THE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION SAINT ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI — A Catholic Classic! — Includes original Religious Illustrations — Includes an Active Index, Table of Contents and NCX Navigation Publisher: Available in Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-262-7 In the ascetical writings of the holy Bishop and Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, there is a characteristic charm and an irresistible attraction. Whoever reads them with the proper dispositions will discover in them an indefinable something that appeals to the heart and stirs it to its very depths. We imagine we see the loving personality of the holy Bishop before us, and hear the words of eternal life from his very lips. The present volume is made up of choice selections from the various ascetical writings of the Saint. The order of virtues considered is that followed by the spiritual sons of St. Alphonsus in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. For each month of the year is assigned a particular virtue to which they are to devote their especial attention. This is a practice highly recommended by the masters of the spiritual life, and is fraught with the happiest results. It is hoped that the faithful will derive spiritual profit and pleasure from this course in “The School of Christian Perfection.” PUBLISHER: CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING
This work begins with a Sketch of the life of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri. This work contains On Divine and the Means of Acquiring It On Conformity to the Will of God The Practice of Meditation A Short Treatise on the Necessity, Efficacy and Conditions of Prayer Method of Conversing Continually and Familiarly With God Consolation and Encouragement for a Soul in Spiritual Desolation Meditations for a Private Retreat of Eight Days Compendium of Rules for a Christian Life Short Practice of Perfection Selected from the Doctrines of St. Teresa (of Avila)
The way to perfection is simple—to unite one’s will with God’s, putting into action the prayer “Thy will be done.” In this precious booklet, St. Alphonsus Ligouri explains the importance of conforming one’s will to God’s and how to do so; how to gain peace of mind and serenity by trusting in God, accepting what He wills for our lives and following His commands.
Volume 01 of 22 in the Aesthetical Works of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, first published in 1843.Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation. He was canonized in 1839 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871.In this first volume of his "Aesthetical Works", Ligouri reminds the reader that "There is nothing more precious than time; but there is nothing less esteemed and more despised by men of the world." With references from every corner of Christendom, including Sacred Scripture, the saints, and the Holy Fathers, this powerful book is ideal for personal reflection. The saint writes to alert the reader to the very real fact of their own mortality, recommends them to repentance, prayer, and fasting, and to remind them that no single person is guaranteed tomorrow. He quotes St. Bernadine of Sienna in saying, "Behold, I have so many kingdoms and palaces in this world; but if I die this night, I know not what apartment shall be assigned to me." Reproduced from older English edition, this non-facsimile 2013 edition has been faithfully edited (with 468 footnotes) to provide a clean and trim appearance of the original text and to continue the proliferation of a great spiritual work.
“Two things,” say Cicero, “make us know a lover-that he does good to his beloved, and that he suffers torment for him; and this last is the greatest sign of true love.” God has indeed already shown His love to men by many benefits bestowed upon him; but His love would not have been satisfied by only doing good to man, as says St. Peter Chrysologus, if He had not found the means to prove to him how much He loved him by also suffering and dying for him, as He did by taking upon Him human flesh. Saint Alphonsus says also of Jesus: “That is the hour of the lvoer, in which he suffers for the object beloved: because suffering for the beloved is the most fit way of discovering the lvoe of the lover, and of captivating to ourself the love of the beloved.” We are beloved by God and He showed this through His holy Passion! Further on we read: “St. Denis, the Areogapite, says that love always tends toward union with the object beloved. And because food becomes one thing with him who eats it, therefore our Lord would reduce Himself to food, in order that, receiving Him in Holy Communion, we might become of one substance with Him.” This work contains meditations on the Passion for each day of the week and for the last fifteen days of Lent. Much time is devoted to a consideration of the various events of the Passion and drawing wonderful resolutions from them. Saint Alphonsus quotes Saint Thomas Aquinas as says: “Devotion consists in being read to accomplish in ourselves whatever God demands of us.” And we also read: “Yes, Lord, all grown-up persons who are saved must either be martyrs in blood or martyrs in patience, in conquering the assaults of hell and the inordinate desires of the flesh. Bodily pleasures send enumerable souls to hell, and, therefore, we must resolve with courage to despise them. Let us be assured that either the soul must tread the body under foot, or the body the soul.” Saint Alphonsus quotes Saint Teresa as saying: “He who drags the cross along with ill-will feels its weight, however small it is; but he who willingly embraces it, however great it is, does not feel it.”
