Vatican City, 6 February 2016 (VIS) –
"He was a servant of mercy. He dedicated himself full time to
the "apostolate of listening", often to the point of
exhaustion. He became, through the ministry of Confession, a living
caress of the Father, healing the wounds of sin and enlivening the
heart with peace. St. Pio never tired of welcoming people and
listening to them, of spending time and energy to spread the perfume
of the Lord's forgiveness. He was able to do so because he was always
attached to the source: he continually slaked his thirst from the
Crucified Jesus and thus became a channel of His mercy", said
the Holy Father of St. Pio of Pietrelcina this morning at the Jubilee
audience, addressing the Padre Pio Prayer Groups, workers of the Home
for the Relief of Suffering private hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo,
Italy, founded by St. Pio, and the faithful of the diocese of
Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo. Yesterday afternoon a
procession brought the relics of St. Pio and St. Leopold Mandic to
St. Peter's Basilica, where they will remain until Thursday 11
February.
Francis described prayer as the "true
mission", and recalled that the Saint defined the prayer groups
as "hothouses of faith and seedbeds of love". "Padre
Pio said that prayer is the force that moves the world, that extends
God's smile and blessing to every languor and weakness", and
explained that prayer is not simply "a good practice for
bringing peace to the heart, nor is it a pious way of obtaining what
one needs from God". "If it were, it would simply be
motivated by a futile selfishness. Prayer, however, is a work of
spiritual mercy, that wishes to present everything to the heart of
God. It is a gift of faith and love, an intercession that is as
necessary as bread. In a word, it means to entrust: to entrust the
Church, people and situations to the Father, so that He may take care
of them. For this reason prayer, as Padre Pio liked to say, is the
best weapon we have; it is a key to God's heart".
The Pope thanked the prayer groups for
their commitment and encouraged them to be "centres of mercy".
He commented that Padre Pio had wanted the Home for the Relief of
Suffering to be not only an excellent hospital, but also a "temple
of science and prayer", and recalled the words of Pope emeritus
Benedict XVI: "Human beings always need something more than
technically proper care. They need humanity. They need heartfelt
concern". Curing sickness means, first and foremost, "taking
care of the patient. At times, while the wounds of the body are
tended to, the wounds of the soul worsen, and these heal more slowly
and with greater difficulty", he added. "Even the dying,
those who are apparently unconscious, participate in prayer carried
out with faith near to them, and they trust in God, in His mercy".
Francis concluded with greetings to the archdiocese of
Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo: "May whoever comes to
your beautiful land find in you too a reflection of the light of
Heaven".
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