Ascending

A Swedish White Beam Tree.

I have read numerous stories of the life of Saint Padre Pio.

The reality which he lived is obvious in his face, and in his dealings with people around him. 

It would have been a tremendous grace to have been present at the Masses he celebrated, but can celebrate no longer. The majesty of God and Heaven shone on his face, and the mysteries of His passion came to life as he celebrated the mysteries, with the terrible burden of sin and the pains of the passion lived vividly for those to see who were privileged.

Suffering goes on in the world as if one long sigh of the Lord's breathing and living nailed to the cross. In Padre Pio, in the descriptions of those who witnessed the holocaust of His suffering, people could see the reality of the passion revealed before them. People could stand in wonder beholding what he willingly chose to embrace in reparation for our sins, and to give testimony to the joy which awaits those who have lived so as to be saved from the waste of this world, in favor of the next, where it is as if  no one shares the love of Jesus with anyone else. The glory of the heaven of Jesus was present in the midst. 

This exceptional man gave his all and more to Jesus in all he did. That in itself was an admonition to everyone that salvation matters and is worth every  moment we suffer, when we do. The cross he bore was a share of the cross Jesus Himself shared with those whose lives were meant to be an exposition of real Body and Blood.

Life exacts a toll from each of us. It is not possible to escape suffering while we live in this world, but we can rise above what we endure in life, long enough to catch a glimpse of glory and the majesty of the Lord and miracle of His passion. He does not ask very many to join Him and share with Him the life and moments of His life and death.

To each  of us is given a role to play, and few are they who share Golgotha as He lived it. Joined to the lives of those who do, is His own peace undiminished in any way, to savor in the challenges of life and share with others as we are given the opportunity to do.

The revelation that reveals His love to us is meant to make us like Him, sharing love with others, regardless of the grief to be lived in company with it, making the love revealed and enshrined in us, a monument to Him.

There is one Self that matters in this world, the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus free of death and suffering, living in the bliss of our union with Him which engenders His love in a blighted world. Erasing every blemish on this world was the goal of Jesus in the world. If He shows us the glory He created, it will change the world and us in it forever, so that we understand His life and all our lives, and the evil in the world might be deprived of the satisfaction He thereby gives to His children.

Some of that glory was given me to see and share through many sorrows and much pain, but I continue to dedicate my existence to the sharing of that vision of His goodness with you, His children. I pray that He  may succeed in revealing His love to you and enable you sanctify the lives of others in any way He gives you to do. If you succeed in seeing the vision to which I refer, God's Will shall have been accomplished and I will be rewarded by Him for my small love.