THIS book, which was published in 1759, is one of the most important works of Saint Alphonsus. He himself explains what it has cost him, and the value that he sets upon it. In his preface to the" Preparation for Death," he speaks thus: "This book, though small, has cost me a great deal of labor. I regard it as of extreme utility to all sorts of persons; and I unhesitatingly assert that among all spiritual treatises, there is none, and there can be none, more necessary than that which treats on prayer as a means of obtaining eternal salvation."Saint Alphonsus gives the plan of his work: “In order, then, to attach ourselves to this great means of salvation, we must first of all consider how necessary it is to us, and how powerful it is to obtain for us all the graces that we can desire from God, if we know how to ask for them as we ought. Hence, in the first part, we will speak first of the necessity and power of prayer; and next, of the conditions necessary to make it efficacious with God. Then, in the second part, we will show that the grace of prayer is given to all ; and there we will treat of the manner in which grace ordinarily operates.”Saint Alphonsus begins: “ONE of the errors of Pelagian ism was the assertion that prayer is not necessary for salvation. Pelagius, the impious author of that heresy, said that man will only be damned for neglecting to know the truths necessary to be learned. How astonishing! St. Augustine said: "Pelagius discussed everything except how to pray," though, as the saint held and taught, prayer is the only means of acquiring the science of the saints; according to the text of St. James: 'If any man want wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth abundantly, and upbraideth not.' The Scriptures are clear enough in pointing out how necessary it is to pray, if we would be saved.”Further on we read: “We will, as we promised, demonstrate that the grace of prayer is given to all men. But this doctrine does not please Jansenius; he goes so far as to call it an hallucination: "It is an hallucination to think that the grace of prayer is always present to a man." According to his system, he considers that without the delectation relatively victorious we cannot pray; but this delight is not granted to all men, therefore (he adds) all men have not sufficient grace and power to fulfil the commandments; for many are without even the remote grace to enable them to pray as they ought, or indeed to pray at all. "Since, therefore," he continues, "most men either do not ask for grace to enable them to fulfil the law, or do not ask for it as is necessary; and since God does not give all men the grace either to pray fervently, or even to pray at all, it is most evident that many of the faithful are without that sufficient grace, and, consequently, without that perpetual power of fulfilling the one precept (of the moment) which some theologians proclaim," Before, then, we prove our own position, we must confute his pernicious system, from which all his errors are derived; and we must show that not we, Imt that he is laboring under an hallucination.”
