Become Who You Are
What’s the meaning and purpose of my life? What is my true identity? Why were we created male and female? How do I find happiness, joy and peace? How do I find love that lasts, forever? These are the timeless questions of the human heart. Join Jack Rigert and his guests for lively insights, reading the signs of our times through the lens of Catholic Teaching and the insights of Saint John Paul ll to guide us.
Saint Catherine of Siena said "Become who you are and you would set the world on fire".
Become Who You Are
#608 The Wartime Encounter That Changed Everything: Sergeant Columban Meets Padre Pio
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What happens when a skeptical World War II sergeant decides to "blow a priest out of the confessional" by confessing his extensive list of sins? The result is utterly unexpected and life-changing.
Through the compelling true story of Sergeant Columban's encounter with Padre Pio, we witness how a moment of defiance transformed into a profound spiritual awakening. When this stigmatic friar revealed the sergeant's long-forgotten childhood dream of becoming a priest—something he had never shared with anyone—the hardened soldier found himself weeping outside the confessional, his life forever altered.
Padre Pio was no ordinary priest. Bearing the wounds of Christ that bled for 50 years, possessing gifts of healing, bilocation, and the ability to read hearts, his extraordinary encounters with American GIs during World War II became legendary. For Sergeant Columban, serving as Padre Pio's altar boy in the weeks that followed his confession allowed him to witness firsthand the priest's suffering during Mass—the bleeding wounds, painful walking, and sweet perfume that sometimes emanated from his stigmata.
This story arrives at the perfect moment for those navigating today's increasingly toxic culture, where doubt can easily take root. Are transformative spiritual encounters still possible? Can our hearts truly be changed? Just as Sergeant Columban's forgotten dream became reality after his divine encounter, perhaps your own spiritual journey holds similar potential for awakening and transformation.
Download our Claymore battle plan today and discover how to walk this path with others who share your search for authentic faith and purpose. Remember, "If you seek, you will find. If you knock, it will be opened to you." What forgotten dreams might God be waiting to fulfill in your life?
Visit jp2renew.org, go to resources, and download the Claymore Battle Plan to begin your journey toward freedom, purpose, and authentic manhood today.
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Men of Claymore. Happy Friday. Good to be with you. I hope you're doing well. I can't believe how fast the weeks are going. It's crazy.
Speaker 1:I recorded earlier praying with temptation so important, so make sure you see that. So I'm doing this Friday update in two parts praying with temptation, and now I want to tell you a story, a true story Sergeant Columban's wartime encounter with a poor friar. A friar is like a priest, slash monk almost. You know it's very interesting. You know, usually friars are just that brown garb keep life simple, et cetera, et cetera. Very prayerful, right. So a poor friar who prays. I'm talking about Padre Pio here, padre Pio which I'll get into the story here. I had a devotion to him since I was a young boy. It came from my dad and it came from, at least partially, from this story that I'm going to tell you today. So buckle up for that.
Speaker 1:Just a quick reminder with claymore, everybody hopefully has downloaded the battle plan. I'm holding it up here for those of you who are just listening to audio, but just go to our website jp the number two. Jp the number two renewedorg. Go to resources at the top, go down, click on Claymore, download the battle plan. It's very important. So, as you're reading the battle plan, spiritual formation is what I addressed earlier today in praying with temptation Very, very important.
Speaker 1:But as you go along you'll see that this is part of it's really the discipleship program. Discipleship just means we're reaching other people, walking with them. Sometimes it's because you need someone to walk with, kind of show you the path. Other times you're going to be the mentor, basically, and reaching out to other people. Other times we're just equal. I have many, many friends. We're just a bunch of guys that were searching. At one time we got together, we met in a Catholic church and we just realized, wow, we have a lot of the same ideas, the same values, whatever, and for 20, 25 years now we've been together, a group of friends, and it's just been an awesome experience. So this is why Claymore Miletus Christi Soldiers for Christ. It's a discipleship program and hopefully it helps you.
