Along with St. John Paul II and St. Faustina, St. Padre Pio is one of the greatest saints of our time. Father Chris Alar, MIC, explains. 

Today we celebrate St. Luke the Evangelist—the physician, artist, and companion of St. Paul who gave us one of the most merciful portraits of Christ in all of Scripture. In his Gospel, we meet Jesus as the Divine Physician: healing the sick, forgiving sinners, and lifting the poor and forgotten into His Heart. From the parables of mercy—the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the good Samaritan—to Christ’s words from the Cross, “Father, forgive them,” St. Luke reveals the face of a God who is infinite in compassion.

The First Fridays and First Saturdays, as well as the Divine Mercy devotion, are all connected. Fr. Chris Alar explains how to receive the graces from these most important devotions.