Although one might think that this book is only for nuns and sisters, that is women religious, but it is not. Many lay people find much useful advice in this holy work. It should be noted that this is only the first sixteen chapters of the work. In the Preface we read: “For, as St. Denis the Areogapite says, 'Divine love consists in the affections of the heart more than in the knowledge of the understanding.' In human sciences, knowledge excites love; but in the science of the saints, love produces knowledge. He that loves God most knows Him best. Besides, it is not lofty and fruitless conceptions, but works, that unite the soul to God, and make it rich in merits before the Lord.”Saint Alphonsus says: “The principal means of acquiring an ardent love of Christ are mental prayer, Communion, mortification, retirement. Although each of these means is fully discussed in another part of this work, still a brief notice of them in this place will not be irrelevant.“The first means to love Jesus Christ is mental prayer. Mental prayer is that blessed furnace in which the soul is inflamed with divine love. 'And', says holy David, 'in my meditation a fire shall flame out. In temptations against purity, the immediate invocation of the divine aid is absolutely necessary. The Venerable Sister Cecilia Gastelli used to say, that without prayer, chastitycannot be preserved. 'As I knew', says Solomon, 'that I otherwise could not be continent, except God gave it, I went to the Lord and besought Him with my whole heart.'” And let us consider that living in the world requires continence and restraint, “The second means is the holy Communion. This, says St. Bonaventure, is the cellar of wine into which the King of heaven brings his spouses" to set in order charity" in their hearts, teaching them to love God above all things, and their neighbors as themselves.“The third means is mortification. As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the lily blooms among the thorns, so virginity is preserved only in the midst of mortification. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say that" chastity flourishes only among thorns." ...”“The fourth means is retirement. 'Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtle dove's.' The spouse in the canticle is compared to the turtle, because the turtle avoids the company of other birds, and delights in solitude. ...”Saint Alphonsus relates the following story: “St. Francis of Assisi once said to his companion, that he was going out to preach. After walking through the town, with his eyes fixed on the ground, he returned to the convent. His companion asked him when he would preach the sermon. We have, replied the saint, by the modesty of our looks, given an excellent instruction to all who saw us.” Do our lives preach a sermon or do they scandalize people and lead them into sin? This is why we need to study pious books, so that our life is a living sermon. This is true Catholic Action!
Saint Alphonsus says: “I HAVE already published several spiritual works, viz.: Visits to the blessed Sacrament, the Clock of the Passion of Jesus Christ, the Glories of Mary, a volume containing a Refutation of Materialism and Deism, and several small Treatises of Devotion, a Novena of the Nativity, which treats of the infancy of our Lord, a Book on the eternal maxims, entitled, a Preparation for Death, which contains a great deal of useful matter, for Sermons and Meditations, and also nine Discourses for the time of public calamities. But of all these works, I do not consider one more useful than this little book which treats of prayer as a secure and necessary means of obtaining salvation and all the graces necessary for it. Were it in my power, I would publish as many copies of this little work, as there are christians on earth, and would give to each a copy, that each might be convinced of the absolute necessity of prayer for salvation.I speak in this manner of this little treatise, because on the one hand, I see the absolute necessity of prayer so strongly inculcated in every page of holy writ, and in the writings of all the fathers, and on the other, I perceive that very few christians make use of that great means of salvation. What grieves me most, is, that though .there is no practice on which preachers, confessors, or spiritual writers, should insist with greater warmth, or in stronger terms, than on that of prayer; still, I know, that preachers seldom recommend it to their auditors, or confessors to their penitents, and that the spititual books most currently circulated amongst the people, do not sufficiently detail its advantages or inculcate its necessity. They indeed suggest many excellent means of preserving sanctifying grace, such as to avoid the occasions of sin, to frequent the sacraments, to resist temptations, to hear the word of God, to meditate on the truths of eternity, and other means; all of which are, I admit, most useful. But of what use, I ask, are sermons, meditations, and all the means proposed by masters of spiritual life, without prayer, when Jesus Christ has declared that he will grant his grace only to those who ask it. 'Ask,' he says, 'and you shall receive.' In God's ordinary providence, all our meditations, and good purposes, and promises, will be fruitless without prayer. If we do Dot pray, we will be for ever unfaithful to all the inspirations of God's grace, and to all our own promises. Because, to do actual good, to overcome temptation, and to practise virtue; in a word, to observe all the divine precepts, the light which God pours into our souls, and the reflections and resolutions which we ourselves make, are insufficient. The actual assistance of God is moreover necessary, and, as we will immediately see, the Almighty grants this actual assistance to those only who pray, and persevere in prayer. The lights we receive, and our own considerations and good purposes, enable us actually to pray, when tempted to transgress the divine law, and by prayer, to obtain from God actual help, by which we will avoid sin. But if, in temptation, we do not pray, we shall be lost.Saint Alphonsus reminds us: “The Pelagians erroneously asserted thatPrayer is not necessary to obtain salvation.”