Speaker 1:And so I bring this up because if you just are onto this on your own, start to look around, start to pray, that God will send somebody else into your life. If you start to go to church, if you start to go to mass again, you will find other people there you can start to talk to and ask God to plant the seed in your heart and in somebody else's heart so that we can walk as men together. Two, three, four. If you get a couple of guys, text me or email me, we'll jump on a Zoom call and talk a little bit more. Hopefully we'll be able to nourish small groups and then larger groups all over the country and then all over the world. There is a group near me that has 40 or 50 guys I mean incredible young men that meet once a month, alive, and then in between they're all helping each other, right. They're walking their journeys together following, say, a plan like Claymore here, right, and then once in a month they get together. It's kind of a social gathering. But plan like Claymore here, right, and then once in a month they get together. It's kind of a social gathering, but they usually not always, but sometimes they'll have a speaker, sometimes they'll be just smoking cigars outside when the weather's nice, sipping a little bourbon or whatever. That's up to you. So, anyways, find a group, start small, maybe you build up and over time God will decide on those things. So, anyways, there's a lot of craziness going on. This is the most toxic culture that young people could grow up in that I could imagine.
Speaker 1:I've written about this. I've done podcasts on this already for you guys. In my own life, in my own bringing. Growing up in the 60s and the 70s was bad, but not as bad as this one. Go back and listen just to the last one or two podcast interviews for Claymore and I unpacked this pretty well.
Speaker 1:So doubts start to come in. Can my heart really be changed? What's going on with this faith? What does this journey look like? Well, god's going to woo you different than he wooed me with this faith. What does this journey look like? Well, god's going to woo you different than he wooed me. He's a lover and this lover looks at you as a unique, unrepeatable individual. But yet love itself divine love wants to come into your life, right, and so we just have to be open. So listen to that earlier podcast, praying with Temptations, and this is the avenue to open up your podcast, praying With Temptations, and this is the avenue to open up.
Speaker 1:Now I want to tell you a story. So I do high school retreats. I lead high school retreats. I bring some young people in with me. I love to have some of you guys join me because, as I get older. I don't want to walk into a high school by myself, I like to walk in with a couple of young guys, right? That's what makes it fun for me and fun for them too. So this is one of those situations, one of those retreats, and so this is the story I'm going to get into Sergeant Columban's wartime encounter with the poor friar who prays Jack. If you want to know more about Padre Pio, you should talk to Father Columban.
Speaker 1:I was sitting on the carpet, thankful that it was padded my back against the wall. Seated in front of me were a dozen teenage boys, all high school sophomores, assigned to me for small group discussion. I threw the forum open for questions or comments and immediately a hand went up. One of the boys asked so how do we know that Jesus really loves us and he died on the cross for us? I mean, it happened a long time ago. How do we know that someone really loves us and he died on the cross for us? I mean it happened a long time ago. How do we know that someone didn't just make it all up? That's a fair question. I replied and I said young man, there is not a serious historian in the world that would deny that Jesus walked upon the earth or even that he died on the cross. The question is did he rise from the dead? Is he God and can he change your life? I can answer your question in a number of ways. I told him, but I'll answer it for you the way my dad, an old World War II veteran who was still living near 100 years old, did for me, and this is the way he answered.
Speaker 1:When I was your age, my father, like many American GIs in World War II, especially those stationed in Italy, came home with stories about Padre Pio. Pio was born in Italy and was ordained a priest in the Capuchin order at the age of 23 years old. Even as a young man, he loved to pray, and especially loved to pray the rosary. Especially loved to pray the rosary. He felt that Jesus was calling him to offer his life to God as a victim for poor sinners and for the souls in purgatory. One day, at the age of 31, while Padre Pio was praying before Jesus on the crucifix, the marks of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, appeared on his own hands, feet and in his side. These painful wounds would bleed whenever Padre Pio said mass and would last for 50 years. In addition, he had the gift of healing. He had the gift of bilocation, where he could be in more than one place at the same time Amazing he could read hearts, especially those hearts who went to him for the sacrament of confession.
