Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Auburn mayor priest, Maal father and the son. Holy spirit. Amen. Well, we certainly live in a strange time where practical Catholics end up denying. You can hear it all the time, almost any, any kind of miraculous event in the church. If you take the old Butler's lives of the saints, for example, in the newer edition, and you just pick a Saint, uh, you can look and you'll notice that the new edition say there'll be a very small column talking about the Saint where the old edition might have a page or more. And why is that? Because the genius editors just took sit herself, decide, well, that couldn't happen. And that couldn't happen and just cut it out. So they denied the miracles of the saints and of course, uh, they denied the miracles of Christ. The priests are the worst at this when I was in seminary, uh, virtually every well, every single guy asked about it, guys from these, the states, Canada and Australia had heard the same explanation of a gospel, the gospel of lo of the multiplication of lows and fishes.
Speaker 0 00:01:07 And the explanation that everyone of us had heard from different continents even was that our Lord didn't actually multiply the loaves and fishes. Nobody got everybody do was to share the stuff they brought with, you know, like isn't that sweet, you know, that there's certainly a miracle for you, that people took the stuff outta their backpack and gave it to their name. I mean, it's just idiotic a priest. It says, what does he think he's gonna do in five minutes? You know, if, if our Lord can't multiply lows of fishes, a good heavens, what about the consecration? It's just, uh, it's just so idiotic and it it's unbearable almost. Now the fact that so many men think that believing in miracles nowadays is the same as believing in myth just makes the providential hand of God stand out that much more, uh, in our day and age, because in the age when so many men have, so arrogantly denied even the possibility of miracles, God sent us one of the most incredible miracle book of all time.
Speaker 0 00:02:07 And that man, that miracle worker, his Potter PIO, whose statue is right there on the pistol side of his sanctuary. So today is an ado to his culture of modernism will take a short look at his life in miracles. We're only gonna be able to skim the surface, uh, to give you some idea of pottery PO's miracles ordinarily in the cause of the Saint. And the case goes forward. There's about five boxes of documents delivered to the holy sea to study and review. But with pottery appeal, there were over a hundred boxes, submitted documents, and, uh, he's got a connection in a way to this community. His, his father came to America to, to pay for pottery PO to go through school. And he, he came over to the states and he actually, uh, uh, lived in Motown and in new castle. And, uh, we had a parishioner at the early mass that grew up with his cousins, the, for, and new castle, our cousins to, uh, to pottery appeal.
Speaker 0 00:03:09 So it's kind of an thing. He came to the states. He came right over here. So pottery appeal was born in 1887. By the age of five, he was already capable of seeing invisible realities of the spiritual war. And that ability remained within him throughout his entire life. He could see demons and they regularly attacked him. One night, some seminarians were staring at the frying and they heard a terrible noise. They could hear all these iron bars playing together and it sounded like a high speed train going through a tunnel. And in the morning they found the iron bars that had held up his curtains just twisted all up and Potter peel all exhausted from a about. He said that devil had beat him up because by praying he prevented a devil from getting one of the seminarians to commit a sin impurity. Now these beatings were unusual.
Speaker 0 00:04:01 Often the bruises would be visible for weeks. Sometimes he's beaten up so badly that he actually could the same mass one day Potter appeal, spiritual director, whose name was Potter. Augustino came into Potter appeal's room and told Potter PI to give up hiss. Cause God didn't approve of him. So Potter appeal was a bit surprised and then it occurred to him to do something. He said, all right, Potter Agastein let's pray together. Bless be Jesus. And instantly Potter P Augustino disappeared in a puff of stinky smoke, cuz it wasn't actually Potter Aino at all. It was the devil in a, in disguise, in an apparition. Sometimes a devil take a form. The Saint St P pies, the tent Saint Francis bless Virgin Mary Christ crucified, but he appear in all these different guys as to Potter appeal, put poncy demons, but he could see angels as well.
Speaker 0 00:04:56 The friers will live with Potter appeal would hear him in his cell. Greatest guardian angel. I see. Well hello. Hello, little man. And they could hear him having animated conversations, uh, with his guardian angel, his spiritual director, real poly Augustino once tested Potter appeal by writing to him in Greek, even though he knew full while Potter PO couldn't read Greek Potter PO Madely responded to letter, then Potter, August wrote another letter in French. Uh, another language that Potter appeal didn't understand Potter appeal instantly responded to the letter and Potter Augustino asked Potter appeal, how he could read letters through that in strange language and Potter P said, well, my guardian angel explains everything to, he would tell us penetrance that if we were having problems just to send a guardian angels to him, one penitent said, but Potter, do you listen to him? Potter? He says, what do you think I'm deaf?
Speaker 0 00:05:48 And uh, we can do that. I do it in a regular semi angel to him. He's just as available as he ever was. Uh, 1, 1, 1 story was kind of funny and there was a couple that were having a really rough night. You kind of having a heated discussion, so one and send their angel to him and other and so forth in the morning said, can I get any sleep? Can you guys just get along? Cause angels are showing up every five minutes, all night talking about, uh, the fight the couples had now, besides the demons and angels <inaudible> could see other things as well. So one night when they're eating in the refractory, he jumped up from supper, ran to the doorway and had live the conversation with the thin air. When he came back to the table, the other fryers asked, well, who are you talking to?
Speaker 0 00:06:35 And he said, oh, don't worry. He said, I was just talking to some souls. They were on their way to purgatory, to heaven. They stopped by here to thank me cause I remembered him at mass this morning. Uh, he, uh, one day he mentioned, uh, that there were more souls in the dead from purgatory coming to his masses and seeking his prayers than there were living faithful at Italian masses. Now given the size of the crowds, if you've ever seen pictures of 'em, it's pretty amazing. So given the size of the crowds that came to the fire, we can only imagine how many poor souls where as masses. And there are masses too, just cuz we can't see 'em doesn't mean they're not here. It's a great reminder that not just in November, but all the time, especially at holy mass, we should remember our beloved dead they're here too.
Speaker 0 00:07:24 And we should remember that the moment for the dead every time at holy mass, remember your dead, those that most need the prayers and those that are here right now, cuz it is a comedian of saints. As we profess in the CRE the dead need our prayers. Let's never forget that, but not only could Potter POS see the demons, the angels and poor souls. You could also see the secrets of men's hearts. So one time, two free masons decide they were gonna really put dirty trick. They made up a list of face sins and we were gonna make a mock confession in order to desecrate the SAC. Now, when you went to confession upon Pico, you had to take a number. It could take a day. It could take a couple days before your number came up to Penn because you couldn't just walk in there cuz the lines were so huge.
Speaker 0 00:08:10 So you just got a number and that kept the Frys and having to keep everybody in order and solve the fights like who came first, you had the number. So these guys each get their number. And, and in both instances as each one of 'em begins to confess his lies. He stops to shut up. I know what you're doing just my time. And he said, uh, he proceeded to tell the masons what their, each one of 'em, what his real sins were when, where, and how he committed him with whom and the result. You know, one guy's in one set, a confession. They both come up. We know it from them, by the way, obviously they just come out stunned like, uh, you know this, what did they just encountered this obvious display of a supernatural reality. So they both were repented. They converted. And then they made good confessions to pottery PO and became devout Catholic. So we know the story because they had the ability to admit it because this, you know, there's another interesting thing in his confessions. If you read very much on him, you discover that he refused to absolve a lot of people and the estimation from the people that have reported it and the priest that knew that were wrong. There's about a third of the people he'd refused to give the map solution. Why is that?
Speaker 0 00:09:24 Because one of the things, when you go to confession, there's three things are necessary. You have to confess your sins. You have to have a firm purpose of amendment and you have to be willing to the pen. You can see whether they have the firm purpose of amendment, which generally speaking means they're gonna avoid the sin and the near occasion of sin. And he could see right into their heart and see they weren't firmly resolved. So he'd refuse. Tell 'em you need to get serious about this. And there was such a grace attached to that kind of approach from how appeal that almost every time that people would enter into themselves right away say, yeah, what have I been doing? I I'm just kind of lying to myself and God and they'd change their ways and go make a good confession right away. Cuz it just shake him up so much.
Speaker 0 00:10:07 They'd waited so long to go to confession the same. He talked and say, you gotta get serious. It's beautiful. He loved. So because of his ability of Marine hearts, people were flock. We'd spent up to 19 hours a day in the confessional, which is just incredible. So you could see the devils angels, the poor souls and then souls. But that wasn't all after he'd already been in religious life for a good number of years, Potter, Augustine, his director was amazed to find out that Potter PIO could actually see someone else. What said Potter? Heino you see the blessed mother Potter P said, well of course don't you and pad Tino said, Augustine said, well of course not. And Potter Artio wouldn't believe him. He said, you're just saying that of holy humility. He was so otherworldly that it hadn't occurred to him. That other people didn't have those experiences.
Speaker 0 00:11:05 He just thought people didn't talk out out of humility, just like his humility. It took a long time for him to realize, oh God Stino was not kidding him. That he actually didn't see the blessed version. You know, cuz he didn't know how incredible he really was in a sense of him living in the next life. So to speak, he could see the angels and the souls and the saints, the poor souls secret, the men's hearts. And even the blessed mother, what a devotion he had to our lady, he used to urge people to say the rosary. He called the rosary, his weapon and he would pray as many as his 60 complete rosaries in a day. When someone asked how he could pray that much in a day, he respond, how can you not pray that much? So obviously he could do do more than one thing at a a time cuz he has to see his mass.
Speaker 0 00:11:54 He has to see his divine office. He's here 19 hours of confession. And he saying 60 rosaries. I mean, it's just what this man did. We're never gonna know him this life. It's so amazing. So he could do more than one thing at the same time, but not only could he do more than one thing at the same time, he could be in more than one place at the same time cuz he had the gift by location. So after losing a battle in world war I and being revealed relieved of his command, an Italian general decided to commit suicide. And just as he picked up the revolver, a little fryer walked in his tent and persuaded him to put down the gun. After the war, the general happened to be visiting the fryer, which Potter appeal lived and Potter appeal walked out and said general.
