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 August,
Padre Pio Press Cordially Invites Its Readership to Join in Saying:
Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
St. Augustine, How May I Know this Light?
Question 009
What do I need to discover this Light?
Love. He who knows the truth, knows what the light is; and he who knows it knows eternity. Love knows it. O Truth eternal and true love and beloved eternity, you are my God, for you I long night and day.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
Charity is that which configures the human soul to perceive the divine light, that by which the soul grows and conforms itself to the divine light, and that by which the soul is united with the divine light and participates in its nature. When […]
5th Sunday After Epiphany – Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Transcription of Homily
5th Sunday After Epiphany
Wheat Field with Cornflowers, Van Gogh, 1890.
Translation of the Epistle for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany.
Brethren, put ye on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things, have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, when also you are called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell […]
St. Augustine, How Should I Know if I am with God in Prayer?
Question 008
What should I look for when I go into myself?
Where God is there is peace… the Sabbath of the heart. For it listens to God, who promises great things. For it listens to God, who promises great things, and if it labors in the present, it expands in hope of the future, where the clouds of sadness are brightened; as the apostle says, “rejoice in hope (Rom. 12:12). And that very joy in the tranquility of our hope is our Sabbath.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
When we seek God within our soul, for this shall […]
And I Will Give Them One Heart, and Put a New Spirit Within Them
Part IV in a Series by Pseudo-Ermatinger
Women Picking Olives, Vangogh, 1889
The way to the Holy Mountain of the Divine Father is a path trod by prayer. If one ascends through prayer, they will find themselves ascending through the cloud of unknowing that veils the summit from prying eyes (cfr. Job 28:12-28; Isa 45:3; 1 Cor 2:9). There beyond they will see the Holy Temple of the Lord, which has been sung about by their fathers and their father’s fathers all the way into the deep mists of the past (cfr. Exo 15:17; Isa 51:1-4; Lke 1:54-55,68-75). It is the song of ancestral memory and reflections upon […]