Gospel in Art: Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)

St. Padre Pio says: "Confession is the soul's bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust, return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again." Photo of Padre Pio in the confessional, 1963 © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 23 September 2025
Luke 8:19-21

At that time: His mother and his brothers and sisters came to Jesus, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers and sisters are standing outside, desiring to see you.' But he answered them, 'My mother and my brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and do it.'

Reflection on the photograph

Today we celebrate one of the most beloved and widely venerated saints of modern times: Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. Born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in southern Italy, he showed an extraordinary love for God from a very young age. At 15 he entered the Capuchin friars and was ordained a priest in 1910, aged 23. Throughout his life he endured great spiritual and physical trials, most famously receiving the stigmata in 1918 (the wounds of Christ's Passion) which he bore for 50 years. News of this humble friar spread quickly, and people travelled from all over the world to see him, to confess to him, and to ask his prayers. Many testified to his gifts of healing, bilocation, and especially his ability to read hearts in the confessional. Despite the crowds and the fame, Padre Pio remained rooted in humility and obedience, spending most of his life in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he also founded a hospital to care for the sick. He died there in 1968 at the age of 81, and was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

One of the most striking aspects of Padre Pio's ministry was his work in the confessional. People would sometimes wait days for their turn to confess to him. He had a remarkable ability to see into souls, and he often revealed to penitents sins they had either forgotten or were too afraid to admit. There is a story of a man who came to Padre Pio out of curiosity rather than faith. As he knelt in the confessional, Padre Pio looked at him intently and said, "You have forgotten something." The man denied it, but Padre Pio named a sin from the man's past that he had hidden for years. Overcome, the man broke down in tears, repented sincerely, and left the confessional a changed person. Stories like these show why so many people sought out Padre Pio: not for curiosity's sake, but because he brought them face to face with God's mercy.

Some interesting statistics to share: in 1962, 83.035 women and 19.837 men registered for confession with Padre Pio: an average of about 273 per day, but he could only attend to about a quarter of the requests. In 1967 Padre Pio confessed about 15,000 women and 10.000 men. An average of 70 people per day. The average confession made to Padre Pio lasted only three minutes. Our hand-coloured photo shows the saint in the confessional in 1963. One of the quotes he regularly said in the confessional was: "Do not dwell on sins that have been already confessed. Jesus has forgiven them!"

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-8-19-21-2025/