Speaker 0 00:12:38 That was a rough night we had when he saw Potter appeal, he realized that that was a little fryer that had saved him. Now this one seemed so amazing except for the fact that Potter appeal had definitely been in the fry at the very same time. He was many, many mini hassle away in that. General's 10, there's so many AB different absolutely undeniable examples of his BI-LO. We could spend hours just talking about my personal favorite occurred during world war II, since Giovanni rotunda, the town, which is fry was located was selected as a target for allied bombing, but neither the English north Americans succeeded in bombing the village. And there's a very good reason for that because on the bombing raids, as they're flying there, they saw fryer in the air, waving his hands and directing them to go away. And later a number of these airmen visited the fryer in San Giovan, Giovanni Rutu and recognized the fryer.
Speaker 0 00:13:41 The sin sky was Potter peel running around in the clouds. And there were, there were these, some of these guys were alive to at least very recently world war II deaths yet had the ability to see the invisible world. He led a life of prayer. He could by locate, but that's not all he was on fire with the love of God. He was literally burning high normal medical thermometers would break trying to measure his temperature documents, attest to the fact that his temperatures would run his highs 125 degrees paradigm. He lived for years on a diet that consisted of several sardines every day and a few crumbs of bed. And he enjoyed on occasion, choking down a very small glass of beer. And he lived like that for years. A couple sardines, a few crumbs of bed on occasion, a little teen of beer, 40 days after his ordination in September of 1910, he received the stigma to the wounds of Christ.
Speaker 0 00:14:50 Now this, the stigma were invisible. Eight years later, they became visible. Like we see on the statue, it remained so right up until his death, after which time they completely healed the no signs of scarring her damage. He was forbidden from showing to people at various times. So he actually had an operation where he wouldn't take anesthesia where they had to do a very serious operation on, but he didn't want to do it for fear that he'd be disobedient. The doctors would take the opportunity to look at him at various times, physicians were permitted, but at that time he was strictly forbidden. So he took with a, you know, serious, serious suffering to make sure nobody had see it, the wounds blood profusely for 50 years without any infection, his hands and feet were completely perforated by the wounds. And they gave off a very pleasant, mystical smell, which is described like the smell of the mixture of violence and roses during the holy sacrifice of the mass part.
Speaker 0 00:15:47 He, his wounds blood the most and hurt the most. When someone asked him his ones heard him, he said, our Lord didn't give these to me for decoration. One last miracle. Since generat DeOrio of R Sicily was born in 1940 without pupils in her eyes, she was completely blind in 1947. Her grandma decided to take the child over to Italy, to visit Potter PO and ask him for a miracle. She received both her sight and her first communion from pottery PO. Now the most remarkable thing about all this is that she still had no peoples and she still sees, she may very well be alive. I know in the beginning of my priesthood, she still was a great number of doctors that examine her eyes. And I'll conclude that given her lack of pupils, she must be blind yet. She sees, and it has no natural explanation.
Speaker 0 00:16:42 You can see her, you can, I've actually checked. And she, there are films around YouTube and it's just uncanny cuz she has no pupils that you'll watch her walking through. Tell you traffic well with Anur of tank would be terrifying and she's just walking along. You know, no eyes just crossing the streets, et cetera, talking shadow along, reading cetera, no pupils. And so what's the message Potter appeal for each one of us in an age where we have so many priest Sudan, the 2000 years ago, almighty God multiplied loaves and fishes. We have a priest who Almaty God would multiply. So he could be in more own place at the same time in an age when we have so many people who deny in VI invisible realities and spiritual love. We have a priest rag had conversations with the angels, the saints and the poor souls and regularly battled the deep devils in an age where we have so many people who even deny the possibility
Speaker 1 00:17:48 Of miracles. We have men alive today who have seen a Catholic priest running around in the clouds. We have a woman who's been walking around Sicily without pupils in her eyes and seeing an age when we have so many people who deny the reality of the Catholic priests did the reality of sin and necessity. Confession. We have a victim priest, crucified, bleeding, and suffering suffering for the sins of the world. A priest who could read hearts spent up to 19 hours a day, releasing men from their sins in the confession in an age when we have so many people are confused as to whether there is a true church, an age when so many people are confused as to what that one true church is, including many of the hierarchy, whether that true church can even be found, whether it even matters. God sent us one of the greatest miracle workers of all human history to remind us of how much he loves us to remind us of how horrible sin really is. That it's not a joke that's not to be taken like. And the point off the way to the one true church outside of which there is no salvation.
Speaker 1 00:19:22 So what's the message for each one of us. When speaking to a group of layman about the purpose of life pottery PIO said, what must I tell you? I too have come into the world is you have with a mission to accomplish I fry and priest have a mission as a fryer, as a caption is the perfect and devoted observance of my rule and files. I hear a voice within me that persistently tells me be holy and have a holy influence. Be holy and have a holy influence. Is this not the message of Potter here for each one of us be holy and have a holy influence.
