23/09/2026
HOMILY | Feast of Saint Padre Pio
Gospel: Luke 9:1–6
There is something interesting in today’s Gospel. Jesus sends the Twelve on mission and tells them: “Take nothing for the journey—neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money.”
If Jesus were sending us today, perhaps we would ask, “Lord, not even a power bank?”
But Jesus was teaching them something deeper: The disciples had to learn to trust God and to depend on the kindness of others. And the people who received them had to learn to open their homes and share what they had.
In other words, Jesus was building a community where people took care of one another.
This Gospel speaks to us today.
Many families are struggling. When fuel and basic necessities become expensive, these are not simply numbers in the news. There is a mother wondering how to stretch the family budget. There is a driver asking whether today’s earnings will be enough. There is a father quietly worrying about tomorrow.
And when we ourselves are struggling, the temptation is to say: “I have my own problems. Let me take care of myself first.”
But today, Padre Pio shows us another way.
Padre Pio was no stranger to suffering. He carried the stigmata—the wounds associated with Christ’s Passion—for many years. He also endured illness, misunderstanding, and periods when Church authorities restricted aspects of his public ministry.
Yet suffering did not make Padre Pio withdraw from people. His own wounds helped him recognize the wounds of others.
People came to him carrying sins, worries, illnesses, broken families, and troubled consciences. He spent long hours hearing confessions, praying with people, and encouraging them to trust in God.
And his compassion became practical. Padre Pio helped establish the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza—the “Home for the Relief of Suffering”—a hospital dedicated to caring for the sick.
I find that very beautiful. Padre Pio did not only speak about suffering. He did something about it.
——
There is a simple story about a poor family who received a sack of rice during difficult times. They themselves had very little.
The mother opened the sack, took out several cups of rice and told her son, “Bring this to our neighbor.”
The boy was surprised. “Mama, we are also poor. Why are we giving our rice away?”
The mother answered: “Yes, we have little. But today, they have less than we do.”
——
That is Christianity.
We do not have to wait until we are rich before we become generous. Sometimes the people who understand generosity best are those who themselves know what it means to struggle.
So today, Padre Pio challenges us:
If you know a struggling family, reach out. If you know a driver whose livelihood has been affected, help if you can. If someone is frightened, lonely, or discouraged, sit with them and listen.
We cannot solve every crisis. We cannot stop every war. We cannot remove every suffering. But we can make sure that the person beside us does not suffer alone.
Padre Pio allowed his wounds to become a source of compassion. May we do the same. Do not allow suffering to close your heart. Let suffering open your heart wider. Because sometimes, God’s answer to the prayer of someone who is suffering is another person who cares.
