St Pio of Pietralcina

St Pio of Pietralcina (1881-1968)

St Pio was born as Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1881. Taking the name of Pio, the present Pope at that time, he entered with the Franciscans and was ordained to the priesthood in 1910. On September 20, 1918, he received the stigmata, which stayed on his body until the moment he died on September 23, 1968, when they completely disappeared. He was canonized on June 16, 2002, when half a million people were gathered at the Vatican piazza. Many other millions visit San Giovanni Rotondo every year, the monastery where he spent most of his life, in prayer.
This is one of my favorite prayers by St Pio of Pietralcina, whose liturgical feast we celebrate today:
My dear Jesus, release from my mind and heart
- any troubles from the past,
- any worries about the present,
- any anxieties about the future.
So that I can desire always, and in everything, just one thing
– TO GO AGAINST MYSELF IN FAVOR OF YOUR LOVE.
I entrust my reckless and troubled past to Your bountiful Mercy, o Lord. I also entrust to Your infinite Love my confused and undecided present. And I entrust to Your holy Providence my mysterious future. Amen.