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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. Aeterna Press
"The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection" is a work written by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, a prominent theologian and saint of the Catholic Church. Saint Alphonsus Liguori is known for being the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists, and for his contributions to moral and spiritual theology. In this work, Saint Alphonsus Liguori explores the means that the faithful can use to attain salvation and spiritual perfection. The work focuses on practices and devotions that are important for spiritual growth and the pursuit of holiness. These means include prayer, meditation, confession, participation in the sacraments, and devotion to the Virgin Mary. The book provides spiritual guidance and practical advice for those seeking a life of virtue and holiness. Through his work, Saint Alphonsus Liguori emphasizes the importance of living a life in accordance with Christian principles and developing a deeper relationship with God. This work is a valuable source of spiritual teachings and guidance for those who wish to grow in their faith and draw closer to God. Saint Alphonsus Liguori is one of the most influential theologians and spiritual writers in the Catholic Church, and his work remains relevant today.
Volume 03 of 22 in the Aesthetical Works of St. Alphonsus de Liguori, first published in 1886. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation. He was canonized in 1839 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871.In this third volume of his "Aesthetical Works", Liguori implores to the reader of the necessity, power, and conditions of prayer. The Doctor declares prayer to be "the most necessary defense against our enemies." With references from every corner of Christendom, including Sacred Scripture, the saints, and the Holy Fathers, this powerful book is ideal for personal reflection. The saint writes to alert the reader to the very real fact of their own mortality, recommends them to repentance, prayer, and fasting, and to remind them that our salvation will be founded on prayer. He quotes St. Thomas Aquinas in saying: "After Baptism, continual prayer is necessary to man in order to enter Heaven."Reproduced from older English editions, this non-facsimile 2014 edition has been faithfully edited (with 1,250 footnotes) to provide a clean and trim appearance of the original text and to continue the proliferation of a great spiritual work.
St. Alphonsus was born in the village of Marianella near Naples, Italy, September 27, 1696. At a tender age his pious mother inspired him with the deepest sentiments of piety. The education he received under the auspices of his father, aided by his own intellect, produced in him such results that at the early age of sixteen, he graduated in law. Shortly after, he was admitted to the Neopolitan bar. In 1723, he lost a case, and God made use of his disappointment to wean his heart from the world. In spite of all opposition he now entered the ecclesiastical state. In 1726, he was ordained a priest. He exercised the ministry at various places with great fruit, zealously laboring for his own sanctification. In 1732, God called him to found the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, with the object of laboring for the salvation of the most abandoned souls. Amid untold difficulties and innumerable trials, St. Alphonsus succeeded in establishing his Congregation, which became his glory and crown, but also his cross. The holy founder labored incessantly at the work of the missions until, about 1756, he was appointed Bishop of St. Agatha, a diocese he governed until 1775, when broken by age and infirmity, he resigned this office to retire to his convent where he died. Few saints have labored as much, either by word or by writing, as St. Alphonsus. He was a prolific and popular author, the utility of whose works will never cease. His last years were characterized by intense suffering, which he bore with resignation, adding voluntary mortifications to his other pains. His happy death occurred at Nocera de Pagani, August 1, 1787.
