Happy Feast Day St. Padre Pio

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, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

These lines are part of Padre Pio’s Prayer After Communion. It’s his Feast Day today and I attended the Holy Mass at the Philippine Center for St. Pio of  Pietrelcina in Libis, Quezon City.  I had to take a commute since hubby was not around. It was a very solemn celebration which was presided by Bishop Martirez from the Diocese of Antique. I lighted candles before proceeding to the prayer room after the mass then bought some stampita (prayer cards)  to give to friends.  Since last night, almost all of my posts were about Padre Pio, he is one saint that I truly admire.  Even our AFCC Tambayan page were full of stories about Padre Pio when I posted a quote there early this morning. And instead of reading the usual jokes which everyone enjoys, it seems that remembering the Feast Day of Padre Pio, we were all again united in prayer and deep faith.  It is so humbling to feel God’s loving embrace today, through Padre Pio’s intercession.

PRAYER

O God,

You gave St. Pio of Pietrelcina,

Capuchin priest,

the great privilege of participating

in a unique way in the passion

of Your Son,

grant me through his intercession

the grace of …..which I ardently desire;

And above all grant me the grace of

living in conformity

with the death of Jesus,

to arrive at the glory

of the resurrection.

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Longer Nights Begin Tomorrow

Great! According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA), tomorrow is the start of the autumnal equinox which is the beginning of shorter days and  longer nights in the northern hemisphere which includes the Philippines.  I am thinking of the colder nights which signal the long celebration of the Christmas season here in the Philippines. In fact, some stores have already put up their Christmas decorations and you could hear Christmas songs being played on the radio. And longer nights also mean more time to read and watch late night movies on TV.

Last night, Nissa and I watched the first episode of The Pillars of the Earth which was aired for two hours on Star Movies. It’s an eight part mini series adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title by Ken Follett. I can’t wait to see the succeeding episodes.  Based on what I’ve seen last night, the series is a good adaptation of the more than a thousand pages book of Follett.  Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder and Matthew Macfadyen as Prior Philip are two of my favorite characters in the series.  Nissa said it’s kind of “bitin” since she hasn’t read the book yet. I told her, once she starts reading the book, it would be hard to put it down.  There is a sequel to the book called World Without End. Nissa bought me a copy but I haven’t read it yet. The story happens 200 years later in the same fictitious town , Kingsbridge.

Don’t forget, tomorrow is St. Padre Pio’s feast day. Last November, a friend from Rome gave me a third class relic of Padre Pio from the Capuchin Friary in Rotondo, Italy.

“May Mary convert the troubles of your life into joy” – St. Padre Pio of  Pietrelcina

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