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 April,
Padre Pio Press Cordially Invites Its Readership to Join In Saying:
Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Good Friday in Three Parts: Part II
Behold, But a Man
Pontius Pilate is altogether human, perhaps too human. He is a man of some knowledge, but not a man of conviction or ideals. Pilate knows that truth and justice are important but, likely due to being assigned to the provincial backwater of Roman Judaea, decidedly not Roman and filled with a plethora of competing political and religious worldviews, took a subjective stance on the issue. What mattered at the end of the day was not truth, but who wielded power. This was truth that could be known; because it was tangible; because it provided security and purpose.
What is truth?, Nikolai Ge, 1890
The tussle of wills between […]
Good Friday in Three Parts: Part I
For Our Sins
There is nothing particularly necessary about the maltreatment that Jesus suffers as part of His Passion. None of the animal sacrificial victims of the Old Law were abused prior to their sacrifice, and their slaughter was as humane as a sacrifice could be. Even the goat of Yom Kippur, upon which the sins of the Nation were placed, was simply let free. The abuse that Christ suffered prior to His death is a result of human choice, of human acrimony, having to be done because Christ chose to subject Himself to whatever man wished to do to Him. It is a reflection and manifestation of the malice that lies in the heart of man, the movement of pride […]
Why is Tonight Different From All Other Nights? — A Reflection
Why is tonight different from all other nights, Papa?
La Última Cena, Bartolomeo Carducci, 1605
The high point of the Jewish liturgical year: the Passover, the day when the Jews recollected and celebrated God’s deliverance of the ancient Hebrew peoples from bondage in Egypt and set in motion that which would bring about the giving of the Law, the founding of the Korban and Levitical priesthoods, and the establishment of the great Kingdom of Israel. The Passover connected the Jews of the present with the Hebrews of the past who experienced God’s great saving power while looking forward in hope to a future time when God definitely established what He […]
Spy Wednesday – A Reflection
Spy Wednesday
Judas Accepting the 30 Pieces of Silver Icon, Maxim Sheshukov
It would be wrong to view Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of the Lord, as a tragic figure in the unfolding of the last days of Our Lord’s Passion. Pitiable yes, but tragic no. Tragic denotes a figure to whom misfortune out of their control befalls. This is not Judas, for his actions were not fated but chosen by himself. He was a disciple of Christ, an Apostle even, chosen by Him, taught by Him, and who was sent forth to preach the Good News of the coming of the Kingdom. Judas was in want of nothing, for he shared […]
