ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI -  REACHING THE PEOPLE

With thanks to the C.Ss.R. Baltimore Province

St. Alphonsus was a brilliant, articulate, pragmatic preacher. He knew how to reach ordinary people who had limited education and very real needs. They followed this gifted preacher from church to church and town to town to hear him preach the message of hope in Christ for all people.

 Three great images, basic to the Christian faith, formed the heart of Alphonsus' preaching and teaching — Jesus an infant in the crib, Jesus crucified on the Cross, and Jesus vibrantly alive and filled with love for all in the Eucharist. To this he added the image of Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer. When other theologians were opposed to devotion to Mary, Alphonsus invoked her: "Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope."

Alphonsus appreciated how the poor and working class people expressed their realities through song. A gifted musician and composer, he wrote many popular hymns and taught them to the people in parish missions. His compositions continue to be sung around the world and have never lost their charm and popularity. Redemptorists today still follow the cue of their founder. Their message, announcing the abundance of God's love, is enriched by the spiritual songs they sing in their community and with the people of God.  

Alphonsus wrote for the people. Many turned to his spiritual writing, for he wrote in a way that was understandable to anyone with a basic education. On winter evenings in his time, the people in the villages often gathered around a fire in someone's home. Someone read stories about the Gospels or the lives of the saints, things that nourished their faith and helped them to pray. Alphonsus' works were frequent choices.

ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI - THE ARTIST AND THINKER

With thanks to the C.Ss.R. Baltimore Province

Alphonsus' art was influenced by what he saw around him. When he was 23, he painted his own "Christ on the Cross." His painting depicted the death of Love itself. Around that same time he also painted a picture of the Madonna as a woman of peaceful, gentle features — a woman who won his heart. Surrounded by 12 stars she is the portrait of divine beauty in human form. His art, like his music, was a way to lead the men and women of his day, rich and poor, to know the surpassing riches of the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ and his mother Mary.

In his writings for other religious, Alphonsus emphasized practical approaches to reach those who were neglected or alienated from the Church. On a scientific level, he gave new life and direction to moral theology. He found many prominent moral theologians of his time either too rigid or too lax. It was Alphonsus who preached the redeeming love of God.

He believed that law and the threat of punishment were not foremost in God's plan. In God the Creator, love and freedom coincide. The individual was called to love God out of an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what God had done for him in Christ. It was not fear but love that was to characterize the Christian way of life. Ultimately, he wrote his most influential work, Moral Theology, to correct what he saw as errors that could hurt people struggling to live good and moral lives.

In the course of his long life, Alphonsus authored more than 100 books, including his most beloved: Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, and The Glories of Mary.

Alphonsus would eventually be given the title "Doctor of Prayer" by the Catholic Church. His book, Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation, sets out his teaching on the subject.

"Having observed," Alphonsus writes, "that so many passages of both the Old and New Testaments assert the absolute necessity of prayer, I have made it a rule to introduce into all our missions ... a sermon on prayer; and I say, and repeat, and will keep on saying as long as I live, that our whole salvation depends on prayer ... For if you pray, your salvation will be secure."

ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI - a full list of Alphonsus' writings

