Is there anyone alive today like Padre Pio?

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I have often wondered if there is anyone who is living today who is known to have the ability to read souls. I would make a trip straight out to see such person to gauge the state of my soul.

Remember those purple tablets that showed you how well you brushed your teeth, and sometimes it was a complete shock… I would really like to have some idea if I was deficient in a major way in a certain area…

Anyone?
 
An honest examination of conscience under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is all you need to know your deficiencies. God will reveal to you what you need to see.

I think Padre Pio read the souls of those who were deliberately holding something back in the confessional.
 
We all seem to have a fascination with the extraordinary. Me too. But mystics can make mistakes you know. The church never makes mistakes. Meditate on the simple ordinary life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Look for God in the ordinary and mundane, normal events of everyday. Very, very few of us can be mystics. But we can all come to know God and ourselves. Look for God in the ordinary. He’s there.🙂 👍
 
CSN said:
I have often wondered if there is anyone who is living today who is known to have the ability to read souls. I would make a trip straight out to see such person to gauge the state of my soul.

Remember those purple tablets that showed you how well you brushed your teeth, and sometimes it was a complete shock… I would really like to have some idea if I was deficient in a major way in a certain area…

Anyone?
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good analogy, and I bet we would all be surprised by the results (just got these tablets from my dentist!)

the next best thing is a thorough examination of conscience, in the context of the Spiritual Exercises. that, and whatever we need to dispose ourselves to total honesty–which happens to be the virtue of humility, the foundational virtue for all spiritual growth.

but I wonder if I would accept the mystic’s diagnosis, when I so often reject the clear knowledge I have myself about my own failings?
 
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puzzleannie:
but I wonder if I would accept the mystic’s diagnosis, when I so often reject the clear knowledge I have myself about my own failings?
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Good point, annie! It is so difficult to own our failings. http://bestsmileys.com/misbehaving/3.gif

The ones who Padre Pio rejected in the confessional had no choice but to examine their hearts, for he refused them absolution.
 
Joysong said:
Good point, annie! It is so difficult to own our failings. http://bestsmileys.com/misbehaving/3.gif

The ones who Padre Pio rejected in the confessional had no choice but to examine their hearts, for he refused them absolution.
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But that’s exactly the point. Those people had a chance to re-examing themselves. Without Padre Pio’s admonishment, they would have left that day and probably lived the rest of their lives thinking they had done all right. Since it’s such a delicate balance (true contrition vs. scrupolosity), I would want to know whether I hit that balance. Otherwise, to optimize my chances I would have to sell everything, and become a monk. Which is what the Bible says, btw, and which is sometimes what I feel I may to do.
 
John_Russell_Jr said:
We all seem to have a fascination with the extraordinary. Me too. But mystics can make mistakes you know. The church never makes mistakes. Meditate on the simple ordinary life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Look for God in the ordinary and mundane, normal events of everyday. Very, very few of us can be mystics. But we can all come to know God and ourselves. Look for God in the ordinary. He’s there.🙂 👍
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I think very few of us would WANT to be mystics. They suffer a lot and are always sick. And their temptations are so much greater than ours–the devil is always on their backs. They might experience the heights of ecstasy, but they also experience the depths of despair and darkness. I admire them, and they can teach us much, but I would rather be ordinary. Mystics receive an extraordinary gift, and unless one is called to it, the ordinary person could not bear the gift.
 
What I hear you saying, CSN, is that you are nervous about whether or not you are offending God and might not be aware of it? If so, be consoled with the advice of St. Francis de Sales who said that these concerns are never found in a person who wants to be pleasing to God … which is a good sign of devotion, and not that of indifference.

Steadfastly asking the help of the Holy Spirit to know yourself and conquer those things He brings to mind ever so gently, will eventually teach you all you need to know. He is extremely patient with us, which is hard for us to imagine, for we have so little of this virtue.

God bless,
Carole
 
Oh boy, I see that I made a mistake in my sentence: :o

these concerns are never found in a person who wants to be pleasing to God …

Should read:

these concerns are never found in a person who does not want to be pleasing to God.
 
CSN said:
I have often wondered if there is anyone who is living today who is known to have the ability to read souls. I would make a trip straight out to see such person to gauge the state of my soul.

Remember those purple tablets that showed you how well you brushed your teeth, and sometimes it was a complete shock… I would really like to have some idea if I was deficient in a major way in a certain area…

Anyone?
Click to expand...
The probability that there are confessors with the gift of reading souls is very high. I know people who tell of a couple of priests they claim do this, because it happened to them in confession. The priests would not want to be known, or to have this publicized.

It is not that difficult to find a good confessor unless you live in a remote region where there are few priests.

If you do your best to confess your sins and receive absolution you are forgiven. The idea that you would search out a priest with this gift to make sure you have mentioned all of your sins indicates you might have a problem with scrupulosity, which is a sin. I don’t know this for sure, but you might want to look into it with your priest.

