Daily Thought For September 3, 2022

 A Thwarted Air Raid & Padre Pio

During World War II a general at the American base near Bari heard that the Germans had an arms depot somewhere around San Giovanni Rotondo. He planned an air raid to destroy the depot, and he led the squadron on this mission. Nearing the target, he saw a friar ascend into the air with his arms outstretched! Suddenly the controls on the planes no longer responded. So they dropped their bombs in the forest, turned around, and went back to base.

The general could not understand. He talked about the incident to the officers and pilots, but no one could come up with a reasonable explanation. Who was this friar who had obstructed their mission and disabled the planes’ communication system? What a mystery!

One day, the general overheard someone speaking of Padre Pio, who lived on Mount Gargano and worked miracles. Suspecting that this was the friar who had thwarted the bombardment, he went to San Giovanni Rotondo to see him.

The priest came toward him, put his hand on his shoulder, and said, “Ah! So you are the one who wanted to kill us all!” The astounded general was won over by the eyes and personality of Padre Pio. He became a Catholic and a friend and follower of Padre Pio until the end of his days.

It is worth noting an additional and curious detail: When Padre Pio spoke to the general, he used the Benevento dialect, yet the American heard every word in perfect English!

Pascal Cataneo, Padre Pio, Glimpse into the Miraculous, trans. Maureen McCollum and Gabriel Dextraze (Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, 2013), 83–84.