Saints inspire people and connect them to God: parish priest

INCORRUPT HEART. Msgr. Julius Heruela venerates the heart relic of St. Padre Pio. (Photo from Msgr. Julius Heruela via PNA)

DUMAGUETE CITY – In an unexpected encounter that he never dreamed of, Catholic priest Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela found himself suddenly face to face with the heart relic of the popular Capuchin friar, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as Padre Pio.

Padre Pio’s relic, which had visited several places in the Philippines this October, was brought to nearby Cebu for a few days to allow devotees to come and venerate it.

Msgr. Heruela, a long-time devotee of the saint – an Italian priest of the Order of the Franciscan Friars Capuchin (OFM Capuchin) – recounted that he was at the sacristy at a church in Cebu after a mass in honor of Padre Pio when he found that the glass casing containing the “incorrupt” heart was opened, perhaps for cleaning after hundreds of people had venerated it.

And there he stood, almost like frozen in time, staring at the heart of the saint he adored, admired, prayed to for intercession, the very same person whose life has inspired and strengthened him to carry on amidst trials and troubles.

“Ang kalinaw sa kasing-kasing sa akong pagkapari (the peace in my heart as a priest),” was what he felt the minute he laid his eyes on the heart of Padre Pio, the Capuchin friar who was gifted with the stigmata or the five wounds of Christ.

He shared that with his devotion to Santo Padre Pio, he received answers to his prayers through the saint’s intercession, especially with all the trials that he faces as a priest.

Asked why devotees like him venerate saints and seek their intercession, Msgr. Heruela, who is the parish priest of the St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bacong, Negros Oriental, explained that “sila ang mu ampo para kanato aron pod kita malangit (they are the ones who pray for us that we, too, would be able to go to heaven).”

In some countries, that is the essence of Halloween or the three-day liturgical celebration of the Western Christian Church in honor of the saints, martyrs, and the faithful departed.

Halloween, also known as All Hallows Day, is celebrated on October 31st, the eve of All Saints Day, which falls on Nov. 1, and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.

According to Heruela, “sa simbahan gisaulog nato ang kapistahan sa tanang mga santos, ilabi na kadtong wala nato nailhan (we celebrate in our church the feast of all the saints, many of whom are forgotten).”

Because of the countless saints in the Catholic Church, people do not know all of them, only those that are known for their “miraculous” intercessions, he said.

Also, there are the dead relatives who are now in heaven and are also thought of as “saints” and they, along with the canonized saints and the martyrs, pray for the people who are still on earth, he pointed out.

“It is also a reminder for us that we should be inspired nga kita maningkamot nga mabalaan ang atong kinabuhi masantoson pod kita aron kita malangit pod (that we should strive to live holy and saintly lives, so we can also go to heaven), Heruela said.

“These are the heroes of our church and their lives set an example for the people to follow,” he added.

When people venerate the saints, it is an act of faith that they believe in, since the saints are closer to God, that they can bring forth their petitions and prayers to Him, and in fact, some saints are even known to be “miraculous”, he said.

Heruela further explained that saints can do miraculous things and prayers are also answered through them by the grace of God.

And so, people have saints of their choice, whether for personal intercessions or for common and shared reasons, he said.

For instance, a parish may choose St. Isidore, The Farmer, as their patron saint, because he is known for his intercessory prayers for good harvests.

Others may also choose a saint, also known as a hallow, as their personal patron or for certain invocations, such as St. Anthony who is venerated worldwide because of his popularity as a finder of lost things, even people and spiritual goods, and with miracles attributed to him.

As to why people make physical contact with the icons of saints, such as wiping their handkerchiefs on the arms and feet, the priest pointed out the Bible story of a woman who suffered from hemorrhage for many years.

The woman’s faith led her to believe that even touching the hem of the cloak of Jesus Christ would heal her, and so she did, and she was healed, Heruela said.

That is a simple but profound explanation of why Catholics show their reverence for the saints, he added.

Saints, he said, were not perfect and free of sin. In fact, if one read about their lives, one would discover that many of them committed many sins but the repentance and conversion that came afterward had brought them to lead holy lives and walk the path of righteousness.

And so, each year, the Bacong parish priest reminds the Catholic lay faithful of the real meaning of Halloween.

It is the celebration of the lives of saints and martyrs who are now in the Church Triumphant or in heaven, whose prayers people seek for those who are in the Church Suffering or Purgatory, and in the Church Militant, or the people who are still on earth, Heruela explained.