St Alphonsus Ligouri

 http://rachelanne25.blogspot.com/2007/08/sancta-alphonsum-mariam-ligouri.html

Reposting a post I made a long time ago: 

The Signature of St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri:

Today's the Feast of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, Doctor of the Church!! One of my favourite saints, and I do really think he is one of the best spiritual writers I've ever read! As a quick search on my blog will show. His Uniformity with the Will of God, Glories of Mary, The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, The Holy Eucharist, Victories of Martyrs etc. etc. a whole long list of his ascetical works - so lovingly written with a depth so infinitely beautiful ... has helped me a lot, a lot! And I cannot but Thank God and Mother Mary for one of the greatest Saints of the Church. :) Deo gratias et Mariae!

From the Collect at Mass today:

O God, Who didst kindle in blessed Alphonsus Mary, Thy Confessor and Bishop, burning zeal for the salvation of souls, and through him didst enrich Thy Church with a new offspring: grant, we beseech Thee, that imbued with his saving doctrine and strengthened by his example, we may be able happily to come to Thee. Through our Lord.

An example of one of his beautiful writings:

Affections of Love towards the Heart of Jesus

This was written by St. Alphonsus, but remained unpublished till 1875.

O amiable Heart of my Saviour! Thou art the seat of all virtues, the source of all graces, the burning furnace in which are inflamed all holy souls. Thou art the object of all God’s love; thou art the refuge of the afflicted, and the abode of the souls that love thee, O Heart worthy of reigning over all hearts, and of possessing the affection of all hearts! O Heart that was wounded for me on the Cross by the lance of my sins, and that remained afterwards continually wounded for me on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, but not by any other lance than that of the love that thou entertainest for me! O loving Heart, that loves men with so much tenderness, and that is so little loved by men! Do thou apply a remedy to so great an ingratitude, inflame thou our hearts with a true love for thee. Ah! Why can I not go all over the world to make known the graces, the sweetness, the treasures that thou dispensest to those who truly love Thee? Accept the desire that I have of seeing all hearts burning with love for thee. O Divine Heart! Be Thou my consolation in trials, my repose in labours, my solace in anxieties, my haven in tempests. I consecrate Thee my body and my soul, my heart and my life, together with all that I am. I unite to Thine all my thoughts, all my affections, all my desires. O Eternal Father! I offer Thee the pure affections of the Heart of Jesus. If Thou dost reject mine, Thou canst not reject those of Thy Son, who is sanctity itself; may they supply what is wanting in me, and may they render me pleasing in Thy eyes!

And his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, so - ever true, fervent and beautiful!

Here's a prayer from his book, The Holy Eucharist:

A Visit to the Blessed Virgin

(Read the visit of the day, and finish by the following prayer, thereby to obtain the most powerful patronage of Mary:)

Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I have recourse to-day,-I, who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homages, O Great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ. From thee I hope to die a good death. O my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, but especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.

Mary, my mother, my hope, my refuge, to thee I recommend myself; to thee I consign my soul: pray to Jesus for me.

Read here, a very beautiful spiritual reading by St. Alphonsus Ligouri on Death. Whence death alone is our only certainty. Memento Mori!

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

O Bello Dio del Paradiso, St Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri

Written by one of my favourite writers, St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and translated from Italian to English by Fr. E. Vaughan, C.SS.R. O God of Loveliness fills my soul with much joy, especially the bolded words.

1. O God of loveliness, O Lord of Heaven above,

How worthy to possess my heart’s devoted love.

So sweet Thy countenance, so gracious to behold

That one, one only glance to me were bliss untold.

2. Thou art blest Three in One, yet undivided still,

Thou art the One alone, whose love my heart can fill.

The heav’ns and earth below were fashioned by Thy Word,

How amiable art Thou, my ever dearest Lord.

3. To think Thou art my God—O thought forever blest!

My heart has overflowed with joy within my breast.

My soul so full of bliss, is plunged as in a sea,

Deep in the sweet abyss of holy charity.

4. O Loveliness supreme, and Beauty infinite,

O ever flowing Stream and Ocean of delight,

O Life by which I live, my truest Life above,

To Thee alone I give my undivided love.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, I love You; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum. (ter)

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.

To Our Lord on the Cross

It is Maundy Thursday, and I love Thee my Jesus for having to endure the pains of this night, for us all, for me. Help us all to persevere in this long and arduous journey here on earth and help us to do so as cheerfully and as happily as we can, because we know why we are persevering and it makes everything all so worth it. 

Courage, my dears, is not the absence of fear. 

And this is what exactly you show us dearest Jesus, on this night, when you knelt on the bare stones of Mount Olivet, surrounded by the beauty of the olive trees, the insect sounds that perpetuate the night, you so created, but yet you were suffering, yet you were suffering so much, that blood and tears and sweat fell and oozed through the pores of the human flesh, you so wonderfully created. 

By the fruits of the Most Precious Cross, help us all to persevere, help us all to love You and Your Mother as much as we should, help us, help us, we need you. 

