Bøger af Eugene Grimm

Historical Sketch of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Rules and Constitutions of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Instructions about the Religious State. Lives of two Fathers and of a Lay Brother, C.SS.R. Discourses on Calamities. Reflections useful for Bishops. Rules for Seminaries. THIS volume contains various little works which, with the exception of the Letters to be published subsequently in five volumes, complete the collection of the ascetical works. Before giving these little works, we have thought it well to add briefly an historical sketch of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer as it now exists. This volume comprises all that which in the writings of St. Alphonsus has reference to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer which he founded, regarded principally as a religious Institute. It will be particularly useful to those in the world who feel themselves called to the religious state. and who are desirous to become- fully acquainted with the Institute for the purpose of examining their vocation. We at first give the CONSTITUTIONS AND RULES OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER. Then follow the COUNSELS CONCERNING A RELIGIOUS VOCATION AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR PERSONS CALLED TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE; which the holy Founder addresses to aspirants. and to all those that wish to know and to follow the road on which divine Providence invites them to walk in order to sanctify themselves and to save their souls. This part is followed by the EXHORTATIONS TO NOVICES. To fortify them in their holy resolutions, and to warn them against the snares of the enemy of salvation. Then follow biographical sketches of two Fathers and a laybrother. whose portraits the holy Founder delineates with his own hand. and whom, it seems, he wishes to hold up as models to all the rest. Then comes a SERMON ON THE ROSARY, followed by a SERMON ON THE PASSION; NINE DISCOURSES FOR THE TIMES OF CALAMITIES; REFLECTIONS USEFUL TQ BISHOPS TO GOVERN WELL THEIR CHURCHES; AND RULES FOR SEMINARIES.

In this 250 page book, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787), bishop and Doctor of the Church, develops the celebrated text of St. Paul on the qualities of true love in 1 Cor. 13:4-8 ("Love is patient, love is kind...."). He explains in thirteen chapters the principal virtues that we ought to practice and the defects that we ought to avoid in order to render to our Lord love for love, and by doing so to attain eternal life. This book was originally published in 1768 and was described by one reviewer as "One of the masterpieces of St. Alphonsus, a book that speaks to all hearts...a very highly-prized and best-selling work." The editor has modernized the language for the benefit of the contemporary reader and has included the author's footnotes, including his scripture quotes in Latin and quotes from the saints. The book also includes an index. Also included is a poem by the editor, "Love is...": Love is patient, love is kind, All selfish ways it leaves behind. Love is never harsh or rude; It governs every changing mood (etc.) If you like this book or any other of the books I've written or edited, please leave a positive review, so that others may profit spiritually by them for the glory of God. May He bless and protect you and yours. See my other great Catholic books, and four others I've written on Amazon. Search "Darrell Wright".

THIS book, which was published in 1759, is one of the most important works of Saint Alphonsus. He himself explains what it has cost him, and the value that he sets upon it. In his preface to the" Preparation for Death," he speaks thus: "This book, though small, has cost me a great deal of labor. I regard it as of extreme utility to all sorts of persons; and I unhesitatingly assert that among all spiritual treatises, there is none, and there can be none, more necessary than that which treats on prayer as a means of obtaining eternal salvation." Saint Alphonsus gives the plan of his work: "In order, then, to attach ourselves to this great means of salvation, we must first of all consider how necessary it is to us, and how powerful it is to obtain for us all the graces that we can desire from God, if we know how to ask for them as we ought. Hence, in the first part, we will speak first of the necessity and power of prayer; and next, of the conditions necessary to make it efficacious with God. Then, in the second part, we will show that the grace of prayer is given to all; and there we will treat of the manner in which grace ordinarily operates." Saint Alphonsus begins: "ONE of the errors of Pelagian ism was the assertion that prayer is not necessary for salvation. Pelagius, the impious author of that heresy, said that man will only be damned for neglecting to know the truths necessary to be learned. How astonishing! St. Augustine said: "Pelagius discussed everything except how to pray," though, as the saint held and taught, prayer is the only means of acquiring the science of the saints; according to the text of St. James: 'If any man want wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth abundantly, and upbraideth not.' The Scriptures are clear enough in pointing out how necessary it is to pray, if we would be saved." Further on we read: "We will, as we promised, demonstrate that the grace of prayer is given to all men. But this doctrine does not please Jansenius; he goes so far as to call it an hallucination: "It is an hallucination to think that the grace of prayer is always present to a man." According to his system, he considers that without the delectation relatively victorious we cannot pray; but this delight is not granted to all men, therefore (he adds) all men have not sufficient grace and power to fulfil the commandments; for many are without even the remote grace to enable them to pray as they ought, or indeed to pray at all. "Since, therefore," he continues, "most men either do not ask for grace to enable them to fulfil the law, or do not ask for it as is necessary; and since God does not give all men the grace either to pray fervently, or even to pray at all, it is most evident that many of the faithful are without that sufficient grace, and, consequently, without that perpetual power of fulfilling the one precept (of the moment) which some theologians proclaim," Before, then, we prove our own position, we must confute his pernicious system, from which all his errors are derived; and we must show that not we, Imt that he is laboring under an hallucination."

