November 2014 Fall PP NewsletterN O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 2 REFLECTIONS FROM OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR...
Transcript of November 2014 Fall PP NewsletterN O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 2 REFLECTIONS FROM OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR...
REMINDERS:
DECEMBER 4 Knights of Columbus
Holy Hour for Vocations 7 p.m.
St. Barnabas Church Rosary &
Benediction
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ST. PADRE PIO PRAYER GROUP NEWSLETTER
Spritual Director: Rev. Fr. Edward Janoch
Group Leader: Cindy Russo
DECEMBER 6 CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST Prayer Gathering and
Blessing of the Pregnant Mothers
8:30 Mass at St. Barnabas, Rosary, Speaker, Pot Luck Brunch (bring a dish!)
Taking RSVP’s for the Christmas Pot Luck Brunch that will be held at the next Prayer Group Gathering, Dec. 6th. This year we ask that everyone pitch in and bring either a side, dessert or appetizer.
At the Dec. 6th group gathering, we will have the blesng of the “Unborn Babies in the Womb” in honor of Baby Jesus’ birth. We invite expectanct family members and friends for a wonderful blessing of Mother and Child.
Please take time and pray for those who are on the Italy Pilgrimage from Oct. 27 – Nov 7. Your petitions will be prayed for and left at the Tomb of St. Padre Pio!
The month of November is remembered for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Let us pray and offer sacrifices for the them. St. Padre Pio would encounter the holy souls throughout his life. They would ask him to offer Mass and prayers for them. Let us pray that we continue to strive for true holiness each and every day. Let us also remember to pray for our deceased members of our prayer group: Diane Zeurcher, John Danis, Elizabeth Nagrnet, Peter Blaszak, Lydia Baker
St. Padre Pio gave thanks to our Lord—for everything—his pain, his endurance, his joy, his love, his life. With Thanksgiving approaching, we remember, the roots of our gratefulness: Our Lord and Father where all things begin, thank you dearest Lord, for our role model St. Padre Pio. He gave you thanks and praise every moment of his life. We always seem in prayer to be asking for love, guidance and favors-‐-‐ sometimes we forget to give true glory and thanksgiving along with our requests. Let us imitate St. Padre Pio in his actions and words -‐-‐ not only in times of joy and happiness, but also when trials come, when disappointments overwhelm us, and when the anxieties of life overtake us. Thank you for being with us in all our joy and sorrow, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our journey. Thank you Father for the gift of your Son and all the sacrifices and suffering Jesus endured for us. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, for His guidance and wisdom. Open our hearts to your love. We thank you for guiding us through paths, which are sometimes overgrown with rocks and thorns. Let us be more grateful servants to your banquet table. Help us recognize the distractions that keep us from our goal to love you more. Let our souls sing praise to you without ceasing. O Lord my God, forever will I give you thanks. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
DURING NOVEMBER Please keep in your daily
prayers this month, the Holy Souls in Purgetory. Suggested reading is the book “Praying with the Saints for The Holy
Souls in Purgetory” by Susan Tassone
PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS
We most humbly beseech You-‐-‐good, eternal and merciful Father-‐-‐forgive the Holy Souls and lead them as well as our souls, through the merits of Your most beloved Son, Our Lord
Jesus Christ, into the kingdom of Your Holiness, which You Yourself are.
Amen.
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REFLECTIONS FROM OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR Salve! By the time you read this reflection I and the rest of the Padre Pio Prayer Group Pilgrims will be in Italy on our Pilgrimage. Not having the time to write a reflection, I found this article about Padre Pio and the Souls in Purgatory and thought that this month, Dr. Taylor Marshall will be my “guest reflector” this month.
