This is the feast day of Padre Pio (1887 – 1968), the Capuchin saint who received the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s wounds, on his own body. A wondrous gift this was, but Padre Pio was not overjoyed to have it bestowed on him. He wrote to Padre Benedetto, his Capuchin superior, “Dear Father, I [...]
Category Archive for 'Holiness'
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me: Within thy wounds hide me; Let me never be separated from thee. From the wicked foe defend me. At the hour of [...]
Who Are These, Clothed in White Robes?
Posted in Holiness, Light, Transformation on Jun 3rd, 2006
Fashion is fickle. I went to STYLE.COM to find out what I should be anxious about this year (unlike the lilies of the field, who neither toil nor spin). I learned that my lips should be scarlet, and that it would be advisable to get a designer bag for my cell phone. What is more, [...]
Ordinary Holiness
Posted in Holiness on Apr 7th, 2005
Sometimes when I am just dragging through my day, feeling weighed down by the realities of everyday life, I wish I could be lifted out of my nitty-gritty existence — be “caught up to the third heaven” as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:2. I suspect, though, that one reason human beings are so [...]
I have been involved in Church music for a some time now, and the intense stage-fright I had at first has vanished. For the first few years, however, my sleep would occasionally be disturbed by what I called “out-of-control liturgy dreams.” Often in these dreams, everything would go well until we reached the moment of [...]