Divine Mercy Dapitan

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

The Miracle of the Flying Friar: How Padre Pio Saved an Italian Town From a Bomb

Did you know that Padre Pio appeared in the sky and stopped a bombing? This amazing story clearly shows how God works through those who seek holiness.

According to Padre Pio’s official website, during World War II, the Allied troops were in the Gargano area, near San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy, carrying out military missions.

Father Damaso de Sant’Elia, who was superior of the convent in Pianisi, Italy, recounted that, after Sept. 8, 1943, the military initiated attacks on the entire province of Foggia, but San Giovanni Rotondo did not fall victim to a single bomb.

The soldiers who tried attacking indicated that “they saw a friar in the sky who forbade them to drop bombs there.”

The general of the Italian Air Force and part of the “Air Unit Command” together with the allied forces, Bernardo Rosini, incredulous in facing this fact, decided to take command of the bomber squadron to “destroy a German ammunition depot” that he had met in the same city.

Rosini returned from the flight shocked.

“As soon as they approached the target, he and his pilots saw the figure of a friar in the sky with his hands raised. The bombs dropped themselves, falling in the forests, and the planes turned around without any intervention from the pilots,” the general said.

Everyone who heard the story wondered who this “ghost” was that mysteriously managed to control the planes.

Rosini heard that a friar with the stigmata lived in San Giovanni Rotondo. The friar was considered a saint and might be responsible for this amazing miracle.

After the end of the war, the general, together with some of the pilots, visited the convent where Padre Pio lived, and as soon as he crossed the threshold of the sacristy, he could see among the friars the priest who stopped his planes.

The saint approached Rosini. Taking him by the shoulder he said, “So, are you the one who wanted to eliminate us all?”

The general knelt in front of Padre Pio, and he heard the priest’s words in English.

Because of these amazing experiences, Rosini, who was a Protestant, became friends with Padre Pio and converted to Catholicism.

27/08/2026

GOSPEL & REFLECTION:
Matthew 24:42-51
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

REFLECTION:

Reflection

Jesus’ command, “Stay awake!”, is not simply a warning about the end of the world. It is an invitation to live every day with faith, responsibility, and love. As Catholics, we do not know when the Lord will come, so our preparation must happen through the ordinary choices we make today.

In a world filled with distractions, social media, endless entertainment, misinformation, and the pursuit of comfort, it is easy to become spiritually asleep. We may attend Mass but neglect prayer, know the teachings of Christ but fail to forgive, or speak about faith while treating others harshly. Jesus reminds us that faithful discipleship is shown through how we serve others, especially when no one is watching.

The faithful servant does not wait for the master before doing what is right. He remains faithful because love and responsibility have become a way of life.

Takeaway/Challenge: Today, stay spiritually awake. Pray sincerely, fulfill your responsibilities, forgive someone, help someone in need, and choose what is right even when nobody is watching. Live today as though Christ could come at any moment—with a heart ready to welcome Him.

23/08/2026

Heavenly Father,
give us the courage to stand firm in faith, the humility to kneel in prayer, and the strength to lead our families closer to You.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, teach us to love the Holy Rosary and to meditate upon the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Make us men of faith, courage, purity, and prayer—strong enough to fight temptation and humble enough to surrender everything to You.

Mary, Mother of the Rosary, pray for us.
Jesus, make us faithful men after Your own heart.

Amen.