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.
Gaudete Sunday 2021 – Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Transcription
In the Name of the Father and of the Son, the Holy Ghost, Amen.
Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday in which we are commanded by the Church to rejoice. That might sound like an odd command, saying to feel something. And it’s not said as a suggestion, it’s not presented as some sort of spiritual program to follow but were ordered to. And what does this mean?
Well, we set aside, to a certain extent, our Advent austerities, with the understanding that we have been busying ourselves with Advent austerities, and are told to take a break, to gaudete in Domino semper to rejoice in the Lord always. Then what does this mean, […]
Second Sunday of Advent 2021 – Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Transcription of Homily
Translation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
At that time: When John had heard in prison the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples he said to him: Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another? And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate, to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel preached to them: And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to […]
First Sunday of Advent 2021 – Homily by Fr. Ermatinger
Transcription of Homily
Reading from the Epistle of blessed Paul, the Apostle to the Romans:
Brethren, it is now the hour for you to wake up from sleep. Because our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the Faith. The night is far gone, the day drawing near. Let us cast aside deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us live honorably, as in daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealously: instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke:
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: There will be signs in the sun, the […]
Audio Interview
Fr. Patrick Wainwright of the Podcast For College Catholics interviews Fr. Cliff Ermatinger about his new book, The Trouble with Magic.
Listen to more of Fr. Wainwrite
Buy the Book!
Advent – Time for “Holiday Parties” or Little Lent?
Origionally Published at TAN Direction
“But except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.”
—Luke 13:5
My childhood hero was Bishop Ignatius Kung.
We were told of his heroic suffering as a prisoner. The Chinese Communists (the same ones who recently gifted us with a man-made virus), permitted him to leave his solitary confinement of thirty years if he would only renounce his allegiance to Rome.
As a little boy, and later as a college student, I felt humbled and strengthened knowing that he was suffering a white martyrdom. I was proud that one of our own leaders understood so well what configuration with Christ meant and lived it out to its ultimate consequences. Little could I imagine that, as a young seminarian, I would […]
The Ritual of Baptism
Jesus Christ is Head of the Mystical Body and His Body is the Church. The rites and rituals of the Catholic Church are the rites and rituals of Jesus Christ himself. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us: “The whole rite of the Christian cult is derived from Christ’s priesthood” (S. Th.III, Q. 63, a. 3). The Church also teaches us: “Thenceforth the priesthood of Jesus Christ is a living and continuous reality through all the ages to the end of time, since the liturgy is nothing more nor less than the exercise of this priestly function” (Mediator Dei, 93).
The […]
How to Advance in Holiness: Lectio Divina
Originally Published for TAN Direction
How do we advance in holiness? This not an impractical question. The Church teaches us that we have three necessary means of salvation and, those same, according to degree, attain holiness: sacramental grace, prayer, and virtue. All three pistons have to be running in unison for the motor of the spiritual organism to advance.
By grace we:
- are elevated by God to participate in His nature (cfr. II Pet 1:4);
- made pleasing to Him (gratia gratum faciens)
- begin to enjoy a foretaste of heaven (gratia inchoatio vitae aeternae);
- and are put in an objective state of friendship with God (cfr. Jn 15:14);
Virtue orders our relations with God, others, and self;
And through prayer our relationship with God is solidified and deepened.
Laying the […]