From Father Bline's Desk: "Whoever receives one child in my name, receives me"

When a baby is born, a parent wonders “what will become of my child?” It was no different for Giuseppa and Grazio Forgione, when Francesco was born on May 25, 1887 (8 days after my Grandfather Bline was born) in the small farming town of Pietrelcina, Italy. Although they were poor in things, they were certainly rich in their faith and in the love of God. Even as a young boy, Francesco had already shown signs of extraordinary gifts of grace. His mother described him as a quiet child who always loved to go to Church and to pray. At the age of five he dedicated his life to God. As a young boy, he was able to communicate with his guardian angel and with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In his simplicity and innocence, Francesco assumed everyone had the same experiences.

So is this true for you? Maybe you never learned about guardian angels or you think it’s something just for little children, but have you made time to talk with your guardian angel? With Jesus and His Mother? When Francesco was born, his parents had no idea he would one day become Saint Padre Pio. They could never have imagined that the call of holiness they passed on to him would one day grow into such a life of sacrificial love. The 23rd of September is the 56th anniversary of Padre Pio’s death (and what was my sister Ellen’s day of birth). Have you ever prayed with Padre Pio through his writings?

I was always a resistant follower of Padre Pio until my father died nine years ago. Maybe it was all the years my dad spoke lovingly of Padre Pio. Maybe it was Pio’s special way of writing to those who struggled in their faith and being unceasingly present to lead others to the Cross of Christ (even beyond his death). Perhaps it was his unending pursuance of me to become one of his spiritual sons and the impact he had on me through his prayer Stay With Me Lord. I encourage you to take some time to look into his spirituality and not just the sensationalized folklore. It is true that Jesus offered Padre Pio a chance to share in His Cross through offering him His stigmata (the sharing in the wounds of Christ). The whole idea of a stigmata is hard for most people to understand, let alone accept. But, as my first pastor (Fr. Klasinski) prophetically once said, “we all have a stigmata we have to deal with...but for most of us, nobody else sees the wounds.” May we trust in The Father’s merciful love to help us deal with our stigmata that will always lead us to His glory!

Pax,
Fr. G. David Bline
(blessed to be your administrator for one more week)