After spending the morning at the home of St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, we had Mass on Monte Sant’Angelo where the Archangel Michael appeared in the year 490. This homily speaks about our human desire to be in physical contact with God, to know that he is immanently present and not merely a distant spiritual reality.

We encounter the presence of God in many ways, but especially in the saints. We come on pilgrimage to be close to the saints, by visiting their homes and even venerating their earthly remains. God appeals not only through the mystery of the spirit, but also through the physical things of this world, like the saints and, most especially, the Eucharist.