Padre Pio understood the need for the confessional for the forgiveness of sins. He sometimes knew the exact number of sins on a persons soul. Padre Pio also understood that God is merciful but sometimes refused absolution should penitents not have remorse. He also was aware that sin is a cancer in the modern world; that grace is not cheap grace because it was purchased by the precious blood of the Lamb. Like at the days of Nineveh and Sodom mankind needs to repent from sins that call to heaven for Justice. But how can man repent when no one tells them about sin or what sin is? There is no compromise with sin. There is a problem in the Church because it wants to cosy itself to modern man. The Church like much of modern society has become feminised and therefore fearful of preaching the truth in love. When we go through the tribulations of Garabandal and the fire of Akita then we will understand the how God sees sin. It is a cancer, a corruption and an offence against Divine Goodness. Things are so bad we are getting closer to Divine Wrath. Yet, in some of the posts on this forum one would think all is rosy in the garden. Speaking about mankind’s sins, Padre Pio said: "He (Jesus) sees all the ugliness and the malice of creatures in committing them. He knows to what extent these sins offend and outrage the Majesty of God. He sees all the infamies, immodesty, blasphemies which proceed from the lips of creatures accompanied by the malice of their hearts, of those hearts and those lips which were created to bring forth hymns of praise and benediction to the Creator. He sees the sacrileges with which priests and faithful defile themselves, not caring about those sacraments instituted for our salvation as necessary means for it; now, instead, made an occasion of sin and damnation of souls." One day, our Lord Jesus revealed to Padre Pio in an apparition: "Friday morning I was still in bed when Jesus appeared to me. He was very sad and upset. He showed me a multitude of priests regular and secular, among them various ecclesiastical dignitaries. Some were celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Others were putting on the sacred vestments; still others were taking them off. The sight of Jesus in distress gave me much pain, so I asked Him why He was suffering so much. He did not reply, but kept looking towards those priests. When He became tired of looking, He glanced away. He raised his eyes towards me and two tears ran down his cheeks. He walked away from the crowd of priests with an expression of disgust and scorn, crying: 'Butchers!' Turning to me He said: 'My son, do not believe that my agony lasted only three hours. No, I shall be in agony until the end of the world because of those for whom I have done the most. During my agony, my son, we must not sleep. My soul seeks a few drops of human pity. But alas, they leave me alone under the weight of indifference. The ingratitude and the sleep of my ministers make my agony more difficult to bear. Alas, how they return my love. What pains me even more is that they add scorn and unbelief to their indifference. How many times I was ready to destroy them, but I was held back by the angels and the souls that love me. Write to your confessor and tell him what you have seen and what you have heard this morning. Tell him to show your letter to the Provincial.' " While praying in church, Padre Pio heard Jesus say the following: "With what ingratitude is my love for men repaid! I should be less offended by them if I had loved them less. My Father does not want to bear with them any longer. I myself want to stop loving them, but, alas! My heart is made to love! Weak and cowardly men make no effort to overcome temptation and indeed they take delight in their wickedness. The souls for whom I have a special predilection fail me when put to the test, the weak give way to discouragement and despair, while the strong are relaxing by degrees. They leave me alone by night, alone by day in the churches. They no longer care about the Sacrament of the altar. Hardly anyone ever speaks of this Sacrament of love, and even those who do, speak, alas, with great indifference and coldness. My heart is forgotten; Nobody thinks anymore of my love and I am continually grieved. For many people, my house has become an amusement center . . . I behold, my son . . . many people who act hypocritically and betray me by sacrilegious communions, trampling under foot the light and strength which I give them continually . . ." Concerning his Franciscan Province, in a letter December 29, 1912, Padre Pio wrote: "For some time past He[Our Lord] has not been pleased to answer me whenever it is a question of matters appertaining to our Province, for he is very disgusted by the way our Province is behaving." In a letter on April 7, 1913, Padre Pio said: "How many wretched brothers of ours respond to Jesus’ love by casting themselves with open arms into the infamous sect of Freemasonry!" Padre Pio could also see that the almost universal apostasy and desolation was growing and well in place all the way back in 1914. In a letter on April 20, 