'Doctor Most Zealous'

“The greatest glory we can give to God is to do his will in everything.” Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

Detail of St. Alphonsus stained glass found at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Redemptorist) Parish in Kansas City, MO. Photo by Megan Marley.

By Megan Marley

Like it or not, the Catholic Church teaches on issues of how we are to live life in light of divine revelation. Moral theology is the field of study dealing with human conduct, free will and how Catholic doctrine should be applied in day-to-day life. A saint whose feast is August 1 devoted his life to wrangling this weighty subject in practical and concrete terms, while remaining gentle and pastoral.

Through his writings and preaching, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) combatted the rigid heresy of Jansenism, which denied man’s free will to choose to cooperate with God’s grace, and gave understandable advice for advancing in the spiritual life.

A diligent man with a personal vow to never waste a moment, he became a doctor of canon and civil law at age 16 and a lawyer at 19. After practicing law eight years, he entered seminary and was ordained a diocesan priest.

Alphonsus’ simple yet profound sermons appealed to all, and his pastoral work focused on serving the poor and sick, parish missions, hearing confessions and forming lay faith groups. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer(also known as the Redemptorists) to participate in this work, and he spent 26 years preaching missions. In 1762, Alphonsus was made a bishop and reformed his corrupt and lax diocese.

Alphonsus’ popularity as an orator somewhat eclipsed his prolific writings. His influential multi-volume Moral Theology gives clear, practical advice on everyday problems to confessors. He also wrote more than 100 other works on devotional practice (particularly well-known is The Glories of Mary) and dogmatic subjects such as papal infallibility and the power of prayer, along with poems and hymns.

In his final years, Alphonsus was afflicted with crippling arthritis, persecution from fellow priests, being dismissed from the congregation he founded and a “dark night of the soul.” At nearly 91 years old, he passed away peacefully August 1, 1787.

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori was canonized in 1839. In 1871, he was declared a Doctor of the Church for his outstanding holiness, depth of scriptural and doctrinal insight, and timeless writings that teach authentic Catholic Tradition. He is the patron saint of moral theologians, confessors, lawyers, arthritis and laity.