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:
During the Month of June, Which is Devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Padre Pio Press Invites Its Readership to Join In Saying:
in the morning The Litany of Humility
The Litany of the Sacred Heart at night 
In Reparation for All the Ways He is Blasphemined,
Consolation for All The Times He is Ignored,
and Veneration for All that He Continues to Give to Us.
During the Month of June, Which is
Devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Padre Pio Press Invites Its Readership to Join In Saying:
in the morning
The Litany of Humility
:
and at night,
The Litany of the Sacred Heart
In Reparation for
All the Ways He is Blasphemed,
Consolation for All the Times
He is Ignored,
and Veneration for All that
He Continues to Give to Us.
St. Augustine, Why is Prayer not an Optional Thing?
Question 018.
In other words, prayer is not an extra, but is a part of the fulfillment of our nature?
Man is the image of the one whom he is capable of enjoying, and whose partner he can become…man has been created in such an excellent state that even although it is itself mutable, it reaches happiness by cleaving to the unchangeable good; that is, to God. Nor can it satisfy its need unless it is totally happy; and only God suffices to satisfy it.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger.
While it is true that the […]
The Vigilant Heart: Remote Preparation for Mental Prayer
Reading on a Quiet Afternoon, Carl Holsøe, (Danish, 1863-1935)
Originally Published at TAN Direction
We have all had the experience of being in conversation with someone who is not attentive, looks over our shoulder, glances at his watch, scrolls up and down on his phone, etc. while we speak. Every one of us also knows what it means to speak with someone who is truly listening and grasps even the unspoken things that we’ve communicated.
Quite often this description matches both interlocutors in our prayer life. Our Lord hears all that we say, knows what’s in our heart – even those things we don’t say to Him, and is wholly attentive to our every movement […]
Quinqugesima Sunday- Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Transcription of Homily
Quinqugesima Sunday
A continuation of the Holy Gospel, according to St. Luke.
At that time, Jesus took unto Him the 12 men and said to them, “Behold we go up to Jerusalem and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon. And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death, and the third day He shall rise again.”
And they understood none of these things and this word was hidden from them. And they understood not the things that were […]
St. Augustine, Isn’t This Just “Navel Gazing”?
Question 017.
But isn’t the “going into ourselves” thing narcissistic?
More than an introversion, prayer is a transcendence of oneself. Do not wander outside of yourself, but return into yourself, for within the interior man dwells the truth. And when you discover that you too are mutable, transcend yourself. You transcend a reasoning soul. Therefore, gravitate towards that place where your reason is illuminated… You [God] were more internal than what was intimate in me, and higher than what was highest in me. Christ elevates the soul of the person in whom he dwells, so as to make communion and dialogue possible.
