The Saint Alphonsus de Liguori Collection [30 Books]

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St. Alphonsus is the "doctor of vocations"."[Answer to a Young Man who asks Counsel on the Choice of a State of Life](https://archive.org/details/TheReligiousState/page/n132/mode/2up)" (cf. St. Francis de Sales's [letter to a young lady considering marriage](https://books.google.com/books?id=sXYkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1152)):> The greatest number of those who are damned, are damned for not having corresponded to the call of God.> […]> The married state I cannot recommend to you, because St. Paul does not counsel it to any one, except there be a necessity for it, arising out of habitual incontinence, which necessity, I hold for certain, does not exist in your case.> […]> I have said *a monastery of strict observance* ; because if you want to enter another, where they live more freely, it is better for you to stay at home and attend there to the salvation of your soul as well as you can; for entering an Order where the spirit is relaxed, you expose yourself to the danger of being lost.The female version is: "[Advice to a Young Person in Doubt About the State of Life which she Ought to Embrace](https://archive.org/details/TheReligiousState/page/n143/mode/2up)":> In the world the number of persons who are lost is very great; in religion, the number of those who are damned is very small.> […]> if you resolve not to become a religious, I cannot advise you to enter the married state, for St. Paul does not counsel that state to any one, except in case of necessity, which I hope does not exist for you. At least remain in your own house and endeavor to become a saint."[Discourse to pious maidens](https://archive.org/details/TheReligiousState/page/n143/mode/2up)," which reminds me of [St. Catherine of Genoa](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=6276) or [St. Rita](https://isidore.co/calibre/#panel=book_details&book_id=6225):> And how many married women are to he found in such a state of perfection? They are very rare; and if you find any, they are always in sorrow that when they could have done so they did not consecrate themselves to Jesus Christ. Amongst all the devout married women I have known, I never knew one to be satisfied with her condition.> […]> How much more easy is it for devout girls to become holy in their own houses than in a convent!Sermon 10 for the Feast of St. Joseph (ref:1259.1): " *divisus est* " (1 Cor. 7:33) didn't apply to his marriage (ref:1259.10)!> It is true that he had a great love for his spouse Mary; but his was not a divided love, although, as the apostle says, the heart of the husband is usually divided. “But he that has a wife is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife and he is divided.”—1 Cor. 7:33. No, the love which he felt for his spouse, filled him still more with divine love and therefore, we cannot doubt that Joseph whilst he lived with Jesus Christ, increased so much in sanctity and merits, that we may say he excels all the other saints.also contains the hard-to-find complete *The True Spouse of Jesus Christ* [ref:821.1] (transl. of [*La vera sposa di Gesù Cristo, cioè la monaca santa per mezzo delle virtù proprie d'una religiosa*](https://isidore.co/calibre#panel=book_details&book_id=7900)) [ref:827.1 is St. Alphonsus's sort of " *De virginitate* "]; this work reminds me of [*La Vida Religiosa*](https://isidore.co/calibre#panel=book_details&book_id=6935) by Fr. Royo Marin, O.P.ref:833.157 § on Obedience: "prudence is necessary in Superiors; but in subjects the perfection of prudence is to obey without prudence."ref:93.10 (§ ref:93.7 "Necessity of Prayer"): "He who prays, is certainly saved; he who does not pray, is certainly lost."ref:872.17 on fleeing to preserve chastity: "But someone may say, The woman with whom I am familiar is a people of deformed figure; God forbid she should be an occasion of sin to me. But St. Cyprian answers that the devil is a painter who, when concupiscence is excited, makes a deformed countenance appear beautiful."ref:1233 on preserving a religious vocation, detaching from relatives and keeping one's vocation a secret from those who'd put obstacles up to it.ref:1021.49: "The *remote* occasion is that to which all are exposed, or in which men seldom fall into sin. The *proximate* occasion is that which by itself ordinarily induces to sin, such as unnecessary familiarity of young men with women of bad reputation. An occasion in which a person has frequently fallen is also called a proximate occasion."