We're going to see how Padre Pio encounters a vicious and a ferocious dog in the monastery
and this dog was intent on attacking him.
This is in fact a bit of a weird story because things turned out to be not exactly as they
seemed.
Please do join us for the story.
Hello, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to this channel on our great Saint Padre Pio.
He was a Capuchin friar.
He was a mystic and a tremendous miracle worker.
So do stay tuned to learn more about Padre Pio and to see what his intercession could
do for you.
We ask everyone to be part of this Padre Pio apostolate.
Join us in this apostolate by liking the video and sharing the video with friends, with colleagues,
anyone who may benefit.
A special thanks to our Protected Child of Padre Pio patrons for your support because
you are in fact the ones who make all of these videos possible for everyone.
Thank you again for your support.
If you wish to be part of this Protected Child of Padre Pio program, just see the video on
the end screen on how to become and how to join.
Now this particular story today is taken from Padre Pio's letter to his spiritual director
who was Father Agostino at the time.
Padre Pio had written this letter himself and he states, "It happened when I was studying
philosophy at Sant'Elia in Pianisi."
He said, "I had the second to last cell or room in the corridor leading up to the church.
Then one night after matins prayer, I opened the door and the window because the heat was
just so unbearable.
It was stifling."
And he said, "Suddenly I heard these noises apparently coming from the cell next door,"
and he wondered, "What can Brother Atanasio be up to at this late hour?
I thought he was keeping a prayer vigil so I began to recite the rosary myself because
him and I had this challenge going on to see who could pray the most and I did not want
to be left behind."
But even while he was praying, these noises continued and they grew louder and he wanted
to call out to his confrere.
At this point, there was a strong sulfur smell that entered the room, so he leaned out of
the window to call to him.
He said the windows were so close to each other.
In fact, you could pass things between the windows.
"Brother Atanasio, Brother Atanasio," he called.
There was no response.
As he came away from the window, to his absolute horror, he saw this huge dog apparently with
smoke pouring from his jaws coming through the door towards him.
He fell back on his bed, and then he heard it say, this dog say, "He is the one.
He is the one."
"And still lying there, I watched this horrible beast as it leaped out of the window onto
the opposite roof and then disappeared."
So that is one very bizarre dog.
One strange story.
The next day, Padre Pio had to find out more about this.
In fact, he learned that Brother Atanasio had not been in the cell that previous evening
because he had been moved away already to another monastery.
So that cell had been empty.
Then Padre Pio tried to find out from the local people in the area who own this animal,
but no one was able to tell him.
After this, he became convinced that in fact, the devil had appeared under the guise of
this beast and also that these things were now to continue day and night in one form
or another.
He said, "During these apparitions," so this is another part of the letter, "During these
apparitions, the devil nearly always took on hideous forms, obscene, bestial, monstrous,
showing his true nature, but at other times," he said, "he would take other forms, even
angelic forms or appearing as Saint Francis of Assisi or the Blessed Virgin Mary or even
he would appear as Christ himself."
So the devil had no problem posing as an impostor.
Padre Pio then continued to write, "Barbe bleue," which means Bluebeard, "does not want
to admit defeat.
He has taken every form imaginable," he said, "and for several days, he has visited me together
with his helpers, armed.
They come armed with sticks and iron instruments.
This is what is even worse than that, are their ugly, their hideous forms.
Since during one of these battles, he kept striking me, making diabolical suggestions
of despair that I might give up trusting God.
I thought that it was my last night on Earth," he said.
"But thanks be to Jesus, nothing like that happened."
He said, "This continued for a further two hours," at the end of which, Padre Pio said
he was shaking like a reed and he had this cold chill that's spread all over his body
and he was spitting up blood.
So it was something very real and horrendous.
Imagine that, so horrendous, being pushed to the very limit, the absolute extreme by
the enemy and almost even going out of one's mind as a result.
But God is more powerful and he did not abandon Padre Pio.
So next up on this channel, we know that when we go to confession, we have this seal of
the confessional protecting us, but what if there is a bogus confessor?
What happens then?
Do join us for that story.
If you're not receiving reminders of our videos, then make sure that you first have subscribed
to our channel.
Once you've subscribed to the channel, then you also have to tick that little reminder
bell.
So do go ahead and do that if you're not already subscribed.
Dear friends of following Padre Pio, wouldn't you like to be as scripture says, "Those who
instruct many to justice shall be as the stars for eternity"?
Apparently, that's from the Book of Daniel.
With that intention in mind, we offer you a special program and it's called the Protected
Child of Padre Pio program.
Through this, if you join this program, you'll be helping our team at following Padre Pio
to reach out to many people, hopefully to inspire them so that they do not give up hope,
that they do not lose faith in God in these very trying times.
If you and I can give them this hope, then our Lord Jesus Christ's death would not have
been in vain for them.
So that's our aim.
We also have regular masses celebrated for all of those who join the Protected Child
of Padre Pio program and of course, there are other benefits too.
To find out more, just click the video on the end screen or you can go to the link in
the video description below.