We continue the second video on St. Peter Julian Eymard as the predecessor of Padre
Pio.
In the second video, we're going to continue looking at the similarities between their
two lives.
Here, hopefully, we'll be answering the question as well: are all saints created in the same
mold, or does God take each individual and somehow elevate them to the level of sanctity?
Hello, friends of Following Padre Pio.
On this channel, we bring you a series of short stories on the absolutely incredible
life of our great saint, Padre Pio, who was a Capuchin friar, a mystic, and an incredible/a
tremendous miracle worker.
Do stay tuned to find out more about Padre Pio and to find out what his intercession
can do for you.
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Now, in the first part, we had a look at certain similarities between Padre Pio and St. Peter
Julian Eymard.
Just, in summary, we saw the following.
In their earlier lives, their families/their family environment was absolutely critical
in their development.
Then, for both saints...
They had a strong attraction from a very young age to the Eucharist.
In finding in their vocations, both of them, both our Lord and his mother, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, were important.
Now, continuing.
Here, we're going to look at the particular calling within his vocation that St. Peter
Eymard had to find.
Now, on his first visit to Paris, Father Eymard came into contact with the whole perpetual
adoration movement there.
He met up with and he became a friend with Hermann Cohen, who was, in fact, a Jewish
convert.
Hermann had started these nightly adorations in that area for all the people.
At these Eucharistic devotions, he ended up meeting with a captain of a frigate.
His name was Count Raymond de Cuers, who then became his right-hand man later on in developing
these new congregations of the Blessed Sacrament.
Now, one day, Father Eymard was there praying before the Altar of Our Lady in the Basilica
of Fourvi re; and was there that he received this really profound inspiration.
As he puts it, "I was praying when such a strong thought came over me.
It absorbed me completely to the point of losing every other feeling."
He had now gone into ecstasy.
This is what it was about: for the glorification of this mystery of love of Jesus in the blessed
Eucharist, which, at that time, did not have a dedicated religious body as its purpose.
It was necessary to have one.
All of this was laid out in front of him in this vision or this revelation.
This vision became the grace that now spurred Father Eymard on to found his religious body.
But what it would end up costing him to bring this blessed sacrament congregation to fruition?
Now, obviously, as a religious priest, he had taken three vows.
But these vows did not leave him very free to dedicate himself entirely to this new work.
He felt Providence was calling strongly to do these things.
Now, he was without the means because of the vows.
Vow of poverty: how do you build churches if you've taken a vow of poverty?
It seemed that Providence was directing me in this direction.
He explained this to his superiors of the OMI, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, but they
just did not want to dispense him from these vows.
Yet, at the same time, neither did they want to lose such a useful member of their community.
Obviously, Father Peter Eymard now prayed about this.
Then, he decided yet to have recourse to higher-up authorities.
He ended up consulting Pius IX to try and find out what are the possibilities for the
future of his new congregation.
Pontiff listened carefully to him and then declared, "This work comes from God.
Of this, I am convinced.
The church needs this to make known by all paths the divine Eucharist."
Finally, Father Eymard was dispensed from his vows in order to free him up to do this
work.
Then, Father Eymard, together with the Commander de Cuers, also had been ordained a priest
by now...
They began the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament.
Now, he was explaining this to the Archbishop of Paris, trying to explain what it was all
about.
In order to obtain his authorization in their diocese, St. Peter Eymard stated, "Ours is
not a purely contemplative congregation.
No.
We will definitely have worship, but we also want to lead others to be adorers of the blessed
sacrament.
We must also take care of the first communicants."
Obviously, that's in their formation.
"Finally, we wish to go even further," he said, "to set fire spiritually to all the
corners of Paris," which was so much needed at the time.
Now, we're going to look at some beautiful churches and shrines that he ended up creating.
But for him, St. Peter Eymard, the vocation of Troubadour of the Blessed Sacrament was
much wider than just this limited definition: included to thank Him, to thank God for the
inestimable benefits of the Eucharist; and to become one with Jesus in the host for reparation
of the many sins that cover the earth; and also to exercise at the foot of the Eucharist
a perennial and ongoing mission for peace between princes, for the conversion of sinners,
and for those who had gone into heresy as well, or for non-believers, and also for the
conversion of the Jews.
These are the perennial ongoing elements in the life of the religious of the Blessed Sacrament,
is what Father Eymard said.
We can see that it covers everyone, all aspects.
Now, comparing this with Padre Pio.
Just as with St. Eymard's congregation in order to rekindle devotion to the blessed
Eucharist, giving new vitality thereby to the Catholic in France.
For Padre Pio, with his prayer groups/his groups of prayer, it was to renew the life
of prayer of the laity, making the laity into true apostles in love with Christ and also
with our lady.
For founding this new congregation, St. Eymard, Father Eymard, made this interior dedication:
"Saying yes to everything," promising to devote himself entirely, he said.
"Until death, to the founding of the congregations of perpetual adoration, I promised God that
nothing would deter me, even if I should have to eat rocks and end up in hospital."
He's like a victim on the battlefield.
He's going to spend his last breath trying to create these congregations.
He said, "Above all, I pled with God.
Perhaps it was a presumption on my part to work without even the least of human comforts."
On the 22nd of May 1856, that was the feast of Corpus Christi.
Just over 160 years ago, the first Cenacle, as he called it, was inaugurated.
This name "Cenacle" stuck and became typical of what the saint would use to call all of
his institute's houses.
He also co-founded, with Mother Marguerite Guillot, the Congregation of the Servants
of the Blessed Sacrament for perpetual adoration.
That is the woman's branch of the work he was doing.
Our little question: can you guess who was the one/who was the person who helped Peter
Julian Eymard through his prayers and personal encouragements?
Another great saint.
As we know, Peter Eymard would face many, many difficulties and discouragements through
his life.
It was, in fact, the holy Cur d'Ars, who...
They were contemporaries, held him in very, very high esteem.
Of course, the Cur d'Ars was the apostle of confession.
Padre Pio was also known as the apostle of confession.
The person who knew Father Eymard well describes his appearance like this.
He says, "He was tall.
He was also quite thin, but he was a very gentle person and had a face that was not
exactly well proportioned.
In fact, it was rather marked with pointed features, which made him truly distinct."
He said, "His forehead was quite large.
His eyes," he said, "were heavenly.
He had this profound gaze under his very distinctive eyebrows."
He said, "His lips were neither thick nor thin, but always had this very friendly smile."
Just a brief conclusion: the profound similarities between them...
Well, the most profound, the ultimate similarity between our two great saints, St. Eymard and
Padre Pio, was their total offering of themselves to Christ.
Next time on this channel, we are going to be having a look at the similarities between
the life of Padre Pio and St. John Bosco, who was particularly devoted to education
and the youth.
Please do join us for that video.