Saint Who?
Saints Who Could Read Souls
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind (Jer 17:9–10a). Since the fall of Adam, the interior life of man has been obscured by the ravages of sin. Though therapy and self-reflection can help us, in the end the ability to fully understand what is going on inside a person is a divine gift.
God often gives the saints a supernatural insight into the hearts and minds of their neighbor. This is usually termed “reading hearts” or “reading souls.” Like all charisms, this gift is intended for the benefit of the Church. Often it appears in the confessional, as with Padre Pio and John Mary Vianney. It also appears in those who suffer intensely, like the mystics Lydwina and Alexandrina. Or sometimes, as in the case of Dominic Savio, there is an intuition of a need and how to bring the needed help.
Through the intercession of the saints may we receive the help we need to know ourselves. And may Mary, whose heart was pierced so that our secret thoughts might be made known, obtain for us the grace of true repentance and healing.
