Saintly Wisdom: St. Alphonsus Liguori

-

“‘A fool,’ says the Holy Spirit, ‘is changed as the moon; but a holy man continueth in wisdom as the sun.’ (Eccus. 27:12). The fool, that is, the sinner, is as changeable as the moon, today he laughs, tomorrow he cries; today he is meek as a lamb, tomorrow cross as a bear. Why? Because his peace of mind depends on the prosperity or the adversity he meets; he changes with the changes in the things that happen to him. The just man is like the sun, constant in his serenity, no matter what betides him. His calmness of soul is founded on his union with the will of God; hence he enjoys unruffled peace. This is the peace promised by the angel of the Nativity: “And on earth, peace to men of good will.” (Luke 2:14). Who are these “men of good will” if not those whose wills are united to the infinitely good and perfect will of God?”

- St. Alphonsus Liguori, Uniformity With God’s Will



“When I think that Thou, the Son of God, did lead a life of such tribulation upon this earth, so poor and neglected, how is it possible that I should go about seeking the amusement and good things of the earth? Take me, I pray, my dear Redeemer, for Thy companion; admit me to live always united with Thee upon this earth, in order that, united with Thee in heaven, I may love Thee there, and be Thy companion throughout eternity. What goods, what pleasures, what dignities, what honors! All is vanity and folly. The only real riches, the only real good, is to possess Thee, who art the infinite God. If in times past I have sought after the vanities and pleasures of this world, I now detest them, and am sorry that I have done so. My savior, from this day forward Thou shalt be my only delight, my only love, my only treasure.”

- St. Alphonsus Liguori


 


"My innocent Jesus, by the torment You suffered in being stripped of Your garments, help me to strip myself of all attachments for the things of the earth that I may place all my love in You."

-The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Tenth Station











“If all men and angels had offered their lives, their oblation could not have been so dear to God as was this of Jesus Christ, because in this offering alone the Eternal Father received infinite honor and infinite satisfaction. If Jesus offers His life to His Father for the love of us, it is just that we should offer Him our life and our entire being.” — St. Alphonsus Lioguori

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homily Notes: 09-05-21 - The Feast of St. Pius X

-
Image
"Restore all things in Christ."        Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Pius X, our patron.       It is good to look back and see the first of St. Pius' encyclicals. This encyclical letter which began his pontificate gave the bishops his mission and goal which can be summed up in this short sentence: to restore all things in Christ.      It’s an interesting letter that we can profit from. At the beginning, he expresses his doubts — he says he sees the pontificate as a difficult burden that he can’t bear alone. He then says but I have accepted because I know it is from God, and God will help me to bear this burden and get through this difficulty. He didn’t jump into the pontificate thinking it would be a breeze but that it would be very difficult. We are often faced with difficult tasks — what is our response? Do we ask for divine help or do we just give up?      Why did he choose the name Pius? — he says “as I ...
Keep reading »»»

“A Meditation on Detachment" by St. Thomas More

-
Image
  “A Meditation on Detachment" written by St. Thomas More while imprisoned in the Tower of London, 1534. Give me Thy Grace, Good Lord, To set all the world at nought; To set my mind fast upon Thee, And not to hang upon the blast of men's mouths; To be content to be solitary, Not to long for worldly company; Little by little utterly to cast off the world, And rid my mind of all the business thereof; Not to long to hear of any worldly things, But that the hearing of worldly fantasies may be to me unpleasant; Gladly to be thinking of God, Piteously to call for His help; To lean unto to the comfort of God, Busily to labor to love Him; To know my own vileness and wretchedness, To humble and meeken myself under the mighty Hand of God; To bewail my sins passed; For the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity; Gladly to bear my purgatory here; To be joyful of tribulations; To walk the narrow way that leads to life, To bear the cross with Christ; To have the last thing in rememb...
Keep reading »»»