Today's story is, this is the title, "She Cursed the Future Mother-in-Law" and then
went to speak to Padre Pio Well, what do you think happened next?
Welcome more friends of following Padre Pio, our YouTube channel in which we promote the
absolutely incredible life of Padre Pio.
And if you are new to our YouTube channel following Padre Pio then please do like and
share our videos and thereby you'll automatically be included in this Friday's Mass prayer intentions.
Also subscribe to our YouTube channel.
But really if you enroll, then you'll be included in future monthly Mass prayer intentions.
And by doing that, you'll be actively participating and helping in our Padre Pio apostolate.
So in 1956, this lady went to Saint Giovanni, but she was a little bit skeptical of Padre
Pio, especially when she saw some lady holding their rosaries to the confessional where Padre
Pio was to absorb blessings or something out of the confessional.
And she thought that this is all superstition, but she still had the presence of mind to
pray, "Lord, if this friar is truly holy, then do give me a sign."
But the queues to confession were long.
And so she had to come back another day.
During the night, she awoke at 2:30 AM and she noticed an intense perfume, a sense a
fragrance of roses in the air.
And she wondered herself, "Where on earth does this come from?"
She certainly didn't have a bottle of perfume on the bedside table next to her.
In fact, there she had a cigarette, but [inaudible 00:01:57] stomped out earlier, which certainly
wouldn't account for the perfume.
In the morning when she got up, she checked around this apartment to see what could have
been the cause of this fragrance of perfumes.
And she looked for roses or a vase of roses or anything, maybe outside the window there
were some plants, but there was nothing.
And then she went to the church to confess to Padre Pio.
Well, she arrived at the confessional, and the first sin she confessed was this.
She said, "I cursed the mother of my ex-loved one because she was the cause of the ruin
of our possible marriage."
How did this go down with Padre Pio?
Well, he exclaimed, "And who are you to judge?"
He said, "You will only come back here when you are sorry.
And with that, he slammed the little door of the confessional shut and he turned to
hear the confession on the other side.
Well, this lady now had a little crisis as she returned to the hotel exclaiming, "What
sort of saint is this?
With not even a word of relief for me who hurt so much.
I'd hoped for comfort and justice."
And she remained in the state just eating away at her insides.
And the more time that passed, the more her anger grew.
A while later on, several days later, she's now back at her other house and she smelt
a wave of perfume, but this time of violet flowers.
She did not mention it to any of her friends who were there, but she did ask them if they
smelt anything.
And they all said, "No."
They had not smelt anything.
So as we know, Padre Pio had what is called the odor of sanctity, which is another chrism,
a fragrance of perfume that would sometimes pervade the air and it will show that Padre
Pio is helping there.
And so despite her hardness, this showed that Padre Pio was in fact by her side.
And after that, she gradually calmed down to her amazement.
Sometime later, she realized that all this hatred that she had harbored in her heart
had infected disappeared, it completely dissipated.
So now about a month later, she returned again to San Giovanni Rotunda, and she went to Padre
Pio's confessional.
And this time she was granted absolution.
So here's another little story about the right sort of preparation that we need to make for
confession.
So instead, we will be well disposed to receive the graces granted during confession.
And one day, Padre Pio asked penitent, "Do you know how to do a proper examination of
conscience?"
Well, the other person did not have a ready answer, so he did not answer.
And then Padre Pio continued, "Well, let's see.
If someone wrongs you, how do you behave?"
"Of course," he said, "Well, Father, I will first respond, and then after that I'll think
about it and repent.
And then I'll ask to be forgiven."
Padre Pio answer, "You're actually wrong there.
You must forgive while you receive the wrong.
Well, that sounds pretty difficult."
And he said, "Forgiveness after the reaction actually comes too late."
And here's another example to illustrate Padre Pio's willingness to forgive.
So he was living this message and a certain lady at [foreign language 00:05:36] recalls
that way back in the 1920s, in a time when Padre Pio's name was being slandered, he was
being defamed by all sorts of people around him within the church.
A certain specialist from San Giovanni Rotunda had just returned from Rome, where he had
in fact been accusing Padre Pio and he went to Padre Pio's monastery.
Well, there was a brother there who was aware of what had been going on, and he tried to
prevent this particular person from going to Padre Pio's confessional.
Obviously, he was wanting to prevent an incident, but the saint knew what was going on and told
this brother to let the doctor pass.
Well, as he came nearer Padre Pio called to him by name and exclaimed, "Hey, how long
you've been away?
Come here and give me a hug."
And Padre Pio hugged him there in front of everyone.
He bore no ill will to this person.
Well, what an example, how difficult that must have been.
Padre Pio had absolutely no antipathy towards this person, and this was because Padre Pio
had an instinctive aversion to, and he gave no ground to the realm of hatred.
And here's some advice that Padre Pio gave to another lady.
One day, a lady said to him, in the confessional, "Father, it is difficult for me to welcome
the unpleasant."
Well, Padre Pio promptly replied that he then found that too.
So it's a difficult calling that we have.
Perhaps if we are driving in the traffic and someone cuts us off or someone takes forever
at the licensing department in the queue there, or some other injustice, maybe even associated
with COVID, then these could be opportunities to practice this heroic forgiveness.
Please do continue listening.
Click through to Padre Pio's short blessing video, which follows.