Wednesday, September 23, 2009

For the Feast of St Pio

The life of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina if you want to see the rest of the film with English subtitles go here.

9 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Thank you for the link Father, look forward to sitting down this evening and watching it.

Norah said...

The visitor began holding his stick in his right hand and then held it in his left hand. lol

pelerin said...

I have just watched the film and also thank you Father for the link. It was a most beautiful and powerful film and I was unable to tear myself away until it finished.

The voice of Padre Pio - Saint Pio - can be heard on the internet and I have found listening to him very comforting.

Saint Pio pray for us.

berenike said...

Look!

pelerin said...

Does anyone know whether the sceptic limping bishop was invented for the film, or did he really visit Padre Pio as a devil's advocate?

Off subject with apologies but the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Times websites have news of Pope Benedict's visit to Britain next autumn.

Red Maria said...

I'm bubbling over with excitement.

THE POPE IS VISITING BRITAIN IN 2010.

It's going to be brilliant!

Elizabeth said...

Thank you Father, the film was superb, I sat down with my husband to watch it and thought it would only be 3 ten minute snippets, after 22 ten minute snippets we finally shut down the computer at midnight.
The film really emphasised the presence of evil and how Saint Padre Pio had to fight it daily, to the point he was even attacked physically.
As a family we have always included Saint Padre Pio in our litany of Saints, but now I feel he is even closer to our hearts.
I remember as a child, my mother writing to him on a number of occasions and the film brought this memory back to me.


It is frightening to think how many people do not believe in hell. I recently read St Faustina's account of hell and it is a timely reminder of its existence:


I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. I cannot speak about it now; but I have received a command from God to leave it in writing. The devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God. What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: that most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell....

741 Today, I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that one's condition will never change; the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it-a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God's anger; the fifth torture is continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and, despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant company of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies. These are the tortures suffered by all the damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like.


So, once again, thank you Father, I have never liked the TV (probably because my mother limited our watching it) but seeing films like this one is good for our spiritual development almost a form spiritual reflection. Even proof that the internet can be used for good.

pelerin said...

I am pleased Elizabeth managed to watch the whole of the film. I was so engrossed yesterday that it was nearly three o'clock before I realised I had not had lunch!

Before seeing the film I had not known of the difficulties Padre Pio had had with evil and his experiences seemed similar to those suffered by St Jean-Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars.

Just another mad Catholic said...

excellent film, I stayed up until the early hours, It would also be nice if the sceptic Bishop really existed if only so that we could take comfort in the possable conversion of prelates currently held in thrall to the devil

BTW what is the full title of the film?

The Lord’s descent into the underworld

At Matins/the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday the Church gives us this 'ancient homily', I find it incredibly moving, it is abou...