In the Eastern Church the formula for absolution covers sins that the penitent can not call to mind, has forgotten. All that is necessary is your intention to confess all of your sins and the knowledge that you are not deliberately withoholding sins. If you confess all the sins you know of you have done all you can do. The only thing incumbent upon you is to be sorry for your sins and try your best to confess them. If you can not accept that and think that you are hiding sins from your own conscience then you are scrupulous. People who are scrupulous question their contrition. It is not their job to do this, but the confessor’s. If you receive absolution you must accept it and allow yourself to be unburdened of guilt. That is the purpose of the sacrament, to assure you of God’s forgiveness. You do not need an extraordinary mystical experience.
 
Agreed Grandfather good comments…The Western Church does as well. The penitent asks to be absolved of “these sins and all the sins of my past life” The absolution covers forgotten sins, not withheld sins.
 
The Question still remains…

Is there anyone alive today like Padre Pio?
 
I often wonder this same thing.
Who is the soul out there taking on the sins of the people to the extent that the known great saints have done so couragously for God?
I know we all are given the gift of suffering for others but these Saints sure took on a big share.
Who is the soul or souls that are unknown to us doing the will of the Father that we may be saved from Gods rath?
I thank God for these Holy souls and wish I knew how to love God as they do and did.
 
Joysong said:
What I hear you saying, CSN, is that you are nervous about whether or not you are offending God and might not be aware of it? If so, be consoled with the advice of St. Francis de Sales who said that these concerns are never found in a person who wants to be pleasing to God … which is a good sign of devotion, and not that of indifference.

Steadfastly asking the help of the Holy Spirit to know yourself and conquer those things He brings to mind ever so gently, will eventually teach you all you need to know. He is extremely patient with us, which is hard for us to imagine, for we have so little of this virtue.

God bless,
Carole
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Yes, this is my fear. Perhaps not so much in the ‘absolutely no clue’ category, but rather the ‘not so sure’ category. For example, we are called to help the poor. But how much is enough? If I were to help the poor to the greatest extent possible, why, I would have to sell everything and give them everything. But wait, this is exactly what the Bible says…see where this is going?

This relates directly to a post I made a while back regarding discernment – namely that we are all called to religious life, and that choosing marriage is a rejection of that call. Because with marriage, we really do have to turn our minds to our spouse, our children… Try giving money to the poor when Billy’s birthday is around the corner…

I don’t want to turn this thread into a marriage vs. consecrated argument. I already stated my opinion above, and in another thread.

I just would like the chance to see “how am I doing?”…

Your advice regarding Francis de Sales was comforting, however, and I looked him up and found that his feast day is January 24. A perfect chance to start a novena to him ((January 15), asking for help in this regard. Which is what I will do, for myself and for everyone who has looked at this thread…

:o
 
grandfather said:
The probability that there are confessors with the gift of reading souls is very high. I know people who tell of a couple of priests they claim do this, because it happened to them in confession. The priests would not want to be known, or to have this publicized.

It is not that difficult to find a good confessor unless you live in a remote region where there are few priests.

If you do your best to confess your sins and receive absolution you are forgiven. The idea that you would search out a priest with this gift to make sure you have mentioned all of your sins indicates you might have a problem with scrupulosity, which is a sin. I don’t know this for sure, but you might want to look into it with your priest.

In the Eastern Church the formula for absolution covers sins that the penitent can not call to mind, has forgotten. All that is necessary is your intention to confess all of your sins and the knowledge that you are not deliberately withoholding sins. If you confess all the sins you know of you have done all you can do. The only thing incumbent upon you is to be sorry for your sins and try your best to confess them. If you can not accept that and think that you are hiding sins from your own conscience then you are scrupulous. People who are scrupulous question their contrition. It is not their job to do this, but the confessor’s. If you receive absolution you must accept it and allow yourself to be unburdened of guilt. That is the purpose of the sacrament, to assure you of God’s forgiveness. You do not need an extraordinary mystical experience.
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I have never met anyone like this, although I would like to believe that all priests are given the gift to say just the right thing, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Having said that, I have had the funny feeling that our local priest has powers of ESP. One time I was alone in a jazz bar (one which he has visited, but dislikes and will not re-visit), and he sent me a text message asking “Where are you?” I told him where, and he asked “Are you alone?”. I was.

I thought this was quite odd, because he never asked me anything like that before – and besides, who goes to a jazz bar alone? Anyway, he invited me out to meet him… I also remember having that slight feeling before…

Your advice is good, regarding accepting absolution, because I know that to deny Christ’s mercy is to deny his Divinity. However, if you read that sermon by St. Leonard on “How Few are Saved”, he rails against confessions made out of habit, to ease guilt, without proper seriousness (e.g. confessing a sin and doing the same thing soon after…), etc. As an aside, he also rails against priests, and says not 1 in 100 lives correctly. Perhaps this was true particularly during his time – I don’t know. But if it still holds true today, then I am damned.

ACK, where is the balance?!!?
 
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grandfather:
oops.

The answer to the question is, no, there is no one alive today like Padre Pio. He was unique. There are probably confessors who can read souls, but none that additionally have the stigmata, work thousands of miracles, bi-locate, are visited by Mary and the saints. Confessors who can read souls would not advertise this ability to attract penitients. They also may not have the gift for every person, but only occassionally. I would be wary of a priest who would invite you out to join him at a bar.
 
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