The first section is on the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.The next section is on visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This includes an instruction on Spiritual Communion. There are eight meditations for the Feast and Octave of Corpus Christi.This is followed by a Novena to the Sacred Heart.Over 200 pages are devoted to meditations on charity, commenting on Saint Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 13: “Charity is...”This is followed by ten meditations on Charity.This work closes with a pious exercise to obtain the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. Saint Alphonsus writes on Spiritual Communion: “As in all the following visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament a spiritual Communion is recommended, it will be well to explain what it is, and the great advantages which result from its practice. A spiritual Communion, according to St. Thomas, consists in an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him.“How pleasing these spiritual Communions are to God, and the many graces which He bestows through their means, was manifested by our Lord Himself to Sister Paula Maresca, the foundress of the convent of St. Catharine of Sienna in Naples, when (as it is related in her life) He showed her two precious vessels, the one of gold, the other of silver. He then told her that in the gold vessel was preserved her sacramental Commuinions, and in the silver one her spiritual Communions. He also told Blessed Jane of the Cross that each time that she communicated spiritually she received a grace of the same kind as the one that she received when she really communicated. Above all, it will suffice for us to know that the holy Council of Trent greatly praises spiritual Communions, and encourages the faithful to practice them. “Hence all devout souls are accustomed often to practice this holy exercise of spiritual Communion. Blessed Agatha of the Cross did so two hundred times a day. And Father Peter Faber, the first companion of St. Ignatius, used to say that it was of the highest utility to make spiritual Communions, in order to receive the sacramental Communion well.All those who desire to advance in the love of Jesus Christ are exhorted to make a spiritual Communion at least once in every visit that they pay to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and at every Mass that they that they hear; and it would even be better on these occasions to repeat the Communions three times, that is to say, at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This devotion is far more profitable than some suppose, and at the same time nothing can be easier to practice. The above-named Blessed Jane of the Cross used to say, that a spiritual Communion can be made without any one remaking it, without being fasting, without the permission of our director, and that we can make it at any time we please: an act of love does all.”
Saint Alphonsus gives wonderful instructions to priests. THE present little work is entitled "A Collection of Materials," and not Discourses or Spiritual Exercises, because although I have endeavored. to collect the material belonging to each subject, I have not observed the order necessary for a regular discourse, nor have I extended the thoughts. They are given without order, and expressed briefly, that the reader may select the authorities, subjects, and thoughts that are most pleasing to him, and may afterwards arrange and extend them as he pleases, and thus make the discourse his own. For experience shows, that a preacher will scarcely deliver sentiments with fervor and zeal unless he has first made them his own, at least by selecting them from among others, and arranging and extending them, in composing the discourse. Hence, I have taken from different authors several passages that have the same signification, so that the preacher may select those that please him most. I have said so much to explain the aim of the work. Let him who gives the spiritual exercises to priests be careful, first of all, to propose to himself a good end in his instructions: I. This end must be not to gain the character of a man of learning, of talent, and of eloquence, but only to give glory to God by the sanctification of his hearers. his sermons ideas foreign to the subject, nor new and lofty thoughts that serve only to fix the mind on the beauty of the conceptions, but leave the will dry and without fruit; let him be careful to say what he considers best edculated to move his hearers to make some good resolution. III. In order to attain that end, let him in his sermons frequently remind the hearers of the truths of eternity, by the consideration of which perseverance is obtained, according to the words of the Holy Ghost: In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin. It is true, indeed, that certain priests dislike sermons on the last things, and are offended at seeing themselves treated like seculars, as if they were not, as well as seculars, to die and be judged. Let him, then, who gives the spiritual exercises not omit at least to remind the audience several times of death, of judgment, and of eternity. These are the truths best calculated to effect a change of life in all that meditate upon them. IV. Let the preacher be careful to inculcate as much as possible what is practical. For example, the method of making mental prayer, thanksgiving after Mass, the correction of sinners, and above all the mode of hearing confessions, particularly the confessions of relapsing sinners, or of those that are in the proximate occasion of sin. In hearing the confessions of these two classes of penitents, many confessors err, either by an excess of rigor, or by too great a facility of giving absolution (the latter is more frequent), and thus they are the cause of the damnation of so many souls. Latin passages are soon forgotten; only what is practical remains in the mind. V. Let the preacher be careful to treat with respect and sweetness the priests who listen to him. With respect; showing a veneration for them, often calling them men of learning and of sanctity, and when he inveighs against any vice, let him always speak in general terms, protesting that he speaks not of those that are present. Let him guard, in a special manner, against censuring any defect of any particular person, as also against speaking in a tone of authority; but let him endeavor to preach in a familiar style, which is the best calculated to persuade and move. With respect and with sweetness; let him, then, never appear angry, nor ever break out into injurious words, which tend more to irritate the mind than to excite piety. ...
