Kathryn Griffin Swegart's Blog, page 9

The Secret Wounds of Padre Pio: Part II

Rome, Italy, 1948. A young Polish priest stepped off the plane, his heart filled with excitement. A momentous week lay ahead for him. Soon he would meet Padre Pio, the humble Capuchin friar who had gained world-wide fame as a mystic and stigmatist. Little did he know that Padre Pio would reveal a secret hidden for thirty years.

Father Karol Wojtyla traveled to the remote Franciscan monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo. In the days that followed, the two priests had several conversations, later revealed in a book Il Papa e Il Frate, published by Padre Pio’s Friary.

“What is the most painful of the wounds you suffer?” Wojtyla asked.

“It is my shoulder wound, which no one knows about and has never been cured or treated.”

Years later, Padre Pio confided to his personal attendant Brother Modestino Fucci, that his greatest affliction was when he removed his woolen undershirt. Blood from the cloth stuck to the lacerations on his shoulder causing severe pain when the shirt was removed. Indeed, Fucci discovered circular bloodstains on the right shoulder.

Padre Pio’s secret shoulder wound echoes back to St Bernard of Clairvaux. Centuries ago, St Bernard had a vision in which Our Lord described his shoulder, injured under the weight of the cross. It tore at his flesh down to the shoulder bone. That wound caused his greatest suffering.

Today, we can ask Saint Padre Pio to be adopted as one of his spiritual children.

“When the Lord entrusts a soul to me, I place it on my shoulder and never let it go.”…Padre Pio.

Here is a prayer to make this request.

Dear Padre Pio, I recall your promise, “Lord, I will stand at the gates of Heaven until I see all my spiritual children have entered.”

Encouraged by your gracious promise, I ask you to accept me as a spiritual child and to intercede for my prayer requests… (Here state your petitions.)

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.

The Secret Wounds of Padre Pio: Part One

One day a little boy accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to the shrine to San Pellegrino in Italy. As they entered the church, he heard a woman crying in desperate supplication to God that her deformed child be healed. Instinctively, the little boy prayed with the mother, watching as she placed her child on the altar.

“Why don’t you want to heal him for me?” she pleaded.

Suddenly, the child stood up, completely healed.

The little boy who prayed was Francesco Forgione, later to become a Capuchin friar known to the world as Saint Padre Pio. One biographer wrote these words about the miraculous healing at San Pellegrino.

The combination of the mother’s prayers and the dramatic restoration of the boy’s body to wholeness impressed on Francesco the power of prayer and the possibility of God’s healing in response to faith.

On the day of his ordination to the priesthood in 1910, another prayer was dramatically answered. Padre Pio formally offered himself up as a victim soul for the conversion of sinners. One month later, he experienced the wounds of Christ, stabbing pains that bled visibly through cloth he used to conceal the stigmata: supernatural wounds that caused him embarrassment and humiliation.

He prayed, “Jesus, take them away. I want to suffer, to die for suffering, but in secret.”

Once again, his prayers were answered.  For eight years, Padre Pio quietly lived in pain, concealing his agony from other friars. In the year 1918, he sat in prayer in a chapel after Mass. A mysterious figure visited him. Here is a description of the event in the saint’s words.

When the mysterious creature left, I found that my hands, feet, and side had been pierced and were bleeding.

 Imagine the anguish I experienced at that moment and that I have been experiencing continually ever since.

Padre Pio’s stigmata was studied by doctors and scientists. One professor described them as “lacerations that cause hemorrhaging and acute pain…not subject to infection or decomposition, have no foul odor, do not change, do not form scar tissue, and remain unchanged for years and years, against all biological laws of nature.”

Padre Pio lived with the stigmata for 50 years.

In the next installment, you will read of another secret wound known to only one other person in the five decades Padre Pio suffered, physically uniting himself to the crucified Christ.

On September 23, the Catholic Church celebrates this remarkable saint.