1914, Padre Pio said: " . . . it afflicts my heart to see so many souls apostatizing from Jesus. What freezes the blood close to my heart is the fact that many of these souls become estranged from God solely because they are deprived of the divine word. The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Who is then to reap the harvest in the fields of the Church when it is almost ripe? Will it be scattered on the ground by reason of the scarcity of workers? Will it be reaped by Satan’s emissaries who are, unfortunately, both numerous and extremely active? Ah, may the most sweet God never allow this to happen. May He be moved to pity for the poverty of men which is becoming extreme." Padre Pio, Letter, April 25, 1914: "Let us pray to our most merciful Jesus to come to the aid of His Church, for her needs have become extreme." In a letter on May 27, 1914, Padre Pio said: "Dear God! If all were aware of your severity as well as of your tenderness, what creature would be so foolish as to dare to offend you?" In a letter to a spiritual child on January 30, 1915, Padre Pio wrote: "You tell me you want to remain unnoticed because you are afraid of falling into pride. I myself cannot see how a person can become proud on account of the gifts he recognizes in himself. It seems to me that the richer he sees himself to be, the more reason he has to humble himself before the Lord, for the Lord’s gifts increase and he can never fully repay the giver of all good things. As for you, what have you in particular to be proud of? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received all, why do you boast as if it were your own? Oh, whenever the tempter wants you to be puffed up with pride, say to yourself: all that is good in me I have received from God on loan and I should be a fool to boast of what is not mine." Speaking about humility, Padre Pio said: "Don’t you see? It is as if someone here gave you a beautiful gold watch to take up to Milan to be repaired, and during the journey you took it out and displayed it as your own to the other occupants of the compartment. Wouldn’t you be a very foolish fellow? Or, if you actually meant to keep it, wouldn’t you be a very wicked one?" Padre Pio, Letter, February 16, 1915: " . . . she would need to have a director [spiritual] who is very enlightened in the ways of God. But where is such a one to be found in these dreadful times? The most merciful Jesus Himself has complained of this. Oh, my dear Father, what very sad times are these! . . . May the divine Father soon put an end to this disastrous situation!"
Continued Padre Pio, Letter to a priest, February 23, 1915: "May Jesus and Mary assist you always and may they give your words the power to convert and to stem the headlong rush of many souls towards the precipice." Padre Pio said: "Don’t you know that we must be alert on the road to salvation? Only the fervent succeed in reaching it, never the tepid or those who sleep!" In a letter on August 4, 1915, Padre Pio said: "Keep far away from . . . profane assemblies, from corrupt and corrupting entertainment, from all ungodly company." Padre Pio: " . . . do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish. Know that the saints were always sneered at by the world and worldlings; they have trampled them under foot and have triumphed over the world and its maxims." In a letter on December 3, 1916: "You must try to please God alone, and if He is content everybody is content." Padre Pio, Letter, August 28, 1917: "Pray for this soul that weeps over the universal desolation and especially over the desolation of our poor Province." Padre Pio lamented to God the Father thus: "Father, I entreat you, either quickly put an end to the world or put an end to the sins that are continually committed against the adorable Person of your only-begotten Son." Padre Pio saw World War I as a punishment for man's unbelief. In July of 1946, Padre Pio sent striking words to the Archbishop of Benevento, Italy: "Benevento was bombed, lost the cathedral and Episcopal residence as a punishment for the Archbishop . . . Worse, not even after this punishment from God is the Archbishop willing to understand his responsibility. He is truly hard of heart . . . souls are being lost and the enemies of God are wreaking havoc, all because the Archbishop sleeps . . . " Padre Pio, Letter, January 27, 1918: " . . . the Church; this dear and sweet dove, which alone can lay the eggs, giving birth to the little doves of the Bridegroom. Continually thank God that you are a daughter of the Church . . . " Padre Pio, Letter, September 13, 1920: "I praise your resolution to desire to consecrate yourself entirely to God in the shadow of the sacred cloister. Therefore, if your father is not in absolute need of you, try by every means, even by running away, to carry out this holy plan. The Lord’s calling must be followed immediately, otherwise we place our salvation in danger." Padre Pio, Letter, March 16, 1921: "The world is full of malice, and no prudence of vigilance is sufficient to avoid being contaminated. Only by fleeing from it can it be beaten."
