Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry

I visited the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania last weekend. It was my first time visiting, and I recommend it to everybody. The biggest thing for me was having a day where my focus was on something that really matters rather than focusing on things we can’t control. This doesn’t mean that I’ve changed my opinions on the state of our country. Instead, it means that I’m going to take a different perspective in this post. As Padre Pio famously said, we need to pray, hope and don’t worry.

Who Is Padre Pio?

Padre Pio is a Catholic saint. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. He was born in a small farming village named Pietrelcina in Italy. In 1918, the wounds of Christ Crucified appeared on his body, piercing both of his hands, both of his feet, and his side. Those wounds bled for the next 50 years. This phenomenon is called the stigmata.

I found the timing of the stigmata to be particularly interesting, because 1918 was also the year of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Of course, we are currently in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maybe something like this needs to happen again soon.

Padre Pio died in 1968. His faith was unwavering and he performed several miracles during his life. He was a humble servant of God who accepted his stigmata and made a huge difference in the world.

All The Saints

There was an exhibit at the Centre that contained relics from saints. And, it was fascinating. I went through the exhibit slowly to read about each saint and look at each relic. They had a stone from St. Michael, a relic from the crib of Jesus, and relics from the Blessed Mother Mary. The story of each saint and how they usually had to suffer to become a saint was so facinating. Most of them were simple people, but they were brave and overcame hardship through a dedication to their faith. This example should be inspiring to all of us.

Humble Abode

One of the exhibits was a replica of the home where Padre Pio grew up. I enjoy these type of exhibits because they demonstrate how today’s world is so spoiled. I’m sure it wasn’t easy back then, and they probably would have liked some of the spoils of today’s world. But, I think living so simply and humbly is a big part of why Padre Pio and others like him became what they are. He appreciated what God gave him and used prayer as a means to show that appreciation.

For The Ages

One of Padre Pio’s most famous quotes is “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” Regardless of the time in history, this quote is so appropriate. I’m going to put this quote in my back pocket and carry it around with me. At a time when our country is spinning out of control, I need to pray, hope and don’t worry.

For those of you who feel the way I do about what’s happening to our country now and what it will do to future generations, let’s step back and pray together. Let’s maintain hope. And, let’s stop worrying and get to the business of God. God always overcomes evil. So, pray the Rosary. Pray to Saint Michael. Use prayer as a weapon. We can win with God. We can’t win without him. If there is one thing we should fight for right now, it’s to stop the persecution of Catholics and get back to normal weekly worship. But, if that’s not possible, we need to pray in our homes so God knows we’re still there.

So, here is a simple prayer to Saint Padre Pio for all of us to use.

Prayer To Saint Pio

O God,
You gave Saint Pio of Pietrelcina,
Capuchin priest,
the great privilege of participating
in a unique way in the passion of Your Son,
grant me
through his intercession
the grace of hope
which I ardently desire;
and above all grant me the grace of
living in conformity
with the death of Jesus,
to arrive at the glory
of the resurrection.
Glory be to the Father (three times)

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