• 1728 - The Eternal Truths, 64-5, 190
• 1732 - Hymns and Verses, 190
• 1734 - Prayers to Our Lady for each day of the week, 190
• 1743 - Novena in honour of St. Teresa, 190, 348 Short Way of Perfection
• 1743 - Precis of Christian Doctrine
• 1745 - Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 33, 67, 190-91, 254, 379
• 1745 - Reflections useful for Bishops, 191-3, 342, 370, 377
• 1746 - Letter concerning the Moral Implications of Cursing the Dead, 203-4
• 1748 - Annotations to the Medulla Theologiae Moralis of H. Busenbaum S.J. In the course of the nine editions published during the saint's lifetime the title page changed to Moral Theology of the most ill. and Rev. d. Alphonsus De Liguori, bishop of S. Agatha of the Goths and Rector Major of the Congregation of the most Holy Redeemer, 67, 184, 204-5, 207-10, 220, 262-3, 274-8, 281-6, 332-443
• 1748 - Reply to the Calumnies concerning Letter dealing with the Moral Implications of Cursing the Dead
• 1749 - Dissertation in favour of the Moderate Use of the Probable Opinion, 266, 281, 426
• 1750 - The Glories of Mary, 132, 263-4, 269-74, 398
• 1750 - Consideration on Religious Vocation, 312
• 1751 - Jesus hath loved us. Clock of the Passion
• 1751 - Concerning the Refusal of Absolution to a Cleric 'habituato in vitio turpi', 275
• 1751 - Rest for Scrupulous Souls, 74
• 1752 - Lives of Father Sarnelli and Brother Vito Curzio, 131, 301
• 1754 - On Conversing Continually and Familiarly with God, 291
• 1754 - Rules for Correct Living
• 1755 - Pratica del Confessore per ben esercitare il suo ministero (Praxis Confessarii), 50, 282-6, 349, 406
• 1755 - Dissertation on the moderate use of Probable Opinion, 281, 426
• 1755 - Conformity with the Will of God
• 1756 - Advice to newly approved Confessors
• 1756 - Against the Errors of Modern Unbelievers called Materialists and Deists, 288
• 1756 - Reply to an anonymous writer
• 1757 - Rules for Seminaries, 338, 387
• 1757 - A Short Treatise on the Necessity of Prayer, 291
• 1757 - Examination of Candidates for Ordination
• 1757 - Concerning the Cursing of the Dead, 203-6
• 1757 - Advice to Priests for Assisting the Dying, 50-52
• 1757-59 - Istruzione e pratica per un confessore (Compendium, Pratica Grande, Homo Apostolicus), 50, 284-6, 386
• 1758 - Preparation for Death, 294, 477
• 1758 - Nine Discourses for Times of Calamity
• 1758 - Novena for Christmas, 294
• 1758 - Novena for the Sacred Heart, 294
• 1758 - Meditations in honour of St. Joseph, 294
• 1758 - Reply to a Letter concerning the Cursing of the Dead
• 1758 - Preparation for Mass and Thanksgiving, 337, 513
• 1759 - Dissertation concerning the Prohibition of Books, 359
• 1759 - Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation, 291
• 1760 - The Selva (Dignity and Duties of the Priest with two Rules of Life for secular priests), 336-8, 375
• 1760 - The Exercises of the Missions, 246, 259
• 1760 - The Mass and Office hurriedly said, 338
• 1760-61 - The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, 266, 351-2
• 1761 - Meditations for a Private Retreat of Eight Days
• 1761 - Considerations on the Passion of Jesus Christ
• 1761 - The Way of the Cross
• 1761 - Letter to a fellow religious on the mannar of Preaching with Apostolic Simplicity, 260-61
• 1761 - Life and Death of Sr. Teresa de Liguori, 28
• 1761 - A Short Compendium of Christian Doctrine, 391
• 1762 - Reply to a letter from Don Cipriano Aristasio
• 1762 - Dissertation on the Moderate use of the Probable Opinion, 266, 281, 424
• 1762 - The Truth of the Faith as evidenced by the Motives of Credibility, 288
• 1762 - Method of Making Mental Prayer with Children during Mass
• 1764 - For Confessors appointed to Rural Areas (Il Confessore Diretto), 268, 427
• 1764 - Reply concerning the frequentation of Holy Communion against Don Cipriano Aristasio
• 1764 - Examination of Candidates for Confession Faculties
• 1764 - Questions to be asked of Priests who wish to engage in the Ministry of the Confessional
• 1764 - Apologia in favour of the use of an equally Probably Opinion, 425
• 1764 - Defence of Dissertation in favour of the moderate use of the Probable Opinion against Adelfo Dositeo, 424-6
• 1764 - Rules for the Monastery of Our Lady Queen of Heaven at Airola
• 1765 - On the moderate use of the Probable Opinion, 425
• 1765 - Some Points Concerning the Matter of Frequent Communion
• 1765 - An uncertain Law cannot induce a certain Obligation
• 1766 - The Way of Salvation, 383, 428
• 1766 - Life of Father Paul Cafaro, C.SS.R., 301
• 1767 - The Truth of the Faith, 288
• 1767 - Refutation of the Book De l'Esprit, 288
• 1767 - Refutation of a work On Preaching
• 1768 - Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, 73, 428
• 1768 - Arguments against Febronius, 429
• 1768 - Instructions on the Ten Commandments for the Faithful, 427
• 1768 - Five Points on which Preachers should instruct the Faithful, 427
• 1769 - An Exposition and Defense of the Points of Faith discussed and defined at the Council of Trent, 288, 429
• 1769 - On the Grace of Justification
• 1769 - On the Acceptance due to the Definitions of a Council, 429
• 1769 - Ceremonies of the Mass
• 1769 - Honoraria for Masses
• 1769 -Apologia for his Moral Theology attacked as lax
• 1770 - An Opinion, which is not convincing, in favour of an Obligation, does not impost an Obligation
• 1771 - Sermons for all the Sundays of the year, 427
• 1771 - Letter to a Bishop on the benefits of Missions
• 1771 - Letter on the benefit of Spiritual Exercises made in Silence
• 1772 - Triumph of the Church (History and Refutation of various Heresies), 141, 289, 429
• 1772 - Sermons for the feast of St. Joseph
• 1772 - Sermons for the Clothing of a Religious
• 1773 - Considerations on the Passion of Jesus Christ
• 1773 - Considertions on some Spiritual Matters
• 1773 - On the Truth of Devine Revelation, 289
• 1773 - Is the use of Probable Opinion lawful?
• 1773 - Miraculous Discovery of the Blessed Sacrament in a parish in Naples
• 1773 - Meditations on the Passion of Jesus Christ for each day of the week
• 1774 - Explanation on the Psalms and Canticles, 34
• 1774 - Explanation of the Moral System favoured by the author (Alphonsus Maria de Liguori), 427
• 1775 - Advice to Priests appointed to assist those Condemned to Death, 50-52
• 1775 - Victory of the Martyrs, 430
• 1775 - The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
• 1775 - Exhortation to Religious in general
• 1775 - Exhortation to a Nun to make progress in the Love of Jesus Christ
• 1775 - Wonderful Manifestation of Devine Providence
• 1775 - Reply to the Reforms of the Abbot Rolli
• 1775 - Admonitions necessary for persons of every State of Life who wish to save their Souls
• 1775 - Novena in preparation for the Feast of All Souls
• 1775 - Divine Love and the means of acquiring it
• 1775 - Consolation and Encouragement for a Soul in a state of Spiritual Desolation
• 1776 - A Theological-Moral Dissertation concerning Eternal Life, 441-3
• 1776 - Fidelity of Subjects to God renders them faithful to the Prince, 430-31
• 1777 - Instruction to Preachers
• 1778 - Exhortations addressed to the Nuns of the Most Holy Redeemer

