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:
Western
Culture
Order with Chaos
Spiritual
Growth
Chaos Seeking Order
Traditional
Liturgy
Divine Order Offered
to Restore Order
Spiritual
Combat
Resisting Absolute Chaos
Throughout the Month of May,
Padre Pio Press Cordially Invites Its Readership to Join In Saying:
Man’s soul struggles onward towards that it loves so that it might rest upon reaching it. When the soul finds its delight in God, there she finds true, certain, eternal rest, for which it has vainly sought in other objects.
The end of man is the praise and glory of God. This is where he shall find his rest, his peace, his fulfillment, his eternal delight in God. Man, as a species, is called to the praise of God within the hierarchical order of creation. […]
If contemplation is the height of all prayer, why should we use vocal prayer?
At certain stipulated times, we employ words in our prayer to God. And it is by signs such as these that we correct ourselves and discover the degree of progress obtained in this desire, in order to burn even more and achieve an increase in strength. According to the proportion of the ardor of our desire before a prayer is uttered, so will be its effectiveness.
Prayer produces a certain conversion of the heart towards him who is already ready to give inasmuch as we are in condition to receive. And in this conversion a purification of the interior eye is wrought in such a way that those things in the temporal order which we used to desire are excluded. In this way the inner eye, having become pure, can withstand the pure light… but not only withstanding the light, it dwells in it too.
Translation of the Epistle for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Dearly beloved, every best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration. For of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creatures. You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger. For the anger of man worketh […]