* * **True Spouse of Jesus Christ* , ch. 10 "Detachment from Relatives and Other People" (ref:836.1):§1 ("Detachment from Relatives") begins by citing> “ **Veni** enim **separare** hominem adversus patrem suum, et filiam adversus matrem suam.” Mt. 10:35St. Alphonus continues:> But why does the Redeemer insist so strongly on alienation from relatives? Why does he take so much pains to separate us from them? He himself assigns the reason: it is because a man's enemies shall be they of his own household [Micah 7:6]. **Relatives are the worst enemies of the sanctification of Christians** and particularly of religious; because they are, according to St. Thomas, the greatest obstacle to advancement in virtue. “Frequently,” says the holy Doctor, “carnal friends oppose the progress of the spirit; [“Frequenter amici carnales adversantur profectui spirituali.” [II-II q. 189 a. 10](https://isidore.co/aquinas/summa/SS/SS189.html#SSQ189A10THEP1)] for **in the affair of salvation the nearest akin are not friends, but enemies**.” [“Propinqui carnis, in hoc proposito, amici non sunt, sed potius inimici. “ [*Contra retrah. a relig.* a. 9](https://isidore.co/aquinas/ContraRetrahentes.htm#9)] The truth of this assertion is fully established by experience. [St. Alphonsus continues with many saints' examples.]Bp. Sanborn in a sermon mentioned how the Anglican schism would not have perpetuated itself if it weren't for family ties and human respect. cf. ref:1234.9 ("Detachment from parents") of *The Religious State*.§2 ("Detachment from seculars") discusses the problem of particular friendships. He cites St. Bonaventure's criteria for determining if a friendship (or marriage, too, "[the greatest friendship](https://isidore.co/forum/index.php?topic=188.msg527#msg527)") is pure or not (ref:836.37-42), *De Profectu Rel.* l. 2, c. 27: 1. It is not pure when it leads to long and useless discourses; and when conversations are very long they are always useless. 2. When each delights in looking at each other and in praising each other. 3. When either excuses the other's defects. 4. When they manifest certain little jealousies. 5. When either feels unhappy at being separated from the other.§2 "Detachment from seculars, and even from the sisters" (ref:836.34):> Father Peter Consolini of the Oratory has justly remarked that we should treat with holy people of a different sex as with the souls in purgatory, that is, at a distance, and without looking at them. Some religious have a strong desire of conversing with their spiritual Father because they imagine that his instructions will stimulate their fervor. But what need is there of such conversations, of such long and familiar discourses? Have they not an abundant supply of spiritual books? Have they not spiritual reading at table and at prayer? Have they not the benefit of sermons in the church? Without any of these the reading and observance of their Rules and Constitutions ought to be sufficient to make them saints.* * *[Where did St. Bernard say that incontinence in ecclesiastics is one of the greatest persecutions the Church could suffer?](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/95760/1787)St. Alphonsus Liguori writes in [*Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selva* p. 112](https://archive.org/details/alphonsusworks12liguuoft/page/n117/mode/2up) [ **ref:864.9** ]:> St. Bernard said that incontinence in ecclesiastics was one of the greatest persecutions that the Church could suffer.> [🇮🇹 original, [*Selva di materie predicabili* ch. 6 "Del peccato d'incontinenza"](http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITASA0000/__P2Z8.HTM#-FDY):] > *Dice s. Bernardo che l'incontinenza degli ecclesiastici è la maggior persecuzione che oggidì patisce la chiesa.