Salty Life of Saint Alphonsus: Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Romans 8:1-4; Psalm 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Matthew 5:13-19)

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was born on September 27, 1696.  Both of his parents were very faithful and pious, ensuring he grew up to be the same.  In fact, Saint Alphonsus would attend an annual retreat with his father at a nearby religious house.

In 1715, at the age of 19, Saint Alphonsus began his career as a lawyer in the courts.  Over the course of eight years, it is said that he never lost a case, and (by the age of 27) had become the leader among his peers.

Everything was about to change in 1723.  He agreed to be lead counsel in a case between the Grand Duke of Tuscany and a Neapolitan nobleman over a property dispute valued at $500,000.  (That would be about $38 million dollars in today’s value.)  

The opening statement of Saint Alphonsus was nothing short of brilliant and was delivered with a tone of victorious presumption.

However, there was a key piece of evidence that he was unaware of.  The opposing council dismissingly announced, “Your arguments are wasted breath. You have overlooked a document which destroys your whole case.”

Long story short, Saint Alphonsus was thunderstruck by revelation.  He lost the case and was inconsolable by neither his peers nor the judge.  He declared, “World, I know you now. Courts, you shall never see me more.”

Later that year, he entered into formation for the religious life.  He was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726.

Among the various characteristics of his priesthood, we see in Saint Alphonsus a great confessor, a great moral theologian, and great devotee to our Lady and the Eucharist.

The line to his confessional was always extraordinarily long, often filled with hardened sinners repenting and returning to a life of grace.

As a moral theologian, he wrote extensively about prayer, spiritual direction, and the love of Jesus Christ, emphasizing a personal and affective spirituality.  Among his great works include “The School of Christian Perfection”, “Glories of Mary”, and “Visits to the Blessed Sacrament”.

In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists.  This order still exists today, serving the poor and most spiritually abandoned.

At the age of 66, he was appointed a bishop.  At once, he began to reform his diocese.  

In the meantime, Saint Alphonsus suffered from great rheumatoid pain.  By the age of 71, his neck was so severely bent that it caused a sore on his chest.  It was so severe, the he could not even celebrate Mass.  That is why much artwork we see of him depicts his bent neck.

Saint Alphonsus died in the night between July 31 and August 1, 1787, two months before his ninety-first birthday. He was canonized in 1871, and proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church.  He is considered the patron saint of moral theologians, confessors, and those who suffer from arthritis.

In the life of Saint Alphonsus, we see what can happen when we live our life in the sacramental worldview of the Church, or as Saint Paul put it in our reading today, when we live the law of the spirit of life in Jesus Christ.   

And so, like Saint Alphonsus, we too can be the salt of the earth, allowing the world to glorify our Heavenly Father through our good works to reach out to those that are victims of the culture of death and walk with them into the spirit of life.

Thanks be to God!

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