In Padre Pio and I: Memoirs Of A Spiritual Son, are the extraordinary experiences of an Italian lawyer named Adolfo Affatato, who in his late teens and then young adult life grew up with the great mystic as his “spiritual father.”
In this passage, Affatato, who often took the train to San Giovanni Rotondo, and had direct access to the great saint (often right outside his cell) describes taking a critical test during law school.
“This particular exam had me deeply worried,” he writes, “In fact, it was not uncommon for students to have to take it three or four times to pass it. So that morning I left my room earlier than usual and visited at least five churches.
“And each time, I sent my guardian angel to Padre.
“Also, from my first examination onward, I had the custom of inserting a picture of Padre Pio in the last page of my student exam book. I pasted a blank sheet of paper over it so it would not be visible.
“And so I went to take my exam.
And my grade: a perfect 30. [Tr.: Italian universities grade exams based on a scale from 1-30, 30 being the highest.]
“The first thing I did was immediately go to the station and catch the first train to San Giovanni Rotondo so I could give Padre the good news.
“Once I arrived at the friary, I rushed to the sitting room where Padre usually sat with some friends and other friars after the evening service.
“As soon as he saw me and before I said anything, he said with a smirk, ‘So there’s the face of someone who just got a thirty…I would have given you a thirty — thirty kicks in the rear end! And you know what I think? That you take me for a deaf person. I told you to send me your angel just once, not five times. Take the photo out of your exam book, you’re using a trick to take your exams.’
“As I did not have the book with me, I stood there clearly speechless. However, by now I was starting to get used to such outward manifestations of divine power that directed Padre’s life. Thus, somewhere between happiness and amazement I approached him, knelt down, and with his usual sweetness he allowed me to kiss his hand. Spontaneously I said almost in a whisper, ‘Thank you Father.’
“And he responded, ‘You just worry about studying, leave the rest to God.’ So how is it possible on a human level to explain this event? How is it that Padre already knew everything before I even said a word? What was the common thread that linked that friar to the divine energy that does all things through the Holy Spirit?
“It was a great mystery that led me to some considerations. I realized that people possess all the spiritual treasures they need to live a life full of success and happiness. One just has to be fully convinced that we are, first of all, spiritual beings; our spiritual nature sets in motion the divine power that is already within us. It is a Divine power which is Peace, Love, Harmony and Wisdom. We create what happens to us through the application of universal laws. Some laws help us obtain what we desire, the main one being that of faith.”
[resources: books on Padre Pio]