Archbishop John: Padre Pio brought me closer to Jesus
Homily from the Feast of St Pio of Pietrelcina Mass
Archbishop John Wilson celebrated Mass at St George’s Cathedral for the Feast of St Pio of Pietrelcina, followed by veneration of a relic of the saint and a blessing.
Recalling a prayer card Archbishop John received when he was 14 years old, he explains how Padre Pio has brought him closer to Jesus:
“At the bottom of that prayer card was a small piece of cloth. I know now it had been touched to a part of Padre Pio’s body or his belongings. At the time, in my innocence, I thought it was a tiny piece of his glove. As I touched this cloth, it brought me close to Padre Pio; and Padre Pio, carrying the marks of the cross, brought me closer to Jesus. This is why we honour St Pio”
Padre Pio, Archbishop John explained, had a deep and personal devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. He said:
“St Pio once put it like this: 'Keep close to the Catholic Church', because she 'possesses Jesus, the true prince of peace, in the Blessed Sacrament.' Dear friends, the Lord Jesus longs for you to draw closer to him. He is here for you every time you come to Mass. He waits for you in the Blessed Sacrament, eager to hear the things on your heart. Jesus wants to listen to you when you pray. He wants to speak to you through the Scriptures. He wants you to learn from his saints what it is to be holy, to live a life with purpose, with meaning, and with joy."
Archbishop John, speaking about Padre Pio’s stigmata, the marks of Christ’s passion, which appeared supernaturally on his body, said:
“When visiting Padre Pio, the young Fr. Karol Wojtyła (the future Pope John Paul II) asked which of his wounds caused the greatest suffering. Padre Pio is said to have replied: “It is my shoulder wound, which no one knows about and has never been cured or treated.” Sometimes the most painful wounds for all of us are the ones no one else sees or knows about; but the Lord sees and the Lord knows.”
Padre Pio was a renowned confessor, with people travelling all across the world to have their confession heard by him. The great saint once said, 'The thought of God’s mercy is the only thing that sustains me'. Reflecting on this quote, Archbishop John said:
"The dying and rising of Jesus shows God’s mercy to be greater than our sins and reveals God’s healing to be more powerful than our wounds. God’s forgiving love is the gift of the risen Lord, experienced especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
After Mass, there was an opportunity to venerate a relic of St Padre Pio - a piece of cloth he once used to clean the wound in his side. The relic was personally received by Archbishop John from the Capuchin friars of San Giovanni Rotondo.
