Homily: Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori

Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori (Mt. 13:31-45) “The Gentle Doctor”

St. Alphonsus Liguori was one of the great Catholic leaders of the Counter Reformation. He lived in the 18th century. People were leaving the church and becoming Protestant because church leadership was not what it should have been. The church needed to have virtuous presbyters and Alphonsus proved to be such a leader.

He was born in Italy, and he began his life as a man who wanted to be a lawyer. He saw this as the road to success and worldly power and wealth. He was a bright student, but he felt that something was missing in his life. His life changed one day when he lost an important case. This humbled him and he took it as a sign from God that he was meant to have religious vocation.

He studied on his own and was ordained a priest. Eventually he started a religious order (the Redemptorists). He also became a bishop. But he is best known as a Moral Theologian. He wrote many works in this area. He is especially known for his writings on personal conscience.

At the time in which Alphonsus lived there were two camps in Moral Theology. The first was a rigorous one. This was influenced by Jansenism. The other camp emphasized laxity. The consensus was that if one had a moral choice God’s will was always what amounted to the harder choice. This led a lot of people to despair that that they could ever be the holy people they were called to be. It also led to scrupulosity. This is a most difficult malady. People suffered from a sense of shame.

Alphonsus Liguori’s theology stress the fact that there was a middle way between being rigorous and being tool lax. People had to discern this path and then they would follow the will of God in moral choices.

Because Alphonsus Liguori taught in this way his moral teaching was thought to be a gentler approach. He is remembered today for his pastoral approach.

1.    Does God want me always to take the more difficult path? Why do I believe what I do?

2.   How do I see conscience formation? Do I need to discern moral choices before I act?

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Dear Parishioners,

          On August 20th Fr. Luke Spannagel will be at our parish. To share his thoughts on the Eucharist. Fr. Spannagel is a priest of the diocese and is spending two years as a traveling preacher for the Eucharistic Revival. I would encourage all parishioners to attend.

          This talk will take place at 4 p.m. and will include a Holy Hour, Benediction and a social time. Please mark your calendar so you can attend.

          May Our Lady Pray for Our World this day,

          Fr. Mark