STEPS of the PASSION

(GRADUS PASSIONIS)

My King gave me His Heart

To Our Lord on the Cross: 

My Crucified Jesus, mercifully accept the prayer which I now make to Thee for help in the moment of my death, when at its approach all my senses shall fail me. 

When, therefore, O sweetest Jesus, my weary and downcast eyes can no longer look up to Thee, be mindful of the loving gaze which I now turn on Thee, and have mercy on me. 

When my parched lips can no longer kiss Thy most sacred wounds, remember then those kisses which now I imprint on Thee, and have mercy on me. 

When my cold hands can no longer embrace Thy Cross, forget not the affection with which I embrace it now, and have mercy on me.

And when, at length, my swollen and lifeless tongue can no longer speak, remember that I called upon Thee now.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, to you I commend my soul. 

Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of my soul.

My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Most Sacred Wounds.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, I love You; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Deus propicias esto mihi peccatori.

St Alphonsus Ligouri, Ora pro nobis!

Today is the Feast Day of St Alphonsus Ligouri and also First Friday. Some thoughts on what I have been thinking and meditating about this last week:

St Joseph - no rash judgments (I will elaborate on this)

When inner struggles weigh you down, my dearest Jesus, stay with me. Help me always to remember:

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori!

and this:

St Thomas speaks in IIa IIae qu. 60 a.3: “this [interpreting doubts in the evil side] is due to a man being ill-disposed towards another: for when a man hates or despises another, or is angry with or envious of him, he is led by slight indications to think evil of him, because everyone easily believes what he desires. 

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, Alphonsus, I love You; Save Souls!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Miserere nobis

“I will entrust all my anxieties to the Heart of the good Jesus, and He will support me without fail. And so, adorable Jesus, having found this Heart of yours, which is mine also, I will pray to you, my God. Let my prayers enter into that sacred Shrine where they will be heard: indeed draw me entirely into Your Heart.”

- St. Bonaventure

O my Jesus who didst say: “Indeed I say to you, ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” Here I am, knocking, seeking, and asking the grace (mention your request).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

O my Jesus who didst say: “Indeed I say to you, whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, it shall be granted to you.” Here I am, asking Thy Father in Thy name for the grace (mention your request).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

O my Jesus who didst say: “Indeed I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass.” Here I am, and supporting myself on the infallibility of Thy words, I ask Thee the grace (mention your request).

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be… 
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

Prayer

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom only one thing is impossible and that is not to feel compassion for the wretched, have pity on us, miserable sinners, and grant us the grace which we ask Thee through the Immaculate Heart of She who is Thy tender Mother and also ours. Hail Holy Queen…

Memorare…

Saint Joseph foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

Affections of Love towards the Heart of Jesus

This was written by St. Alphonsus, but remained unpublished till 1875. 


O amiable Heart of my Saviour! Thou art the seat of all virtues, the source of all graces, the burning furnace in which are inflamed all holy souls. Thou art the object of all God’s love; thou art the refuge of the afflicted, and the abode of the souls that love thee, O Heart worthy of reigning over all hearts, and of possessing the affection of all hearts! 

O Heart that was wounded for me on the Cross by the lance of my sins, and that remained afterwards continually wounded for me on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament, but not by any other lance than that of the love that thou entertainest for me! O loving Heart, that loves men with so much tenderness, and that is so little loved by men! Do thou apply a remedy to so great an ingratitude, inflame thou our hearts with a true love for thee. Ah! Why can I not go all over the world to make known the graces, the sweetness, the treasures that thou dispensest to those who truly love Thee? 

Accept the desire that I have of seeing all hearts burning with love for thee. O Divine Heart! Be Thou my consolation in trials, my repose in labours, my solace in anxieties, my haven in tempests. I consecrate Thee my body and my soul, my heart and my life, together with all that I am. I unite to Thine all my thoughts, all my affections, all my desires. 

O Eternal Father! I offer Thee the pure affections of the Heart of Jesus. If Thou dost reject mine, Thou canst not reject those of Thy Son, who is sanctity itself; may they supply what is wanting in me, and may they render me pleasing in Thy eyes!

Holy Saint Alphonsus de Maria Ligouri

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, I love You; Save Souls!

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum. (ter)

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori.

Does God Really Exist?

This is seriously, a good read! ;D

http://www.sspxasia.com/Documents/Catholic_Doctrine/Does-God-really-exist.htm

Deus propitius esto mihi peccatori

Jesu mitis et humilis corde, Fac cor nostrum secundum Cor tuum (ter)

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Anne, Therese, I love You; Save Souls!

A Spiritual Communion (a formula as said by St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri):

My most precious Jesus, 
I firmly believe that though art truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
I love Thee above all things 
and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. 
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. (Pause)

As though Thou wert already there, 
I embrace Thee, 
and unite myself wholly to Thee;
Permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee.

May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul unto Everlasting Life.

Amen.