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| This statue of Padre Pio was the only object left still standing in my earthquake ravaged store. |
“I am in the hands of the devil who is trying to snatch me from the arms of Jesus. Dear God! What a war he is waging against me! There are moments in which I am on the point of losing my reason through the continual violence I must do myself. How many tears and groans, dear Father, I ascend up to heaven in order to be set free. But no matter, I will never tire of praying to Jesus.” ~ Padre Pio
I rarely go to see films anymore. There are so few choices, as the local mega-plex will show the same Marvel comic-inspired blockbuster simultaneously on several screens at once. And, for the most part, these super-hero movies, which are all they seem to make anymore, leave me completely uninspired. For, an exorcist priest once said when questioned about it: I do not watch pictures about diabolical possession; I live it. In some manner, I get it. I understand what he was talking about: because, the Lord saved me in such a dramatic way, and I have seen the workings of Jesus is so many lives, that these fictional characters appear all the more empty. Now, Padre Pio - he is heroic! But, we are increasingly living in a world that has abandoned God. And, Man, is still - despite his best efforts, a creature that needs and longs for the transcendent and the supernatural. This, reason being - is why pop-culture is obsessed with these types of diversions. Mankind is collectively searching for a God. Well, I found Him; or, more precisely - He found me.