On Saint Francis, Pope Francis, the Two Popes and the False Prophet By David Moorcroft Thursday, November 12, 2015 Since the election of Pope Francis, certain factions on the fringes of the Catholic Church, in particular extreme traditionalists and quasi-sectarian groups gathered around spurious and patently false private revelations have been exploiting the Internet for the propagation of bogus prophecies attributed to Saints and Blesseds of the Church. The claim is made that these “prophecies” have foretold the election of Pope Francis and its dire consequences for the Church. (1) A bogus prophecy falsely attributed to St Francis of Assisi which foretells the coming of an uncanonically elected “destroyer pope” has been widely circulated. This “prophecy” is not found among the writings of St Francis, nor is it mentioned in the Life of the Saint by St Bonaventure. It first appears along with other spurious material in a compilation of Franciscan writings by Luke Wadding (1588-1657) a Franciscan friar who showed little regard for scholarly rigour concerning his sources. From circumstances and internal evidence of the “prophecy”, it is almost certainly the work of a breakaway group of “Fraticelli”, or Franciscan Spirituals who were condemned for heresy by Pope John XXII in 1317. This “prophecy” is being quoted as proof that Pope Francis is the uncanonically elected “destroyer pope” and the False Prophet of Revelation. http://mariadivinemercytrueorfalse..../on-saint-francis-pope-francis-two-popes.html
I am sorry Joe. I failed to see your position has become so desperate. I will not post again till after the Exhortation[or warning]
From the movie Padre Pio: Miracle Man, 2000 That’s not judging her, that’s showing her the way. That’s what a priest does. But I think we should judge ourselves though. God’s mercy has always been very easy to understand but very heavy for our shoulders though. God help us!
I haven't encountered anyone on the forum who thinks 'all is rosy in the garden'. Pope Francis has spoken frequently and strongly on the need for confession. The Year of Mercy highlights this need. Quite why Padre Pio is being wheeled out now as someone who would be against Pope Francis is a bit of a mystery. Actually not a mystery as the devil is working overtime on the internet to attack Pope Francis. I have no doubt that were he alive today, Padre Pio would have very strong words to say to those who criticise Francis.
I do mean it Basto but perhaps not in the way that you understand. I believe that Pope Francis represents the Truth. Mac and Brian utterly refute this conviction. I remember being mocked mervilessly for suggesting before the Synod that it would support Catholic tradition in marriage. I still believe it will. Mac and Brian have shown no faith in the Pope. If what we do to the least of Christians is done to Christ how much more so to the one appointed as His Vicar on earth. They have, for all practical purposes, disowned Pope Francis the one representive who stands in persona Christi on His direct Commision. They seem ashamed of him. So if Pope Francis is disowned how can they repent wothout direct help from heaven. Their conviction is so strong I suspect that only God is strong enough to overcome it. This will be done by direct action on their conscience during The Warning. The possibility that I am wrong to support Pope Francisc has never been given serious considerstion by me. I am sure they have the same strength of conviction about their faith. Now we can only continue in the best Way we can.
I do not understand how you have concluded I am desperate. Thank you for your concern and consideration but no need to be sorry Mac. We have a fight on our hands and we are fighting the good fight as best we can. There is no false mercy here. We have a race to run, a race to finish. Perhaps we will be able to help each other over the finishing line.
Would you please take off your rose tinted glasses and stop mis-interpreting my posts. I did not post about Padre Pio in relation to the Pope but in relation to the theme of this thread on the synod and holy communion for the divorced and civilly remarried and the state of the world and the Church.