Discovery of the True Cross

Never stand in the way of a woman on a mission, especially if she is an empress. In the year 325, St. Helena, mother of Roman emperor Constantine, arrived in Jerusalem surrounded by investigators, architects, and advisors.  Holy desire burned in Helena’s heart, a desire to find the true cross on which Jesus died. For more than three hundred years, the exact location of Christ’s death was a mystery. According to Roman law, instruments of execution are buried on the site of the criminal’s death. Where was Mount Calvary? Jerusalem was ringed with many hills, only serious investigation and excavation would reveal the location. Hundreds of workers were employed to dig up places around Jerusalem. Six months of digging passed and still nothing was found.

One day men began digging on a hill filled with rubble, remains of a temple to the Roman goddess Venus. Helen ordered two hundred workers to the site. Ruins of the temple were cleared away and the hill roped off to keep away curiosity seekers. Suddenly a shout rose from among the workers. “Wood!”  Three crosses were discovered deep inside the massive hole. Which cross was the real cross of Christ? Legend tells us that a miraculous healing occurred when a sick person touched the true cross.

On September 14, 335, Emperor Constantine dedicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on the site of Mt. Calvary. In the year 614, Persian marauders invaded Jerusalem and stole the True Cross. Fifteen years later, the precious relic was recovered and brought triumphantly back to Jerusalem. The date was September 14, 629. 

On September 14th, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in which we meditate on the supreme sacrifice of Our Lord.  One of the most famous passages from the New Testament is read. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 13:16).

A Miracle of Light

In 1969, a film crew arrived in Calcutta, India, prepared to shoot a documentary on Mother Teresa and her work with the destitute, often found lying in filth along city streets. Under the direction of BBC journalist Malcom Muggeridge, the crew intended to film inside a home for the destitute. One scene was to be shot inside a dark building where the Sisters brought in the dying. The camera man shook his head, studied the dim light, and realized that the scene would be useless. They had not brought portable lighting to the hospice.

“Film it anyway,” Muggeridge said.

When they developed the film, a surprising image appeared.

“Actually, to the astonishment of all concerned, it came out bathed in an exquisite luminosity,” Muggeridge said. “Some of Mother Teresa’s light had got into it.”

The incident had a profound effect on Muggeridge, once an atheist, yet a man who was drawn to study spirituality. In 1967, his curiosity inspired him to interview Mother Teresa for a BBC television show. It was so popular that he decided to create a documentary on the Missionaries of Charity and their work in Calcutta. His documentary and book Something Beautiful for God helped to bring Mother Teresa and her missionary work to world-wide fame. 

He once wrote about the mysterious incident that occurred filming at the hospice. “Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying is overflowing with love. One senses this immediately on entering it. This love is luminous, like the haloes that artists have made visible around the heads of saints. I found it not at all surprising that this luminosity registered on the film.”

Muggeridge converted to Catholicism in 1982 at the age of 79.

Mother Teresa was canonized in 2016. Her feast day is celebrated on September fifth.

Who invented champagne?

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

In a recent blog post I wrote about St. Benedict’s Rule (529), a monastic rule that provided order and peace in a world besieged in chaos. Men retired to monasteries to cultivate discipline in the spiritual life. Manual labor was seen to mortify the flesh, as monks took on difficult tasks such as clearing and reclaiming swamps.

One group of Benedictine monks, known as Cistercians, established a monastery in Burgundy, France. The year was 1098 and as these industrious monks gazed undaunted at massive swamps, filled with snakes and mosquitoes, they transformed useless land into a vineyard.  Through experimentation and hard work, Cistercians developed wines familiar to us today: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, and Riesling.

Champagne was discovered by a monk named Dom Perigon at St. Peter’s Abbey in France in 1688. Dom Perigo blended wines until he achieved the light bubbly variety we sip today. His techniques are still used in the manufacture of champagne.

Monks strove to produce wines of the highest quality and thus gave glory to God in all things, even delightful wines that help us celebrate the most joyful occasions in life.

Who invented wine?

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

In a recent blog post I wrote about St. Benedict’s Rule (529), a monastic rule that provided order and peace in a world besieged in chaos. Men retired to monasteries to cultivate discipline in the spiritual life. Manual labor was seen to mortify the flesh, as monks took on difficult tasks such as clearing and reclaiming swamps.

