Feast of Saint Alphonsus Liguori ( August 2 )

Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and the founder of the Redemptorist Congregation.
He was born Alphonsus Marie Antony John Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori on September 27,1696, at Marianella, near Naples, Italy. Raised in a pious home, Alphonsus went on retreats with his father, Don Joseph, who was a naval officer and a captain of the Royal Galleys. Alphonsus was the oldest of seven children, raised by a devout mother of Spanish descent .
St. Alphonsus Liguori is the patron of confessors and moral theologians.
This is indeed a most high honor and distinction.
He is an exemplary model for canon lawyers, theologians and bishops. He submitted his precious gift of choice to the church continually. He was continually humble and docile to the movements of grace. He allowed this to draw his heart and mind. His conscience was formed and fixed on the love of God, neighbor and the church. He was absolutely consumed with zeal for souls and he poured himself out daily practicing what he believed.
He was continually humble and docile to the movements of grace. He allowed this to draw his heart and mind. His conscience was formed and fixed on the love of God, neighbor and the church. He was absolutely consumed with zeal for souls and he poured himself out daily practicing what he believed.
St.Alphonsus Liguori is a most distinguished, Catholic, doctor in matters of morality because of his absolute surrender to God in faith and his conscience. Moral philosophy focus is on ethics and the discipline dealing with good and bad and with moral duty and obligations. The Ten Commandments are not a wish list. Christ crystallized them for us by saying they are summed up in love for God and neighbor. We can not attain our victory over immorality unless we possess virtue. Virtue is moral excellence.
St. Alphonsus' writings on the Stations of the Cross and martyrs are most touching and redemptive. Christ's death, and the process that lead to it in the carrying of the cross, should move our conscience profoundly. It was constantly in his thoughts as they are in all sincere Christians. The stations according to some authors and historians actually got started by Jesus' mother, Mary. She wanted to keep the memory of her Son alive and she frequently traced his actual steps in Jerusalem. The closing down of the holy lands during a period in the church's history was another reason the church rejuvenated the Stations of the Cross locally. We do not have to wait for the Lenten season to think or make the stations. There are hardly any catholic churches in the world that do not display the journey that led to Christ's final agony and victory over sin and death. This is Jesus' heroic and dramatic struggle up Calvary. It is a cordial reminder of love bestowed by three mothers: God, our Divine Mother and Author of all creation and redemption, the Mother of God, the holy, Virgin Mary, and the Mother of our mystical life, the Church.
God's will can not be known and achieved without prayer, grace and God's favor.
We are often caught between what the law permits and what are God's laws.
We need to look to the church and individuals such as Alphonsus and Gerard whose moral courage stands out and shows us the way.
Blessed Feast for everyone !