Padre Pio and St. Thecla

Today we observe the memorials of two saints, one very popular and contemporary, the other, the first woman martyr and a contemporary of St. Paul.
For a man who rarely left his priory, St. Pius of Pietrelcino, still affectionately called Padre Pio, he drew great crowds to the Friary where he resided so much so that he was not allowed to offer Mass publicly.  His reputation grew even wider after his death and his beatification and later canonization brought vast crowds to Rome, as his heart is doing these days in Boston (and in Lowell, last  Wednesday).  He is noted for his many miracles, for his gift of reading hearts in the confessional, and for the stigmata which caused him great suffering.  He accepted his suffering in union with the suffering of Jesus and leaves us a model in dealing with our own suffering.
Legends surround the life of St. Thecla...promised in marriage, but then refused to marry after becoming a disciple of St. Paul.  When she was escaping from Lebanon to Syria, she came across a series of mountains which made it impossible for her to continue, but an angel opened a pass for her...today it's still called St. Thelca's Pass.   Another story has her being burned at the stake, but a thunderstorm arose and quenched the flames. Eventually she was martyred.
What do these two have in common?  They both put JESUS as the center of their lives to the point of suffering for and with him.  May we follow their examples as best as possible.
Bro. Rene