One group of Benedictine monks, known as Cistercians, established a monastery in Burgundy, France. The year was 1098 and as these industrious monks gazed undaunted at massive swamps, filled with snakes and mosquitoes, they transformed useless land into a vineyard.  Through experimentation and hard work, Cistercians developed wines familiar to us today: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, and Riesling.

Champagne was discovered by a monk named Dom Perigon at St. Peter’s Abbey in France in 1688. Dom Perigo blended wines until he achieved the light bubbly variety we sip today. His techniques are still used in the manufacture of champagne.

Monks strove to produce wines of the highest quality and thus gave glory to God in all things, even delightful wines that help us celebrate the most joyful occasions in life.

The Spark of Divinity

It was our time for Eucharistic Adoration at a local chapel. My husband turned into the parking lot and we discovered a middle-aged woman lying in a parking spot staring at the sky. He parked the car and we discussed the situation. She looked tanned and healthy, wore torn clothes, and had a bottle of Pepsi.

We got out of the car and said hello.

“Beautiful day,” my husband said.

“Oh yes. I am watching the sky. I need open space to see the clouds.”

I did not know how to respond, so simply smiled and entered the chapel. My first prayer before the Eucharistic Jesus is always, “What do you want me to do?” It was hard to concentrate. I kept thinking about the lady lying on the pavement. My husband encouraged me to talk with her, but I was nervous. Minutes ticked away. An answer came: Go talk with this homeless person.

I went outside and spoke to her.

She responded to my greeting, “I am almost finished. I have one more cloud to watch.”

After completing her task, the woman stood up and we chatted. Her name was Ginger. She rode her motorcycle from Minnesota to Maine to attend a film festival. I studied her face as she spoke. Her eyes were light blue like the sky; her lips were severely blistered. With her blond hair and trim figure, I imagined her once a long time ago as a pretty little girl who loved to run through meadows, free as a bird.

My last words to her were, “Remember, God loves you!”

She looked startled.

Next day was the Feast of the Transfiguration. Lo and behold, the priest, Father James, ended his sermon by talking about how we are to see Jesus in the distressful disguise of the poor. The glorified Christ, shining white as a star, is an image of Adam and Eve as they were in the garden of Eden. That is our identity, made in the image of God. I realized that Ginger is a daughter of God, created by the divine touch, part of God’s sweeping plan of salvation, more awesome than the Milky Way, grand member of the cosmos.

Ginger, I now think of you. Do you look at the sky to escape the woes of this earth? Did your parents love you? Did you feel safe in your childhood home? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?

Father James explained that the Greek word for heaven is sky. I contemplated this idea. Ginger, homeless on this earth, inexorably gazes up at the cosmos, drawn to heaven, her true home.

Is this the face of Jesus?

One of the most famous relics the Church venerates today is the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus. Imprinted on the 14-foot-long piece of linen is the image of a man beaten, scourged, and crucified. 

Yet how many people know about another shroud with a mysterious image? It is the holy veil of Manoppello, also called the little shroud, that shows the face of Jesus, a man alive, not dead. Revered quietly by the Church for centuries, the cloth is thought to have been discovered by the apostles Peter and John at the tomb of Christ “the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloth, but rolled up in a place by itself.” (John 20:7) The eyes are open, the face slightly disfigured, his mouth parted. This image of Christ has been depicted in art for centuries. Villagers in the tiny hamlet of Manoppello, Italy have venerated the veil for 400 years. Now over the last few decades, Manoppello has become a pilgrimage destination for the faithful, popes, cardinals, and saints. 

Saint Padre Pio called it “the greatest miracle we have.” Robert Cardinal Sarah visited the site in 2018 and said, “In Manoppello we encounter God face-to-face. It is such a moving place. One is touched by the gentleness of Christ’s eyes, with their extraordinary penetrating and calming power.” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI venerated the Holy Face on September 1, 2006. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, traveled to Manoppello in 2017 and was overwhelmed with joy. “You gladly have my permission to spread the devotion to the face of Jesus. We hope that through you, so many will find that Jesus is real.”

