | | | realized it again at the beginning of this beautiful month. |
| his gait dragged, his face took on the sorrow of his | | | | With how much care she accompanied me to the |
| Lord and Savior. As the mystery of the Sacrifice of | | | | altar this morning! It seemed to me that she didn't have |
| the Mass unfolded, Padre Pio reached the pinnacle of | | | | anything else to think of but me alone." |
| suffering at the moment of Elevation of the Host in | | | | "The strength of Satan, who is fighting me, is terrible, |
| Consecration. | | | | but God be praised, because He has put the problem |
| To quote a witness, "In his eyes I read the expression | | | | of my health and a victorious outcome into the hands |
| of a mother who assists at the agony of her son on | | | | of our heavenly Mother. Protected and guided by such |
| the scaffold, who sees him expire and who, choked | | | | a tender Mother, I will keep on fighting as long as God |
| with suffering, silently receives the bloodless body in | | | | wishes." |
| her arms, able only to give slight caresses." | | | | One of his followers wrote about Padre Pio and Mary, |
| He cried during the Mass. It was not weeping so much | | | | "When he spoke about his heavenly Mother, as he |
| as it was deep, involuntary sobbing. He cried from the | | | | called her, he could hardly contain his emotion. When |
| depths of his soul. When he beat his breast during the | | | | he recited "the Visit" (prayer) to the Most Holy Mary, |
| Confiteor, it was as if he was accusing himself of all | | | | he often could not keep back the tears and the |
| the sins committed by man." | | | | emotion in the tone of his voice. And sometimes he |
| Giant tears cascaded from his closed eyes onto his | | | | was seized by such violent sobbing that he could not |
| beard. He took everything that was happening during | | | | continue the recitation of the prayer." |
| that time so seriously. "Padre Pio's Mass put him into | | | | A normal reaction to this would be, that's a bit much, |
| the drama of Calvary. For him it was reliving daily the | | | | even for someone who professed that kind of love |
| pain which had wounded him in soul and body that | | | | for Mary. But one thing we must keep in mind is that |
| morning of 20 September 1918. The Mass was his | | | | Padre Pio had the privilege of seeing Mary all his life. |
| daily restigmatization." | | | | That is a gift that is beyond our human comprehension. |
| Padre Pio and Mary | | | | We have read the attempted verbalizations of those |
| We can track Padre Pio's love and relationship with | | | | who have seen Mary. We have asked the question of |
| Mary, the Mother of God, back to age 5. It continued all | | | | Vicka, one of the visionaries in Medjugorje, "What is it |
| his life. He mentioned at various times in his life that he | | | | like to be in the presence of Our Lady?" Her only reply |
| received apparitions from Mary on a regular basis. He | | | | was, "There are no words." Why wouldn't anyone be |
| derived a great deal of his strength from these | | | | overcome with emotion, when an actual image of the |
| apparitions, especially when he suffered the onslaught | | | | most beautiful woman in the history of creation, comes |
| of demons, and grotesque monsters, sent from hell to | | | | before you every time you hear the name? I have |
| torture him. | | | | often said I would get a heart attack and die if Mary |
| We would like to share a few excerpts from a homily | | | | ever appeared to me. That will give you just a teeny |
| he preached on the Feast of the Assumption. | | | | idea of what Padre Pio may have experienced with |
| "We Catholics, who do homage to this most gentle | | | | his Lady. |