I'm sorry if I misinterpreted your post, garabandal, but the thread has been turned somewhat into a series of posts criticising the Pope. But this gives me an opportunity to quote a few words from Pope Francis teaching us of the sacredness of the Eucharist. Rediscover a “Sense of the Sacred” at Mass February 10, Homily Excerpts To rediscover the sense of the sacred — the mystery of the Real Presence of God in the Mass — was Pope Francis’s invitation in his homily during the Eucharistic celebration at Casa Santa Marta on February 10. The first Reading of the day speaks of the “theophany” of God in the time of Solomon the king. The Lord came down like a cloud upon the temple, which was filled with the glory of God. The Lord, the pope said, speaks to His people in many ways: through the prophets, the priests, the Sacred Scriptures. But with the theophanies, He speaks in another way, “different from the Word: it is another presence, closer, without mediation, near. It is His presence.” This, he explained, happens in the liturgical celebration. The liturgical celebration is not a social act, a good social act; it is not a gathering of the faithful to pray together. It is something else. In the liturgy, God is present,” but it is a closer presence. In the Mass, in fact, “the presence of the Lord is real, truly real.” “When we celebrate the Mass, we don’t accomplish a representation of the Last Supper: no, it is not a representation. It is something else: it is the Last Supper itself. It is to really live once more the Passion and the redeeming Death of the Lord. It is a theophany: the Lord is made present on the altar to be offered to the Father for the salvation of the world. We hear or we say, ‘But, I can’t now, I have to go to Mass, I have to go to hear Mass.’ The Mass is not ‘heard,’ it is participated in; and it is a participation in this theophany, in this mystery of the presence of the Lord among us.” Nativity scenes, the Way of the Cross... these are representations. The Mass, on the other hand, “is a real commemoration, that is, it is a theophany: God approaches and is with us, and we participate in the mystery of the Redemption.” Unfortunately, too often we look at the clock during Mass, “counting the minutes.” This, the pope said, is not the attitude the liturgy requires of us: the liturgy is God’s time, God’s space, and we must place ourselves there: in God’s time, in God’s space, and not look at the clock.” “The liturgy is to really enter into the mystery of God, to allow ourselves to be brought to the mystery, and to be in the mystery,” he said. We are all “gathered here to enter into the mystery: this is the liturgy. It is God’s time, it is God’s space, it is the cloud of God that surrounds all of us. To celebrate the liturgy is to have this availability to enter into the mystery of God,” to enter into His space, His time, to entrust ourselves to this mystery. Pope Francis concluded, “We would do well today to ask the Lord to give to each of us this ‘sense of the sacred’ — this sense that makes us understand that it is one thing to pray at home, to pray in Church, to pray the Rosary, to pray so many beautiful prayers, to make the Way of the Cross, so many beautiful things, to read the Bible — [but] the Eucharistic celebration is something else. In the celebration we enter into the mystery of God, into that street that we cannot control: only He is the unique One — the glory, the power — He is everything. “Let us ask for this grace: that the Lord would teach us to enter into the mystery of God.” http://www.adoremus.org/0414PopeFrancis.html
Apology accepted. What needs to be made clear is that I consider Mac, Brian K, davidtlg & Joe C as brothers in Christ and living members of the body of Christ, the Catholic Church. I might at times disagree with you. But I have learnt from all of you. There is a great crisis in the world and in the Church - a crisis of holiness. We need to become apostles of holiness. In my opinion this is only possible today through total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We need in Padraig's words to become slaves of Mary.
Quotes from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. "If you judge people you have no time to love them." "I know God will not give me anything I cannot handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."
Padre Pio died before the final reforms of Paul VI (he died in 1968, Missale Romanum was issued in 1969) He celebrated Mass facing the people using some of the earlier post-Concillar reformed liturgical texts: I don't know how to copy and link things but this is a try below
No modern Pope has spoken more against the "created one" then pope Francis. http://www.catholicvote.org/is-satan-fighting-back-against-pope-francis/ http://yournewswire.com/pope-francis-warns-about-the-reptilian-devil/ http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-satan-exists-in-the-21st-century-and I had to do this three times...got a head ache and the post would disappear. I must be touching a sore subject. May Gods Will be Done
I've read all of these posts, and have not seen Brian insult anyone. Stating your opinion is not insulting someone. Disagreeing with you is not the same as insulting you.
Thank you David. I have gone back and edited my post, I do not wish to post false prophecy here and since the pedigree of that prophecy is in question I will remove it. St. Francis is my favorite saint (aside from Our Lady) and I would not wish to ascribe to him something he did not say. Also just to be clear I did not cite that prophecy to "prove" Pope Francis is an anti-pope. Personally I do not think he is the anti-pope prophecy predicts for this time. I believe he is the pontiff who will flee Rome, and Benedict will be the "bishop in white" who is killed in Rome, but that is just my personal interpretation.
Hi, I didn't see that, either. It looked to me like he was asking questions about Pope Francis' motives, but I didn't see where he insulted him. But, maybe what I view as insulting is not the same as others.