Padre Pio’s Mysterious Encounters with Souls from Purgatory by Dr. Taylor Marshall God chose Saint Pio of Pietrelcina to reveal the supernatural life to our tepid era. His supernatural interior life was made visible through his immense suffering and his well-‐known stigmata. As we move into November and pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, we do well to recall a few encounters of Padre Pio with the souls of Purgatory. Padre Pio once described an encounter he had with testified the following to the Bishop of Melfi, His Excellency Alberto Costa and also the superior of the friary, Padre Lorenzo of San Marco. Below is third person written testimony of the words of Padre Pio:
“While in the friary on a winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall, he was sitting by the fireplace one evening in the guest room, absorbed in prayer, when an old man, wearing an old-‐fashioned cloak still worn by southern Italian peasants at the time, sat down beside him. Concerning this man Padre Pio states: ‘I could not imagine how he could have entered the friary at this time of night since all the doors are locked. I questioned him: ‘Who are you? What do you want?’ The old man told him, “Padre Pio, I am Pietro Di Mauro, son of Nicola, nicknamed Precoco.” He went on to say, “I died in this friary on the 18th of September, 1908, in cell number four, when it was still a poorhouse. One night, while in bed, I fell asleep with a lighted cigar, which ignited the mattress and I died, suffocated and burned. I am still in Purgatory. I need a holy Mass in order to be freed. God permitted that I come and ask you for help.”
According to Padre Pio: “After listening to him, I replied, ‘Rest assured that tomorrow I will celebrate Mass for your liberation.’ I arose and accompanied him to the door of the friary, so that he could leave. I did not realize at that moment that the door was closed and locked: I opened it and bade him farewell the moon lit up the square, covered with snow. When I no longer saw him in front of me, I was taken by a sense of fear, and I closed the door, reentered the guest room, and felt faint.” A few days later, Padre Pio also told the story to Padre Paolino, and the two decided to go to the town hall, where they looked at the vital statistics for the year I908 and found that on September 18 of that year, one Pietro Di Mauro had in fact died of burns and asphyxiation in Room Number 4 at the friary, then used as a home for the homeless. Around the same time, Padre Pio told Fra Alberto of another apparition of a soul from Purgatory which also occurred around the same time. He said: One evening, when I was absorbed in prayer in the choir of the little church I was shaken and disturbed by the sound of footsteps, and candles and flower vases being moved on the main altar. Thinking that someone must be there, I called out, “Who is it?” No one answered. Returning to prayer, I was again disturbed by the same noises. In fact, this time I had the impression that one of the candles, which was in front of the statue of Our Lady of Grace, had fallen. Wanting to see what was happening on the altar, I stood up, went close to the grate and saw, in the shadow of the light of the Tabernacle lamp, a young confrere doing some cleaning. I yelled out, “What are you doing in the dark?” The little friar answered, “I am cleaning.” “You clean in the dark?” I asked. “Who are you?” The little friar said, ‘I am a Capuchin novice, who spends his time of Purgatory here. I am in need of prayers.’ and then he disappeared,” Padre Pio stated that he immediately began praying for him as requested, and it is not known if he had any further dealings with this particular soul. However, in regards souls in Purgatory it is very interesting to note that later in life Padre Pio once said that ‘As many souls of the dead come up this road to the monastery as that of the souls of the living.” Without a doubt, many souls from Purgatory visited Padre Pio seeking his prayers, sacrifices and sufferings to obtain their release. Pray for the Poor Souls daily. Taylor Marshall PhD is a former Episcopalian priest and the President of the New Saint Thomas Institute, an initiative offering theology classes to over 1,100 students in 24 nations. He is the author of The Crucified Rabbi, The Catholic Perspective on Paul, The Eternal City, Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages, and Saint Augustine in 50 Pages. He appears regularly on Catholic Answers, EWTN, and Relevant Radio. He has a highly rated podcast “The Taylor Marshall Catholic Show” and blogs at taylormarshall.com where he has 98,702 followers. He and his wife Joy have seven children (four boys and three girls) and make their home in Dallas. A presto, Father Edward J. Janoch
