MANILA, Philippines - For Carlo and other people in the same situation, the following prayer to Padre Pio (courtesy of movie writer Ed de Leon, a Padre Pio devotee who attributes his recovery from a debilitating stroke to the saint) might be of help:
Prayer to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Teach us, we pray, humility of heart,
so that we may be counted
among the little ones of the Gospel
to whom the Father promised to reveal
the mysteries of His Kingdom.
Help us to pray without ceasing,
certain that God knows what we need
even before we ask Him.
Obtain for us the eyes of faith that will help us recognize
in the poor and suffering, the very face of Jesus.
Sustain us in the hour of trouble and trial and, if we fall,
let us experience the joy of the sacrament of forgiveness.
Grant us your tender devotion to Mary, mother of Jesus and our Mother.
Accompany us on our earthly pilgrimage
toward the blessed Homeland,
where we too hope to arrive
to contemplate forever the Glory of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.