saints for our time 64
our tutor in perseverance
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI by MARIA MADISE
O
ne could easily imagine that, with due effort at a decisive moment, one could imitate a certain heroic act of a saint. But considering perseverance in virtue throughout many years, a life in the constant presence of Jesus and Mary, puts one’s quest for sainthood in a true perspective. Perseverance is a challenge in all ages, but it is particularly important for us today if we wish to keep growing in our faith while virtually everything and everyone around us contradict it. Clearly, we need the support of good examples. St. Alphonsus Liguori stood out as a beacon of perseverance in the eighteenth century, an era that was not marked by deep Catholic spirit and eventually produced the French Revolution. On a recent visit to the Redemptorist foundation in Pagani, Campania, however, I was reminded of how brightly his example shines in our days. St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born in 1696 in Naples – the city that has given the Church more saints than any other in Italy. He became a doctor of civil and canon law already at the age of sixteen and embarked on a highly successful legal career. Losing an important case, at the age of twenty-seven, led him to abandon the practice of law and become an advocate in the great cause of the salvation of souls instead. Following his ordination to the priesthood, he dedicated himself to the service of the most neglected souls in the area. In 1732 he founded the Missionary order of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). The progress of the new order remained turbulent throughout the lifetime of St. Alphonsus, to the extent that he was excluded from the houses of his own order in the Kingdom of Naples. Nevertheless, after his death, the order spread to many parts of the world and its founder was raised to the altars. St. Alphonsus was truly a spiritual giant of his time. Much could be (and has been) said of his long and fruitful life. He was at once a missionary, preacher, confessor, bishop, theologian, writer, poet, composer, musician, artist, and was proclaimed a Doctor of the
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI
Church by Pope Pius IX. By itself, his Moral Theology (1748) – teaching a middle way between the extremes of being lax or over-rigorous, and born of St. Alphonsus’s vast pastoral experience – would be enough to consider him an extraordinary figure. However, in this small sketch, we will consider three important lessons this illustrious saint teaches us with the example of his life. 1. DO NOT WASTE TIME St. Alphonsus made a vow not to lose a single moment of time. And this vow he kept. The intensity with which he worked, as well as the remarkable amount of work he did, gives witness to his enormous tenacity of purpose and unyielding perseverance. Within an intense life of apostolic work, he produced an impressive 111 books with original illustrations and composed hymns. Having practised the harpsichord several hours a day as a boy, he had become an accomplished player. His spiritual work was no less impressive. After his arduous missionary years, St. Alphonsus was made a bishop of the small diocese of Agatha dei Goti. He laboured relentlessly to feed the poor, instruct the
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