Two other miraculous images – St. Juan Diego’s tilma that and the Shroud of Turin, have both investigated by scientists, but he Holy Veil of Manoppello has not been subject to scientific study. In September, 2004 Chiara Vigo, a woman who weaves on precious fabrics, examined the veil and determined that the cloth was marine byssus, ancient in origin and incompatible with the paint strokes of artists.

Perhaps in years to come, the Holy Veil of Manoppello will be subject to research by scientists. For now, the Church moves cautiously on its origins, encouraging us all to ponder the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Time of Wonder

Recently, my sister and I have collaborated on a family history book, a labor of love that stirs up memories of childhood. In one conversation we talked about a pivotal point in our lives, crucial in our development as life-time readers.  We grew up in a Boston suburb complete with sidewalks lined by elm trees. Atlantic Street was a busy road where trucks rumbled  by and drivers had to watch for kids playing catch in the street. One fine day, my mother gave me permission to cross the street. It was an historic moment. Now I could walk to the library all by myself. Thus began my enchantment with literature and in particular, children’s literature.

This endearment to children’s books was fired anew as I had the great joy of reading to my three children and now my grandchildren. On this sultry summer day in Maine, I think of one of my favorite picture books, Time of Wonder, winner of the 1958 Caldecott Award, written by Robert McCloskey.

If art is meant to evoke emotions, then Time of Wonder is art at a high level. Through text and paintings, McCloskey makes us feel like we are standing on the shore on a foggy morning “on the edge of nowhere”. We see clouds darkening the Camden Hills, the bay spotted with boats, and the happy noise of children diving off rocks into a sparkling sea.

Summer passes. Days grow shorter and shorter. An unusual sky appears over Eggemoggin Reach. Lobstermen study the sky.

“We’re gonna have some weather.”

“It’s a comin’.”

“She’s gonna blow.”

All living things wait for a hurricane to pound the seaside villages. After the storm, children explore the woods and beaches and see a hummingbird buzz overhead. The story winds down as the family begins to pack and leave the Maine Island. “A little bit sad about the place they were leaving, a little glad about the place they were going.”

I do bet that my adult children know the last line of this classic story. We read it every summer. “Where do hummingbirds go in a hurricane?”

Who turned swamps into farmland?

How Catholic innovations changed western civilization.

Strange question you might think. I assure you that this is not a thought experiment. Here we have authentic history.

Picture a dismal swamp. Picture murky streams, land submerged in spring-time floods, invasive reeds, and thick peat all devouring forests of fir and oak. Imagine rank soil and dead trees floating like rafts in black water. This depicts parts of Europe in the sixth century.

St. Benedict of Nursia gazed upon this useless terrain and knew God could turn a desert into fertile land, for with God nothing is impossible. He is the father of western monasticism, a man who established twelve communities of monks at Subiaco, Italy, and the monastery in Mont Cassino. In 529 he wrote the Rule of Saint Benedict, a rule that established structure and order in a tumultuous world. Manual labor played a key role in monastic life and was seen as a channel to mortify the flesh and give glory to God. As Benedictine monasteries grew, lay donors gave them uncultivated land. 

Monks did grunt work nobody else wanted to do. They dug ditches and plowed fields. They diked and drained swamps that once had been rife with disease and filth. They cleared forests and planted saplings to conserve forests. They improved cattle breeds, taught irrigation methods, raised horses, brewed beer, raised bees, grew fruit, made cheese, and designed salmon fisheries. Monks taught neighbors the value of hard labor. As one scholar wrote, “agriculture had sunk to a low ebb…men spurned the plow as degrading. (The monks’ example) was magical. Men once more turned back to a noble but despised industry.”

Monasteries sprouted up all through Europe, including a strict order of Benedictines known as the Cistercians. Medieval technology flourished under these men. They invented machines powered by water to crush wheat and refine flour.

Monastic innovations flourished in what historians label “the dark ages”. Yet this was an age of true enlightenment.