From Alphonsus de Liguori, The Saint of Bourbon Naples 1696-1787, Frederick M. Jones, Gill and Macmillan Ltd., 1992

ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI - SON OF MARY

With thanks to the C.Ss.R. Baltimore Province

Like many of his countrymen, Alphonsus was a man of passion and volatility. He found his balance and security in his devotion to the Blessed Mother. His appeals to Mary were impassioned, like those of a distressed child calling for his or her mother.

He was confident Mary would hear his prayers, and she was a great spiritual wellspring of his life. He never wrote a single letter — and his personal correspondence ran into the tens of thousands — without beginning or ending it with the words, "Long live Jesus and Mary." He strongly encouraged his fellow Redemptorists and others to pray the rosary daily, and to visit Marian shrines to foster their love for the mother of God. For him she was a constant helper and guide in all matters concerning his congregation.

Although he was sickly for much of his life, Alphonsus' final years were marked by very serious and debilitating physical ailments, especially arthritis, which caused him great pain and confined him to a wheelchair.

He also was plagued with spiritual afflictions, scrupulously fearing he hadn't done enough to serve the God he loved so much. To help him through these times, his confreres gathered with him to pray. They always included the Litany of Our Lady, usually followed by the rosary. They read to him from his own writings about the glory of Mary and how, as heaven's queen, she welcomed all her true and faithful servants at the hour of their death.

Early in the evening on July 31, 1787, Alphonsus made one final request. "Give me my lady," he whispered. They placed a picture of Mary in his hands. He spent the night in prayer with the Blessed Mother. The next day at the stroke of the noon Angelus, Alphonsus died at the age of 91.

St. Alphonsus was canonized in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871. He was recognized as a patron of confessors and moral theologians in 1950. He is the only moral theologian whose opinion the Roman Catholic Church has said we can follow on moral issues.

Pope John Paul II described Alphonsus as "a close friend of the people ... a missionary who went in search of the most abandoned souls ... a founder who wanted a group which would make a radical option in favor of the lowly ... a Bishop whose house was open to all ... a writer who focused on what would be of benefit to people."