Speaker 1:After the war ended, dad and a couple of friends my father I'm talking about now bought a small plane that they would fly from Chicago, where we lived, to a small airstrip near the Benedictine Monastery in Atchison, kansas. Once there, they would jump in an old car that they kept at the airfield and head to the monastery where Brother Steve, a childhood friend and now a Benedictine monk, had received permission for these soldiers that came out of the war, for them to hunt on the vast property. In the evening they would then join some of the monks and priests for dinner and drinks. On one such trip, dad mentioned his devotion to Padre Pio to Brother Steve, who replied Jack, if you want to know more about Padre Pio, you should talk to Father Columban. He's also a World War II vet who personally met Padre Pio when he was stationed in Italy. Dad was thrilled to hear that and wanted to meet Father Columban right away. Brother Steve told Dad where to find him.
Speaker 1:And off, dad went down a series of connecting hallways to the other side of the monastery, finding the door to Father Columban's room slightly ajar, he peered in and he knocked. Father, who was sitting behind the desk, looked up with a warm smile and invited Dad in. Come on in, excuse me, father. Brother Steve mentioned that you were a veteran of World War II and that you know something about Padre Pio. I also served in the war and was hoping that you might have a few minutes to speak to me about him. With that, father Columban's face changed. He closed his eyes for a moment, he became reflective and he said yes, soldier, I know a little bit about Padre Pio. Come on and sit down with me, he began.
Speaker 1:There is a priest, padre Pio, not far from here, who we have heard can read hearts and minds, and a few of us plan to go to confession to him in the morning. Why don't you come with us? No, thanks, I said. I haven't been to mass or confession since I was a kid. I don't consider myself Catholic anymore. One of the soldiers spoke up Sarge, I think you're afraid to go to confession to Padre Pio. You've got too much to confess. I think you're scared After what we've been through. Sarge said I'm not scared of anything. I'll tell you what. I'll go with you, and not only that. I'm gonna confess everything I've ever done, and it's quite a list. I'll blow that priest right out of the confessional.
Speaker 1:The next morning we took a jeep to San Giovanni Rotundo where we got in a long line for confession. He said that extended all the way up the hill to the monastery. The line was moving so slowly and after about an hour I realized that we were never going to make it to confession before we had to go back to camp. Disappointed, we got out of line. But as we started down the hill, someone at the top yelled Padre Pio wants the American GIs to come to the front, the pilgrims can wait. Astonished, we looked at one another and headed up the hill.
Speaker 1:I found myself at the front of the line and when it was my turn I knelt down in front of Padre Pio. I opened up to him and confessed everything, just like I said I would. When I finished, padre Pio was silent and I wasn't sure what came next. Then, softly, warmly, padre Pio said son, when you were a young boy you dreamed of becoming a Catholic priest. Persevere and you'll become a priest. He then blessed me, forgave me for my sins, gave me penance and told me even who to see.
Speaker 1:When I got back to the States, I walked out into the fresh air. Tears were streaming down my face. I had not thought about that dream since I was a child and I had told no one about it. My life changed that day and, as you see, my long-forgotten dream became a reality. But that day wasn't the end of the story.
Speaker 1:Our outfit would not pull out for over a month and we went back to Mass there on many occasions. In fact I was asked to serve as one of Padre Pio's altar boys. There I witnessed Padre Pio suffer the passion with Christ when he consecrated the Eucharist right at the Mass, his wounds would start to bleed, his walking became painful, he would perspire and sometimes the sweet smell of perfume emanated from his wounds and he would stop for long pauses and silence on the altar. Anyway, as you can see, I made it home. I joined the monastery and I've been here ever since. So I turned back to that young man and I said Young man, there's not a serious historian in the world that would deny that Jesus walked upon the earth or even that he died on the cross.
Speaker 1:The question is can he change your life? I know he changed his lives because he changed mine and if you ask, it will be given to you. If you seek, you will find. If you knock, it will be open to you. Matthew 7 seek, you will find. If you knock it will be open to you. Matthew 7, 7, huh. Then pay attention, humble yourself, open your eyes and you're begun to meet many others like Sergeant Columban, all around you, people whose hearts and bodies and minds have been transformed by Jesus Christ and maybe, just maybe I said with a smile that transformed life and heart will be yours someday. Pay attention, he's inviting you into the story. Hey, god bless you. Thanks, everyone. Thanks for being with me. If you have any questions, don't forget text me, email me my email's in the show notes notes hey, talk to you again soon. Bye, bye.