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PURGETORY—GOD’S GIFT TO SINNERS A man had a bad temper. For years, he didn’t care about improving it. Finally he made an act of the will and decided to correct it. After 10 years of daily rosaries, he was free. He used God’s help and his will to change. Had he not done this on earth, it seems that he would have had to do it in purgatory. Thankfully, our sins can be forgiven on earth, but to enter heaven, even our tendencies or inclinations to sin must be purified. Heaven is pure love and peace. Anything connected to sin must be purified. Heaven is pure love and peace. Anything connected to sin is not allowed such as resentments, grudges, racism, arrogance, addictions, ect. Some scriptural references for purgatory are: 1 Corinthians 3:15 “If a man’s building burns, he will suffer a loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one fleeing through fire;” 2 Maccabees 12:38-‐4 ”Judas made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from their sins.” Unfortunately, a result of the Protestant Reformation has been their denial of Purgatory. They don’t consider Maccabees which is the foremost scriptural reference for purgatory to be part of the Bible. Purgatory has been from the beginning part of tradition of the Church. It was formally defined as Infallible Doctrine by the Councils of Florence in 1439 (before the Protestant Reformation), and Trent in 1563. The Catechism of the Catholic Church treats Purgatory in sections 1030-‐1032. It quotes St. Gregory the Great-‐“As for the faults lesser than blasphemy which is unforgivable, we must believe that, before the final judgment, there is a purified fire. Certain sins can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.” In the confusion after Vatican II, some Catholics unfortunately no longer believe in Purgatory. In recent times, the theory of Limbo has been clarified. Limbo is not a defined Doctrine, It is a theory which holds that infants and all unbaptized people cannot go to heaven because of the words of Jesus,” unless you are baptized, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” This is a very literal interpretation, which we are not bound to believe. Limbo is considered a place of natural happiness but without the vision of God in Heaven. It is said that there were more souls in Purgatory present at Padre Pio’s masses than people in the congregation! He freed many souls by his prayers and penance. Many Saints had visions of Purgatory and recoiled in fright. God does not want us to go to Purgatory, but wants us to be diligent in overcoming our faults, so that we can go directly to Heaven. He even grants indulgences through the church to lessen our time in Purgatory. Our modern age is very lax spiritually and seems too presumptive of God’s mercy. But there will be a reckoning, just as when people accumulate credit card debt. Eventually debts must be paid. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.” Ideally, love for God should motivate us to avoid sin, but fear of punishment may be necessary as a starting point. The Church has the long-‐standing tradition of having masses celebrated for the faithful departed, which unfortunately has fallen off in recent times. It would be good for us to revive it when a loved one has died. November is the month dedicated to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. November 2nd is the day set-‐aside especially for the Poor Souls. They are remembered in the Eucharistic Prayer after the Consecration. Purgatory is a gift. Through it, we can leave all our sins and attachment to sin behind, so that we can be totally at peace in mind, soul and body with God for all Eternity. But God would rather have us make use of the graces He gives as gifts every day, so that we can go directly to Heaven. PADRE PIO HELPS US!
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November: Saints, Souls, Thanksgiving November is the month of Saints, Souls and Thanksgiving. We are all called to be Saints; we are all called to holiness. The Saints give us examples to be obedient to God, and yet they were just like us. They all had suffering, trials, sinfulness, sadness, and yet they had a true love of God. And because of that, no two Saints are alike. St. Padre Pio, for example, suffered every day of his life. Christians believe “there is one God. There is one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself as ransom for all.” (1 Tim,2 5-6) Between Jesus and us however, there can be and are a host of intercessors, beginning with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints who pray to the Father. Why do we pray to Mary and the Saints? When Mary and the Saints pray for us, their intercession always follows the same path. It is “That which goes to the Father through Christ the Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit”. Mary and the Saints unite their own prayer to our request to them. Our prayers are contained with theirs. They present them to Christ at His Fathers right hand.
