St. Padre Pio and the Healing of the Church - Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

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St. Padre Pio and the Healing of the Church – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. John Esseff reflects on his encounters with Padre Pio, especially the suffering and rejection that marked the saint’s life. He recalls visiting him during the years when Padre Pio was silenced and confined to a remote monastery, accused of falsifying his wounds. In spite of this, Padre Pio remained obedient, serving tirelessly in the confessional and carrying both the visible stigmata and the hidden wounds of abandonment. He shares personal experiences—such as being looked at deeply by Padre Pio, attending his Mass, and witnessing the Eucharistic sacrifice marked by blood—that profoundly shaped his priesthood. Padre Pio promised his ongoing help through prayer and angelic intercession, a gift Esseff has leaned on throughout his ministry, especially in confession and spiritual direction.

Just as the saint’s hidden suffering could not keep his light concealed, so too God works through rejection, weakness, and silence to reveal truth and love. The example of Padre Pio demonstrates humility, prayer, and complete union with Christ’s cross, which leads to resurrection glory. Sainthood is not about perfection but about reliance on grace. Even the holiest figures struggled with weakness and sin, yet God’s power was revealed through them.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

How does Padre Pio’s hidden suffering challenge me to accept moments of rejection or misunderstanding in my own life?
In what ways am I called to remain obedient and faithful when silenced or limited by circumstances beyond my control?
Do I recognize the Eucharist as the place where Christ unites my own struggles with his sacrifice?
How do I allow the light of Christ within me to shine when I feel hidden or forgotten?
When faced with weakness or temptation, do I turn to prayer as Padre Pio did in his “Stay with me, Lord” prayer?
What does Padre Pio’s example teach me about relying on God’s grace rather than my own strength?
How can I participate in the rebuilding of the Church today through humility, love, and fidelity to Christ?

St. Padre Pio Communion Prayer:

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have you present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life and without You I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light and without You I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much and alway be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close and life passes, death, judgment and eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strenth, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.