*St. Alphonsus bases his statement upon what St. Bernard wrote in [sermon 33 of his *86 Sermons on the Song of Solomon* p. 224](https://books.google.com/books?id=b1I7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA224), where he commentates on [Isaias 38:17](https://drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drl&bk=27&ch=38&l=17-#x) ("Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter"). St. Alphonsus writes this right after what you quoted:> On the words of Ezechias [ *sic* ], "Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter" (" *Ecce in pace amaritudo mea amarissima* ") [[Is. 38:17](https://drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drl&bk=27&ch=38&l=17-#x)], says the holy Doctor [St. Bernard],> [[Grimm's 🇬🇧 transl. of St. Alphonsus](https://archive.org/details/alphonsusworks12liguuoft/page/n117/mode/2up)'s 🇮🇹 transl. of the 🇻🇦:]> the Church has suffered much from the sword of the tyrant and from the infection of heresy, but she suffers still more from the **incontinence of the unchaste ecclesiastic** , who by his scandals drags the bowels out of his own mother.[St. Bernard's original 🇻🇦 in the 🇮🇹 original of St. Alphonsus](http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITASA0000/__P2Z8.HTM#-FDZ):> Amara prius in nece martyrum, amarior in conflictu haereticorum, amarissima in **luxuria ecclesiasticorum**. Pax est, et non est pax: pax a paganis, pax ab haereticis, et non pax a filiis; filii propriam matrem eviscerant.> [The 🇻🇦 in the [🇬🇧 transl. of St. Alphonsus](https://archive.org/details/alphonsusworks12liguuoft/page/n117/mode/2up) is a bit different:] > *Amara prius in nece Martyrum, amarior in conflictu hæreticorum, amarissima in* moribus domesticorum *. Pax est, et non est pax: pax a paganis, pax ab hæreticis, sed non profecto a filiis.*[St. Alphonsus's 🇮🇹 transl.](http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITASA0000/__P2Z8.HTM#-FDZ) is somewhat free-flowing:> La chiesa, dice, patì già grande amarezza dai tiranni che uccisero tanti martiri; maggiore amarezza patì poi dagli eretici che infettarono tanti suoi sudditi; ma la più grande amarezza e persecuzione è quella che ora patisce dagli stessi suoi figli, che sono gli **ecclesiastici disonesti** , i quali co' loro scandali cavan le viscere ad essa lor propria madre.> [[DeepL transl.](https://www.deepl.com/translator.html#it/en/La%20chiesa%2C%20dice%2C%20pat%C3%AC%20gi%C3%A0%20grande%20amarezza%20dai%20tiranni%20che%20uccisero%20tanti%20martiri%3B%20maggiore%20amarezza%20pat%C3%AC%20poi%20dagli%20eretici%20che%20infettarono%20tanti%20suoi%20sudditi%3B%20ma%20la%20pi%C3%B9%20grande%20amarezza%20e%20persecuzione%20%C3%A8%20quella%20che%20ora%20patisce%20dagli%20stessi%20suoi%20figli%2C%20che%20sono%20gli%20ecclesiastici%20disonesti%2C%20i%20quali%20co%27%20loro%20scandali%20cavan%20le%20viscere%20ad%20essa%20lor%20propria%20madre.):] > The church, he says, already suffered great bitterness from the tyrants who killed so many martyrs; greater bitterness did she then suffer from the heretics who infected so many of her subjects; but the greatest bitterness and persecution is that which she now suffers from her own children, who are the **dishonest ecclesiastics** , who with their scandals gouge out the bowels of her own mother.[Eales's 🇬🇧 transl. of St. Bernard](https://books.google.com/books?id=b1I7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA224):> It was bitter at first in the death of the martyrs; more bitter afterwards in the conflict with heretics; but most bitter of all now in **the [evil] lives of her members**. […] Peace it is, and yet it is not peace. There is peace from heathens, and from heretics; but not from her own sons.Thus it seems there are a two different MSS of St. Bernard with slight variations between them. My transl. of the un-"sanitized" MS:> Persecution was at first bitter in the slaying of the martyrs, more bitter in the conflict with heretics, and most bitter in the incontinence of ecclesiastics. There is peace, but not peace: peace from pagans, peace from heretics, and not peace from the sons who eviscerate their own mother.* * *