St. Padre Pio said there are more souls from purgatory at his Mass than humans. When we think of Purgatory, we think of the suffering without considering the peace and happiness that are there to be enjoyed by the Holy Souls. The souls are in continual union with God. They willingly and lovingly purify themselves, because such is divine pleasure. They cannot sin. They love God more than they love themselves. They love Him with a perfect pure love. Angels console them. When we see people suffering on earth, we always feel sorry for them. We would probably do anything we could do to help them. The suffering of the souls in purgatory are much greater. The souls suffer in an incredible way. If you could see them for one moment, our hearts would burst into pity. Remember them in your daily prayers. Remember our deceased loved ones, priests, sisters and friends. Pray for everyone, even the people we do not know. The pour souls are incapable of helping themselves. Then perhaps one day the souls you have prayed for will intercede and pray for you when they reach heaven. There are many ways in which we can offer ourselves for the release of souls in Purgatory: giving to the poor, fasting, sacrificing, prayer and offering Masses & Rosaries.
This Prayer was given to St. Gertrude and Jesus promised that every time it was said, 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory and allowed in God’s Presence. If this prayer is said 50-100 times a day by just 10 people, 1,000,000 souls will be released! This prayer is a promise from Jesus. A word from God! And God always keeps his promise. Pray it with belief in His Word, and with gratitude and love, and you will be granting Eternal Happiness to many, many, many grateful souls.
"ETERNAL FATHER, I OFFER THEE THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THY DIVINE SON, JESUS, IN UNION WITH THE MASSES SAID THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY, FOR ALL THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY, FOR SINNERS EVRYWHERE, FOR SINNERS IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH , THOSE IN MY OWN HOME AND WITHIN MY FAMILY. AMEN.”
HEALING PRAYER Beloved Padre Pio, today I come to add my prayer to the thousands of prayers offered to you every day by those who love and venerate you. They ask for cures and healings, earthly and spiritual blessings, and peace for body and mind. And because of your friendship with the
Lord, he heals those you ask to be healed, and forgives those you forgive. Through your visible wounds of the Cross, which you bore for 50 years, you were chosen in
our time to glorify the crucified Jesus. Because the Cross has been replaced by other symbols, please help us to bring it back in our midst, for we acknowledge
it is the only true sign of salvation. As we lovingly recall the wounds that pierced your hands, feet and side, we not only remember the blood you shed in pain, but your smile, and the invisible halo of sweet
smelling flowers that surrounded your presence, the perfume of sanctity. Padre Pio, may the healings of the sick become the testimony that the Lord has invited you to join the holy company of Saints. In your kindness, please help me with my own special
request: (mention here your petition, and make the sign of the Cross). Bless me and my loved ones. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Abbot Christopher Schwartz O.S. B., Jeane Zerwin-‐Butler, Kathy Conti, Terri Feltz, Aurora Cruz, Joann Kowalski, Rita Shea,
Eleanor Phillips, Helen Herman, Don and Jane Dahlhausen, Hector Escobar, Samuel Lawson, Delores DiLeone, Devin Harvey, Karina de Ortiz,
Ofelia Melgoza, Spencer Dray, Steve Olexa, Walter Kowalski, Carol Bertoni, Mary Dirda, Roger Reardon, Dan Peters, Joseph Russo Sr., Ron Firem, Joan Tomassi, Nicole Tomassi, Mike Friess, Jerry Lewis, James Green, Helen Husky, Joy Zivzak,
Dennis Houlahan, Dan Houlahan, Gina Sacco, Carmelita Pruchnicki, Robert Snyder, Richard Merecki, Luella Merecki, Ed Chesar, Jeff Bauer, Judy Selby,
Rose Slee, And we ask God to bless all of their Caregivers.
Diane Zuercher, John Danis, Elizabeth Nagrnet, Peter Blaszak, Lydia Baker, Jackie Zupka, Michael Orbany
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