+A SOWER WENT OUT TO SOW 23 Sep. 2023
Our gospel today is all about the type of soil our hearts are as we hear the word of God. One sees in the life of St Padre Pio a life that allowed God to take root and bear abundant fruit.
We are told that even from a young age he had a deep and life-giving relationship with God. At the age of 33 he received the stigmata. He had a great love for the Eucharist. One of the famous quotes about his devotion is that “it would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without the holy Mass.”
Tens of thousands of people came to see him and there are endless stories of grace-filled encounters with him. There was a time that one had to wait ten days to be able to come to him in confession and it is said that despite his fame and demand on his time, he had a remarkable way of focusing on each penitent as they came to be healed.
He suffered terribly from the criticism of those within and from outside the Church but was always found to be gracious and loving toward them who sought to harm him. In all this we see just how fruitful the Word of God can be in our lives if we provide a fruitful soil.
Tim 6:13-16: Luke 8:4-15