Saint Alphonus Ligouri
Saint Alphonsus Ligouri taken from our
book, "Saints,Maligned,
Misunderstood and Mistreated."
Alphonsus begins a life in
the courts of law
His father had him trained to become
a lawyer. By the time he was sixteen
years old, he was so proficient in his
studies, he received a degree of Doctor
of Laws. And this came about in spite of
the fact that the required age to
receive such a degree was no younger
than twenty years of age. When he
received his degree, his stature was so
small, the robes of his new profession
dragged on the floor, dwarfing him, to
the delight of all in attendance. His
next step - he studied for the Bar, and
by the age of nineteen he was able to
practice law in the courts, again far
ahead of all who had preceded him. The
world and its snares were weaving
gossamer fibers (not unlike those of a
spider's web), threatening to entrap the
young man in its web.
There was an ongoing battle for
Alphonsus' future. Although his father's
focus was to groom him for the world,
his mother, who was highly spiritual,
was the loving instrument who would
prepare him for a future life as Jesus
and Mary's troubadour. But it would not
be a battle easily won. Now, don't get
me wrong. Alphonsus' father, even when
trying to arrange a suitable marriage
for him, always prompted him to place
God first. Father and son even made
retreats together.
But temptations were always lying in
wait for the brilliant young lawyer.
Alphonsus' confessor testified, he never
succumbed to serious sin till his death.
In spite of the fact, he did become
enamored of his life as a lawyer and
grew increasingly fascinated by the
daily challenges he was able to easily
overcome. The flattery of those who saw
his clever prowess in the courts not
only turned his head with their open
adulation,[1]
to compound the problem, Alphonsus found
himself setting aside prayer and
spiritual reading for the glitter of the
world and its relentless temptations.
And here, the tempter lurked. It would
appear that Alphonsus' future was
sealed, until the day God stepped in.
And as we have said so many times, God
often has to teach us in painful ways.
Alphonsus begins his walk toward Sainthood
His walk was not to be an easy one. His father was not too happy with his two ill-attempted tries at marrying Alphonsus to a suitable wife of a prestigious family, nor was he pleased with his son's decision to leave his profession as a lawyer. His worst fears were realized! His father was furious with his decision to leave the world and enter Religious Life, especially as an Oratorian. After enduring two months of trials, finally triumph! - resignation on his father's side and compromise on that of Alphonsus. His father gave his consent to his son pursuing a Religious Life as a priest, as long as it was not as an Oratorian; and Alphonsus agreed! The other hook was that Alphonsus agree to remain at home; and Alphonsus agreed!
Without fidelity to an Order already established, it freed Alphonsus to found an Order of his own, one day. On October 23rd., in the year 1723, Alphonsus was vested in the clothes of a cleric;[1] and in September of the following year, he received the tonsure,[2] soon after gaining admittance to a missionary secular priests organization, called the "Neopolitan Propaganda"[3] where priests were not required to live a communal life in community. He was to receive minor orders in December of the year 1724, and joined the Subdiaconate[4] in September of the following year, 1725. April the 6th, 1726, he was enrolled in the Diaconate, as a Deacon.[5] On December 21st of that same year, Alphonsus was ordained a priest - he was now thirty years old.
For the next two years, he was involved in missionary work throughout the Kingdom of Naples. (Unlike today, it encompassed many areas of Italy, which at that time was not a unified country). As we aforementioned, the Church was under attack and suffering, what with the liberal, humanistic effects of Renaissance[6] completely out of control and in contrast the unrelenting, uncompromising rigidity toward the Sacrament of Penance - a product of Jansenism,[7] threatening to destroy her from within. St. Alphonsus came against both these extremes. He was able to win the hearts of all who listened, with his simplicity, speaking to the souls of men as well as to their minds, at their level - never talking down to them or over their heads. The simplest baker was able to absorb the Word of God alongside those of the intelligentsia.[8] A common comment was: "It is a pleasure to listen to your sermons; you forget yourself and preach Jesus."[9] He passed on this wisdom to all he instructed for missionary work: "Your style must be simple, but the sermon must be well constructed. If skill be lacking, it is unconnected and tasteless; if it be bombastic, the simple cannot understand it. I have never preached a sermon the poorest old woman in the congregation cannot understand."[10]
[1] This title is given to members of the Regular Clergy or to some Brothers. In a Religious community, clerics are required to pray the Breviary each day.
[2] At that time, it was an introductory ceremony, where a layman became a cleric. It was not part of receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, but preceded its reception. At the end of the ceremony, the candidate was vested with a surplus, the top of his head would be shaved in a circle, leaving a permanent tonsure, a sign of his office and commitment.
[3] Catholic Encyclopedia - 1914 Edition
[4] This existed at that time, but is no longer part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
[5] Literally a "servant," the Diaconate is the first of the major Holy Orders, but the lowest in the hierarchical order of the Church. When a man is going to be ordained a Priest (usually a year before), he is first ordained to the Diaconate. A Deacon's duties are: assisting the celebrant at Mass, preaching, administering Holy Communion, and Baptism with permission. Vatican II declares: "It is the duty of the Deacon...to administer Baptism solemnly, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read Sacred Scripture to people, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside at the worship and prayer of the Faithful, to administer sacramentals, and to officiate at funeral and burial services." (The Catholic Encyclopedia - Broderick)
[6] Having given birth in the Fourteenth Century, in Italy, the Renaissance was a period of radical changes in the intellectual, artistic, political, social, and even geographical structure of Christian civilization. It marked the trend toward humanism and laid the groundwork for the Reformation. (Catholic Encyclopedia - Broderick) For us, the most deadly aspect of the Renaissance was the effect it had on the Religious life of the world. For more on Renaissance, read Bob and Penny Lord's book, Scandal of the Cross, and its Triumph, chapter XVI
[7] From a book written by Bishop Jansen, which was published, in 1640, after his death. This heresy proposed man was not able to resist temptation and rejected the doctrine that Christ died for all men. For more on Jansenism, read Bob and Penny Lord's book, Tragedy of the Reformation, chapter on Religious Wars, page 170
[8] educated class, intellectual leaders, intellectual elite
[9] excerpt from Butler's Lives of the Saints- Thurston and Attwater
[10] ibid
[1] praise and admiration
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Alphonsus Ligouri click here
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