This book should be confused with shorter works by Saint Alphonsus issued under the title of 'The Glories of Mary'. This is a photographic reprint of the 1852 edition of the English translation of this work, and is complete. The first section is an exhaustive explanation of the Salve Regina, the Hail Holy Queen. At the end of this section is a collection of devout prayers by the Saints to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is not in other editions. The second section is a series of discourses on the seven major feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These are the Immaculate Conception, the Birth of Mary, The Presentation of Mary in the Temple, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Purification of Mary at Jesus' Presentation in the Temple, and the Assumption. Added to this is a discourse on the Seven Sorrows of Mary.The next section goes into detail into each of the seven dolors of Mary.The next section considers the many virtues of Mary, her humility, charity, faith, hope, chastity, poverty, obedience and patience. Also Mary's prayer is considered in depth, since she is a model for us in prayer. This section includes the many practices of devotion to Mary, such as the Hail Mary, the Novenas before her feasts, the Rosary, fasting, visiting images of Mary, the Brown Scapular, etc.
THE SAINT ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI COLLECTION [30 BOOKS] CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING — 25 Books in One E-Book: The Complete Ascetical Works and More — Over 3.5 Million Words. 18,824 Active Linked Endnotes — Includes an Active Index and 25 Table of Contents for Each Book — Includes Illustrations by Gustave Dore Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, C.Ss.R. (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787), was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists). In 1762 he was appointed Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti. A prolific writer, he published nine editions of his Moral Theology in his lifetime, in addition to other devotional and ascetic works and letters. Among his best known works are The Glories of Mary and The Way of the Cross, the latter still used in parishes during Lenten devotions. He was canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1871. One of the most widely read Catholic authors, Alphonsus Liguori is the patron saint of confessors. ———BOOKS——— THE COMPLETE ASCETICAL WORKS Vol. I: Preparation for Death Vol. II: The Way of Salvation and of Perfection Vol. III: The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection Vol. IV: The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ Vol. V: The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ Vol. VI: The Holy Eucharist Vol. VII & VIII: The Glories of Mary Vol. IX: The Victories of the Martyrs Vol. X & XI: The True Spouse of Jesus Christ Vol. XII: Dignity and Duties of the Priest Vol. XIII: The Holy Mass Vol. XIV: The Divine Office Vol. XV: Preaching Vol. XVI: Sermons for All the Sundays in the Year Vol. XVII: Miscellany Vol. XVIII: Letters of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori THE WORKS OF SAINT ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI Saint Alphonsus de Liguori Biography How to Pray at All Times The Way of the Cross The History of Heresies and their Refutation Uniformity with God’s Will The School of Christian Perfection The Religious State Sermons Upon Various Subjects Devout Reflections on Various Spiritual Subjects The Life of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori FIVE POPULAR BOOK EXCERPTS The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell Nine Discourses for Times of Calamities The Seven Sorrows of Mary SEVEN ARTICLES By and About Saint Alphonsus de Liguori PUBLISHER: CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING
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