The Great Discovery by Ulf Ekman

Author:Ulf Ekman [Ekman, Ulf and Birgitta Ekman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spirituality & Religion
ISBN: ISBN 978-1-64229-037-0
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2018-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Ulf: Saints, Miracles, and Important Meetings

With all these new theological questions that I was turning over in my mind, the journey of discovery continued in different ways. There was so much more to learn, books to read, places to visit, and people to meet. I became aware of the accuracy and logic in Catholic theology and appreciated the fact that reason was not underestimated but was rather placed clearly in God’s service. But the Christian life is not only theology and Bible studies; it is above all communion with people who have been touched and transformed by God. Meeting spiritually alive Catholics and reading the dramatic stories of the saints made a strong impression on me.

When we had the opportunity, we sought out historical places to find out more about what had happened there and why. In many places and in the lives of many saints, very tangible miracles had occurred. The saints often suffered and were misunderstood during their lifetimes, but they did not leave the Church and “start their own”. Rather, they lived their lives in communion with the Church and were a great blessing to her.

One person whom our son Benjamin brought to our attention was the Italian Franciscan Brother Padre Pio. I had never heard of him before, but I was very impressed when I read about his complete surrender to Jesus and all the miracles that had been linked to him. An exciting book by Bernard Ruffin, Padre Pio, the True Story, captivated both Birgitta and me.

It was during the summer of 2004 as we drove home to Sweden and traveled through Italy that Benjamin persuaded us to take the road past San Giovanni Rotondo, where Padre Pio had lived the greater part of his life. When we got there, the little town was swarming with people. We visited his grave and the church where he had celebrated Mass. We also saw the large hospital complex that he, by his faith, had built. It was impressive.

Padre Pio lived from 1887 to 1968 and was an incredibly special person who drew people from around the world, not least of all by hearing confessions and praying for the sick. He was blessed with many of the charismatic gifts about which Saint Paul speaks in the First Letter to the Corinthians (12) and had an unusual ability to see into other people’s souls and know their problems. Padre Pio had many strong spiritual experiences and, among other things, received the stigmata; that is, he received the wounds of Jesus in his body in a supernatural way. Up to now, I had been skeptical about such things, but after having read how carefully he was examined, I had little doubt that he really did have these inexplicable wounds. He bore the marks of Christ’s wounds for all of his adult life, and they caused him much pain. (See the Letter to the Galatians 6:17, where Saint Paul says, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”) I

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