The movement of the human soul, and human society in general, from its fallen chaotic state towards divine order is at the heart of the Blog of Padre Pio Press. Writings, ponderings, and reflections on this movement of the soul are authored by Fr. Cliff Ermatinger and by the occasional Guest Contributor. The articles and recordings are relegated to the following areas:
Throughout the Month of May,
Padre Pio Press Cordially Invites Its Readership to Join In Saying:
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Augustine, Is Faith More Than the Source of Prayer?
Question 033.
So faith is merely the source of prayer?
For St. Augustine, faith is more than prayer’s source. It is certainly more than trusting that his prayers are heard… God alone knows the things of God in their fullness… But he does communicate something of himself to man, and that is precisely the content of Augustine’s faith…Although we are deprived of the vision of God, giving our mortal state, we do attain it to a certain extent by faith.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
Thanks to Luther, it has become common parlance to speak of faith as a species of […]
St. Augustine, How Does Faith Relate to Prayer?
Question 032.
What is the relation between faith and prayer?
If faith lacks, prayer dies. For who prays for that which he does not believe?… So that we might pray, let us believe. And that this faith by which we pray not fail, let us pray. Faith pours out prayer and the pouring out of prayer, in turn, obtains the strengthening of faith.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
The seed of prayer is the grace of faith that God implants within the soul. It is watered by hope, grows by charity, and the fruit of its flowering is the obtaining of […]
A Message From Diadochus of Photike
Note: Diadochus of Photike does not mean ‘Sing happy music to make the blues go away.’ He means that in melancholy/discouragement, turn to the Pslams, which contain lamentations that look forward in hope. By joining one’s personal distresses in with the distresses of the Pslams, the hope of the Psalms will become one’s own personal joys. — PPP
St. Augustine, How Is Sacrifice A Part of Prayer?
Question 031.
What does sacrifice have to do with prayer?
If the soul uses the body as an instrument or servant, thus becoming a sacrifice when used correctly and in reference to God, how much more must the soul, in turn, become a sacrifice when it offers itself to God, so that, aflame with the fire of God’s love, it might participate in his beauty and become pleasing to him?
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
At the lowest understanding of the term, sacrifice is about setting aside a good in order to procure another good. A father might give up one […]
St. Joseph the Worker — Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Audio
Wood Sculpturer Ken Packie Carving a Statue of St. Joseph for Boston College.
Transcription Of Homily
Lesson from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians.
Brethren, have charity, which is the bond of perfection: And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve […]