Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the Prince of Moral Theologians, asks, "from what source did the saints draw courage and strength to suffer torments, martyrdom, and death, if not from the sufferings of Jesus crucified?" His answer: the passion and death of Jesus Christ.
In The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, St. Alphonsus asks the most important questions Catholics can ask themselves in prayer, especially when we encounter suffering. Who can ever complain that he suffers wrongly when he considers Jesus, who was bruised for our sins? Who could love any other object besides Jesus when they see Him dying in the midst of so many sufferings and insults, in order to captivate our love? Who can refuse to obey, on account of some inconvenience, when Jesus became obedient unto death?
Saint Alphonsus provides profound and rich reflections, affections, discourses, and meditations on the events surrounding Our Lord's passion and death. He brings these to the everyday struggles and sufferings of even the modern reader. As Catholics, we strive to see the world the way that God sees the world. He makes real the events surrounding the ultimate event that brought about our eternal salvation. Saint Alphonsus states, "All the saints cherished a tender devotion towards Jesus Christ in his Passion; this is the only means by which they sanctified themselves." If we want to be saints, we must embrace the cross, and we can understand better what this means through the guidance and wisdom in this book.
Author Bio: St. Alphonsus Liguori was born in 1696 to Neapolitan nobility at Marianella, Italy. He became a recognizable lawyer after going through law school at the age of sixteen, but later decided to leave law in favor of giving his salvation more attention. Alphonsus joined the Oratory of St. Philip Neri as a seminarian and was ordained in 1726, when he was thirty. The homilies he gave had the special ability of converting those who had fallen away from the faith. He also founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, and authored such works as The Glories of Mary, The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, Attaining Salvation, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Preparation for Death Abridged, What Will Hell Be Like?, The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, and The Way of the Cross.
After being a bishop for over a decade, St. Alphonsus Liguori died on the first of August, 1787. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871. His feast is celebrated on August 1.