(Prayer - Mental Prayer - The Exercises Of A Retreat - Choice OF A State Of Life, And The Vocation To The Religious State And To The Priesthood) St. Alphonsus writes: "a single bad book will be sufficient to cause the destruction of a monastery." Pope Pius XII wrote in 1947 at the beatification of Blessed Maria Goretti: "There rises to Our lips the cry of the Saviour: 'Woe to the world because of scandals!' (Matthew 18:7). Woe to those who consciously and deliberately spread corruption-in novels, newspapers, magazines, theaters, films, in a world of immodesty!" We at St. Pius X Press are calling for a crusade of good books. We want to restore 1,000 old Catholic books to the market. We ask for your assistance and prayers. This book is a photographic reprint of the original. The original has been inspected and many imperfections in the existing copy have been corrected. At Saint Pius X Press our goal is to remain faithful to the original in both photographic reproductions and in textual reproductions that are reprinted. Photographic reproductions are given a page by page inspection, whereas textual reproductions are proofread to correct any errors in reproduction.

THIS volume contains the quintessence of the science of the saints. It gives a correct idea of the spirit, of the heart, and of the talent of Saint Alphonsus: one might say that in it his whole soul is poured out. The entire work is divided into three parts. In the first, we resume, under another form, the considerations on the eternal truths or the Last Things, treated at greater length in the preceding volume. The second part traces and paves the way that leads to divine love, or to sanctity and true happiness, and inspires us at the same time with the desire, the zeal, and the courage to undertake everything to reach this end. The third part transports us to the summit of the holy mountain, or Christian perfection, shows us in detail the mysteries of the interior life, and enables us to breathe its sweetest perfume. Some persons have objected that the writings of Saint Alphonsus contain many repetitions. This is true in regard to the ascetical works; but these repetitions are not useless. There is no question here of a study, a scientific work done for the sole purpose of exercising the mind. It is a food destined to give strength to the life of the soul. Each one takes for himself every day the amount that agrees with his spiritual temperament. But let us hear what the author himself says in regard to this matter: "I entreat my readers not to grow weary if in those prayers they always find petitions for the grace of perseverance and the grace of divine love. For us, these are the two graces most necessary for the attainment of eternal salvation." He also says: "One should not find it tiresome that I repeat the texts that I have already cited several times. . . . The authors of pernicious books, who treat of obscene things, reproduce even to satiety their impure sallies in order to inflame their imprudent readers with the fire of concupiscence; and should it not be permitted to me to repeat sacred texts that are most suitable to inflame souls with divine love?" Ah, let us never grow tired of reading and meditating on what the holy bishop has had the patience to write so many times for our benefit.-ED. Includes 97 Meditations for all times of the year. 45 Pious Reflections on different points of Spirituality and Seven Treatises by a Doctor of the Church, St Alphonsus M Liguori, CSSR.

