Padre Pio, whose real name was Francesco Forgione was born on May 25, 1887 in Pietralcina, a small town in southern Italy. Every since he was a child he has always showed love towards the religious life. It is said that at the age of 5 Padre Pio had already dedicated his life to God. He had an extreme love for prayer. At the age of sixteen he entered the ‘Capuchin Friars’ which are a religious order in memory of St. Francis of Assisi. From the first time Padre Pio had entered into the Friary he was already recognized by his teachers as someone special. “There was something which distinguished him from the other students, whenever I saw him he was always humble and silent”, one of his peers had said. What struck them most was Padre Pio’s love for prayer. In the year 1910 at the age of 23 Padre Pio had been ordained a priest.
Besides the Mystery of God taught by Padre Pio, he had his own mysteries. After celebrating a Mass on September 20, 1918, he had received the “Stigmata”. His hands, side and feet were scarred with the same wounds of Christ; he was the first priest ever to have received the gift of Stigmata along with other gifts which later declared him a Saint. The news of this spread all over the world and people flocked to witness this miracle. Scientists had examined the wounds over and over but could never come up with an explanation. He had performed many miracles which included curing a blind little girl without pupils in her eyes to see again, and she is still alive today to tell her story. Padre Pio was also rewarded by God with other magnificent gifts such as bilocation which was Padre Pio’s ability to visit and needy in far places from where he was without ever leaving, also the gift of perfume which was the beautiful odor of roses that marked Padre Pio’s presence, and the gift of conversion which was his ability to make remarkable conversions of peoples choices or views.
Throughout the life of Padre Pio, God was no mystery to him because it seemed as if he already knew the mystery of God. He once said “the pivot of perfection is love, he who lives in love lives in God, because God is love, as taught by the apostles”, which simply those who do not love cannot be completely connected to God.
Carlos Santana Ryan Conroy All the world knows the special magic of Carlos Santana. Since 1966, he has led the group that bears his name, selling over 30 million albums and performing before an estimated 13 million people. In every performance, Carlos shares with his audience a personal communication that crosses all boundaries and differences. Carlos was introduced to traditional music by his father, Jose. An accomplished mariachi violinist and experienced musician, he taught Carlos the basics of music theory and gave him an understanding of the value of a note. Although Carlos' excitement for music would be sparked by his first experience, he quickly discovered the limits of its traditional form and wanted more. Carlos wanted to play the kind of music that was filling the radio waves and making people dance. Tijuana, 1955 the drastic change of moving from the small, quiet town of Autlan to the humming, thriving boom town of Tijuana brought a renewed hope and opportunity for a new life. Both for Carlos and his family. The eight-year old Carlos quickly left the violin for the guitar, studying and emulating the sounds of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. Soon he was being asked to join local bands like the T.J.'s, where he added a unique touch and feel to his own renditions of all the great songs of the 1950's. As he continued to play with different bands along the busy Tijuana Strip, he not Page Two only started to perfect his style and sound, but actually started bringing home enough money to really help his family.
In the novel, Pedro Páramo, by Juan Rulfo, settings serve the purpose of being much more than merely locations. Various settings are utilized to represent symbols throughout the novel in order for Rulfo to develop the plot of the novel. Comala is a location that clearly acts as a symbol in Rulfo’s writing; however, to truly recognize the symbolism in the novel and to acknowledge the presence of key themes such as those of purgatory, religion, and oppression, it is necessary to analyze less conspicuous settings, particularly, the home of doña Eduviges, the church, and the Media Luna.
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
Teodoro Moscoso and Puerto Rico’s Operation Bootstrap by Alex W. Maldonado tells us about the life of Teodoro Moscoso, the architect of the “economic miracle” which most experts did not believe could happen in Puerto Rico.
Salutati began to develop his own idea of Christian Aristotelianism after the death of his beloved son Piero, this intolerable grief has c...
In his biography “Junipero Serra”, Steven Hackel portrays Father Junipero Serra as a notable figure because of his contribution to California’s past archive. Hackel describes Father Serra as passionate, yet hardened (Hackel 3) despite common controversy on Serra’s character. Additionally, Hackel alludes to other influences in Father Serra’s life; apart from his environment, his educational and religious enrichment in various institutions were also a big influence on his values and identity that led him to be known as a “particularly devout and dedicated Franciscan”. (29) Hackel recreates Serra’s image, and takes his readers on a journey into Serra’s personal transformation from his poorly documented early life to his later success in his occupational endeavors and very grand accomplishments in religion which earn him a place as an influential figure in California’s history despite his excessive, strict, ruthless and vastly condescending religious viewpoints which would not be widely accepted by readers in the modern era.
translation: love. He have seen how love takes the shape of a god, and how it
Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
In a Catholic society, such as Valle di Sole in Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci, it is common for people to be named after saints, making Hagiography, a study of the lives of the saints, a study of high importance. Essentially, in Ricci’s novel, the characters draw many parallels from their name saint, such as personality, notable events, and martyrdom, which eventually leads to living a life comparable to their name saint, as if destined by fate.
St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering.
Philo's words paint a religious picture of heaven and faith. His eyes see a splendor one can only hope to view, and describes a soul every human spirit seeks. The word God has appeared liberally in every piece written by the great man. He uses it with such confidence yet makes sure to keep its use full of meaning, careful to not let it disappear with the other text. In one of Philo's earlier pieces, "The Creation of the world" he describes the intricate thought process God went through in forming this beautiful world we now exist on. He valiantly wrote that, "We must form a similar opinion of God, who, having determined to found a mighty state, first of all conceived its form in his mind, according to which form he made a world perceptive only by the intellect and then completed one visible to the external senses using the first one as a model." (Creation of God 3) He spoke of God not solely for reference but in attempt to persuade his readers to fallow the path of the Lord. In his writing "Confusion" he simply states his love for the church by this one quote, "And therefore, when they say: "We are all sons of one man, we are peaceful" (Genisis 42:11), I marvel at their harmonious band.
Francis then lived a life of charity which included nursing lepers. His life influenced many people and some even decided to follow him. One of these people was St. Clare. These followers of his became known as Friars. Francis lived a life of helping others which he summed up with three vows for others to follow.
“The Jesuits he called in his adult life a ‘heartless order that bears the name of Jesus by antiphrasis’” (O'Brien 1). Later, at around eleven years old, he transferred over to the Belvedere College in Dublin. (Ebook 1) After his graduation at Dublin he determined that he knew an adequate amount of the Jesuit religion, he officially rejected it (Gray 1). “After some religious experiences he lost his faith, then his patriotism, and held up those with whom he formerly worshipped to ridicule, and his country and her aspirations to contempt” (Collins 1).
Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. He died in 1226, at the age of 44.
Saint Francis of Assisi was a uniquely spiritual man who gave up a life of wealth and position to lead a life of poverty in accordance and service to God. Embracing a life according to the Gospels, Francis went on to establish a Monastic Order, known as the Franciscans. In the midst of the political climate within the religious community of Italy, Francis emerged a champion for the poor and sick, with humility and no regard for himself. Francis exhibited his love for God through his love and admiration for all of God's creation including nature. The principles of Saint Francis are as relevant today as they were in thirteenth century Italy; service and love to all of God’s creation.