Our soul escapes like a little bird from the hunter’s snare

I see Saint Padre Pio bathed in a beautiful light, and he is holding the breviary clearly visible in his hands. He looks at all of us and says:

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

A personal conversation with Padre Pio follows, and then he says:

“Dear friends of Christ!

Our soul escapes like a little bird from the hunter’s snare, and the Lord breaks that snare. If only you would understand this and live by it! Does it weary you greatly when I tell you that your prayer is so important: When you pray, you are speaking with the Lord or the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Jesus has freed you from this snare! He did this on the cross through His death and His Precious Blood! He did this out of His perfect love for you! Does it weary you when I tell you that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the heart of the faith, that Jesus comes to you in it, and that this can become the lifeblood and source of love for the earth! Oh, if only souls would find conversion, all burdens and all wars would end immediately. Today I have come to you with the Breviary. Did not the King of Mercy say that the Breviary—the Liturgy of the Hours—is the protective garment of priests? I beg you, dear spiritual fathers, not to slacken in prayer! Cultivate the Liturgy of the Hours, for it is truly your protective garment, and in the Lord you nurture it through your prayer so that it may not develop holes and this protective garment may not be destroyed.

Pray fervently for peace! This request, which I have placed in your hearts today and on several previous occasions, is very important! Human beings are so foolish—they want to be like God and will thereby go astray. Do not go astray; look to Jesus, your Lord! Take refuge in the Blessed Virgin Mary and live in the love of Jesus and Mary: then the tribulation will not touch your hearts. Listen to my words! I will bless you later, together with the priest.”

Saint Padre Pio returns to the light and disappears.

Personal note: In conversation with my priest, it became clear that “our soul escapes like a little bird from the hunter’s snare…” is a verse from a psalm found in the Bible, specifically the seventh verse of Psalm 124. The message of this psalm is that God has rescued His people from great distress and danger. The Lord’s help was granted to His people, who could not save themselves by their own strength.