St. Padre Pio Centre of Australia

09/06/2026

Morning Prayer

09/06/2026

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, MATTHEW 5:17-19
Weekday
(1 Kings 18:20-39; Psalm 16)
KEY VERSE: "But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (v 19b).
READ: Like Moses, Jesus taught his followers that the Law of God had lasting validity and must be obeyed. Jesus emphasized the permanency of God's Law by saying that not even the tiniest flourish (yod) of the smallest letter (iota) in the Hebrew alphabet would pass from the Law until its fulfillment in the final age. Jesus' dispute with the religious leaders was not with the Law itself, but with their legalistic interpretation. Jesus deepened and widened the meaning of the Law through his words and works. He said that those who taught others to understand the true purpose of God's Law, and practiced it through love of God and one another, would inherit a place in God's kingdom. Those who willfully disregard God's Law would be excluded from God's reign.
REFLECT: Holy Spirit, help me to respect God's Law in all I do.
PRAY: Do I give a good example by my obedience to God's Law?

09/06/2026

08/06/2026

Francis and Anthony:

Brothers in Alms

Anthony’s ascent to sainthood was even more meteoric than Francis’. The citizens of Padua demanded that “their saint” be canonized, and on May 30, 1232, less than a year after his death, Gregory IX announced that this “Hammer of Heretics”–because of Anthony’s profound knowledge of Scripture–was now among the saints of the church.

In so doing, no doubt the pope intended to reward a staunch ally, but also to send a message to the Lesser Brothers. After all, did their Order really deserve a second saint so soon? Dominic had died in 1221, five years before Francis, and had not yet been canonized–that would not happen until 1234. But Gregory wished to point out to the Lesser Brothers at this critical moment of their history that in addition to their founder, they could aspire to another model of holiness. The Franciscans now had two saints, Francis and Anthony, who symbolized two strains that would exist, sometimes in tension, among them from that time forward.

08/06/2026

Today is the sixth day of the Novena in honor of St Anthony of Padua. Let us pray.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
Day 6 (June 9)
O glorious St. Anthony, chosen by God to preach his Word, you received from Him the gift of tongues and the power of working the most extraordinary miracles. O good St. Anthony, pray that I may fulfill the will of God in all things so that I may love Him, with you, for all eternity. O kind St. Anthony, I beseech you, obtain for me the grace that I desire, the favor I seek in this novena (State your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

08/06/2026

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, MATTHEW 5:13-16
Weekday
(1 Kings 17:7-16; Psalm 4)
KEY VERSE: "Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (v 16).
READ: Throughout human history there have been shifts from an exaggerated dependence on God to an excessive dependence on oneself. Jesus taught his disciples that a spiritually healthy person was one who had a balance between self-reliance and reliance on God. When the two came together, then the Kingdom of God was truly present on earth. Jesus' disciples must be living signs of God's reign. They must be "salt" to those who had lost their taste for the things of God and "light" to those who had lost their way. Christians can be an influence for good by offering a necessary flavor to the world. By illuminating the pathway to God, Jesus' disciples would preserve others from evil.
REFLECT: Holy Spirit, help me to live in such a way that others can "taste and see how good the Lord is" (Ps 34:9).
PRAY: How can I be "salt" and "light" to my community?

07/06/2026

Today is the fifth day of the Novena in honor of St Anthony of Padua. Let us pray.

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
Day 5 (June 8 )
I salute you, St. Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Christianity. I salute you, great Saint, cherub of wisdom and seraph of divine love. I rejoice at the favors our Lord has so liberally bestowed upon you. In humility and confidence I entreat you to help me, for I know that God has given you charity and pity, as well as power. I ask you by the love you did feel toward the Infant Jesus as you held him in your arms to tell Him now of the favor I seek through your intercession in this novena (State your intention).

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and Glory Be to the Father, in honor of Saint Anthony.

Saint Anthony, pray for us!

07/06/2026

On June 8 the Church celebrates the memory of the Capuchin brother Blessed Nicholas of Gesturi, who served the People of God in Sardinia in the early 20th century.

He was a quester, begging for food and provisions for his brothers and for the people of the community. He also took care of the poor and the sick in that region, always with loving kindness.

Blessed Nicholas of Gesturi, was popularly known in his town as “Brother Silence”. It’s not that he was a hermit- not at all, he was many times with the people of the town, especially the poor and the sick, but he never said anything he did not need to say.

Being a Capuchin, he knew very well the importance of contemplation in the spiritual life and so he spoke only when necessary- anything else would. Ironically, of course, this contemplative spirit drew many people to him, who wanted to speak to this man of faith so that they could grow in their lives of faith and get closer to the Lord themselves. But he still treasured whatever opportunity for silence he could get.

Silence is a such a rare commodity in today’s world but is something that we need to foster, for our own sanity and especially for our lives of faith. So take some time to shut off everything and just be silent and be able to hear the Lord, who is always trying to break through that noise in our lives and just get us to know that He is present to us and that He has things to say to us all the time, if we would just listen.