The saint himself tells us that his book is suitable not only to nuns, but also to all members of the religious state, in that which refers to the observance of the vows, regular discipline, and the perfection of their state. As for the practice of Christian virtues, the work will be found highly useful even for seculars. We add that this volume should with greater reason be serviceable to ecclesiastics, especially to those that are charged with the difficult task of directing souls in the spiritual life; they may draw therefrom lights that may not perhaps be found as clear and as sure elsewhere. CONTENTS THE APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION 6 NOTICE 7 THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE 10 CHAPTER I. - THE MERIT OF VIRGINS WHO HAVE CONSECRATED THEMSELVES TO GOD 11 1. They become like the Angels, and are the Spouses of Jesus Christ 11 2. How much more Happy are Virgins than Married Women even in this Life 13 3. Excellence of Virginity 16 CHAPTER II. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RELIGIOUS STATE 26 CHAPTER III THE RELIGIOUS SHOULD BELONG ENTIRELY TO GOD 41 CHAPTER IV. THE DESIRE OF PERFECTION 55 CHAPTER V. THE DANGER TO WHICH AN IMPERFECT RELIGIOUS, WHO IS BUT LITTLE AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER IMPERFECTIONS, EXPOSES HER SALVATION 68 CHAPTER VI. CONTINUATION OF THE SAME SUBJECT 78 CHAPTER VII. INTERIOR MORTIFICATION, OR ABNEGATION OF SELF-LOVE OBEDIENCE 89 I. Necessity of combating Self-love. Practical Rules 89 II. Detachment from Self-will 98 III The Merit of Obedience 105 IV The Obedience Due to the Superiors 110 V. The Obedience due to the Rule 118 FIRST EXCUSE 119 SECOND EXCUSE 121 THIRD EXCUSE 122 FOURTH EXCUSE 124 VI. The Four Degrees of Perfect Obedience 131 THE FIRST DEGREE 131 THE SECOND DEGREE 133 THE THIRD DEGREE 134 THE FOURTH DEGREE 136 CHAPTER VIII. EXTERIOR MORTIFICATION 142 I. Its Necessity and Advantages 142 II. The Mortification of the Eyes, and Modesty in General 150 1. MORTIFICATION OF THE EYES 150 2. MODESTY IN GENERAL 155 III. The Mortification of the Appetite 159 IV. The Mortification of the Sense of Hearing, of Smell, and of Touch 169 CHAPTER IX. RELIGIOUS POVERTY 173 I The Vow of Poverty, the Perfection of Poverty, and Community Life 173 II. The Degrees and the Practice of Perfect Poverty 182 FIRST DEGREE 182 SECOND DEGREE 183 THIRD DEGREE 188 FOURTH DEGREE 190 CHAPTER X. DETACHMENT FROM RELATIVES AND OTHER PERSONS 193 I. Detachment from Relatives 193 II. Detachment from Seculars, and even from the Sisters. 200 CHAPTER XI HOLY HUMILITY 208 The Advantages of Humility 208 II. The Humility of the Intellect or of the Judgment 214 III. Humility of the Heart or of the Will 221 IV. Continuation of the Same Subject, and especially Patience, in bearing Contempt 229 CHAPTER XII FRATERNAL CHARITY 240 The Necessity of this Virtue, and its Practice in our Thoughts and Sentiments 240 PRACTICE OF CHARITY IN OUR THOUGHTS AND SENTIMENTS 243 II. The Charity to be Practised in Words 246 III. The Charity to be Practised in Works, and towards Whom it is to be Practised 254 CHAPTER XIII. PATIENCE 263 Patience in General 263 II. Patience in Sickness, Poverty, Contempt, Persecutions, and Spiritual Desolation 273 I. PATIENCE IN SICKNESS 273 2. PATIENCE IN POVERTY 276 3. PATIENCE IN CONTEMPT AND PERSECUTIONS 278 4. PATIENCE IN SPIRITUAL DESOLATION 279 5. A FEW PRACTICAL COUNSELS 281 III. Patience in Temptations 283 CHAPTER XIV. RESIGNATION TO THE WILL OF GOD 292 I. The Merit of Resignation to the Divine Will 292 II. In what Things we Ought, in a Special Manner, to Resign Ourselves 298 CHAPTER XV. MENTAL PRAYER 306 CHAPTER XVI. SILENCE, SOLITUDE, AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD 324

St. Alphonsus writes: "a single bad book will be sufficient to cause the destruction of a monastery." Pope Pius XII wrote in 1947 at the beatification of Blessed Maria Goretti: "There rises to Our lips the cry of the Saviour: 'Woe to the world because of scandals!' (Matthew 18:7). Woe to those who consciously and deliberately spread corruption-in novels, newspapers, magazines, theaters, films, in a world of immodesty!" We at St. Pius X Press are calling for a crusade of good books. We want to restore 1,000 old Catholic books to the market. We ask for your assistance and prayers. This book is a photographic reprint of the original. The original has been inspected and some imperfections may remain. At Saint Pius X Press our goal is to remain faithful to the original in both photographic reproductions and in textual reproductions that are reprinted. Photographic reproductions are given a page by page inspection, whereas textual reproductions are proofread to correct any errors in reproduction.