Introduction 7 Part I 10 The Necessity, Power and Conditions of Prayer Chapter I 10 The Necessity of Prayer Chapter II 31 The Power of Prayer Chapter III 42 The Conditions of Prayer Part II 77 Which Proves That the Grace of Prayer is Given to All and Which Treats of the Ordinary Mode in Which This Grace Operates Introduction 77 Chapter I 78 God Wishes All Men to be Saved and Therefore Christ Died to Save All Men Chapter II 97 God Commonly Gives to All the Just the Grace Necessary for the Observance of the Commandments and to All Sinners the Grace Necessary for Conversion Chapter III 115 Exposition and Confutation of Jansenius' System of "Delectation Relatively Victorius Chapter IV 145 God Gives All the Grace to Pray if They Choose, as the "Sufficient Grace" Which is Common to All Men is by Itself Enough for Prayer Devout Practices 176 Mental Prayer and Exercises of a Retreat 187 Chapter I Mental Prayer 187 Chapter II The Exercise of a Retreat 216 The Choice of a State of Life and the Vocation to the Religious State 316 Counsels Concerning a Religious Vocation 316 Considerations for Those Who are Called to the Religious State 348 Answer to a Young Man Who Asks Counsel on the Choice of a State of Life 388 Advice to a Young Person in Doubt About the State of Life She Ought to Embrace 395 Discourse to Pious Maidens 401 Vocation to the Priesthood 413 Appendix 426 Hymn 430 Introduction Necessary to be read I have published several spiritual works, on visiting the Blessed Sacrament, on the Passion of Jesus Christ, on the Glories of Mary, and, besides, a work against the Materialists and Deists, with other devout little treatises. Lately I brought out a work on the Infancy of our Saviour, entitled Novena for Christmas; and another entitled Preparation for Death, besides the one on the Eternal Maxims, most useful for meditation and for sermons, to which are added nine discourses suitable during seasons of Divine chastisements. But I do not think that I have written a more useful work than the present, in which I speak of prayer as a necessary and certain means of obtaining salvation, and all the graces that we require for that object. If it were in my power, I would distribute a copy of it to every Catholic in the world, in order to show him the absolute necessity of prayer for salvation. I say this, because, on the one hand, I see that the absolute necessity of prayer is taught throughout the Holy Scriptures, and by all the holy Fathers; while, on the other hand, I see that Christians are very careless in their practice of this great means of salvation. And, sadder still, I see that preachers take very little care to speak of it to their flocks, and confessors to their penitents; I see, moreover, that even the spiritual books now popular do not speak sufficiently of it; for there is not a thing preachers, and confessors, and spiritual books should insist upon with more warmth and energy than prayer; not but that they teach many excellent means of keeping ourselves in the grace of God, such as avoiding the occasions of sin, frequenting the sacraments, resisting temptations, hearing the Word of God, meditating on the eternal truths, and other means, all of them, I admit, most useful; but, I say, what profit is there in sermons, meditations, and all the other means pointed out by masters of the spiritual life, if we forget to pray? Since our Lord has declared that he will grant his graces to no one who does not pray. "Ask and ye shall receive." (John 16:24)
"Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church and justly revered for his efforts and achievements as a pastor and bishop, St. Alphonsus offers here one of the most powerful and accessible primers on the art of prayer ever written. The graces necessary for salvation cannot be obtained from God except by prayer, explains the legendary eighteenth-century saint and scholar. Indeed, the damned have been lost precisely through their failure to pray, and all the blessed have been saved by their perseverance in prayer. Unbeknownst to many, mental prayer is the only weapon sufficient to overcome every assault of the devil. Prayer is a port where we are safe in every storm, and a treasure that provides us with every good. It is only through the reflection and meditation of mental prayer that we come to know eternal truth, identify the hidden sins that keep us from salvation, and gain the inspiration of holy thoughts, desires, and resolutions. With St. Alphonsus's wise and holy advice, you'll learn not only how to master the art of mental prayer but also: How to becomes docile and tender to the influence of grace, Why God permits you to be assaulted by your enemies, Why the grace of salvation is not a single grace but a chain of graces linked with that of final perseverance, The key to developing confidence in your prayers, The three reasons God delays granting you perseverance, How prayer overcomes worries about being saved, How souls in Purgatory can serve as spiritual aides for you, The critical differences between mental prayer and devotional prayer, Key prayers Alphonsus himself offered and his specific recommended daily aspirations, What the ancient Church Fathers determined was the single most useful prayer exercise, The ideal place, time, duration, and posture for prayer."--Page four of cover.
Introduction 5Part I 8The Necessity, Power and Conditions of PrayerChapter I 8The Necessity of PrayerChapter II 20The Power of PrayerChapter III 27The Conditions of PrayerPart II 47Which Proves That the Grace of Prayer is Given to All and Which Treats of the Ordinary Mode in Which This Grace OperatesIntroduction 47Chapter I 48God Wishes All Men to be Saved and Therefore Christ Died to Save All MenChapter II 59God Commonly Gives to All the Just the Grace Necessary for the Observance of the Commandments and to All Sinners the Grace Necessary for ConversionChapter III 69Exposition and Confutation of Jansenius' System of "Delectation Relatively VictoriusChapter IV 87God Gives All the Grace to Pray if They Choose, as the "Sufficient Grace" Which is Common to All Men is by Itself Enough for PrayerDevout Practices 105Mental Prayer and Exercises of a Retreat 112Chapter I Mental Prayer 112 Chapter II The Exercise of a Retreat 129The Choice of a State of Life and the Vocation to the Religious State 190Counsels Concerning a Religious Vocation 190Considerations for Those Who are Called to the Religious State 209Answer to a Young Man Who Asks Counsel on the Choice of a State of Life 233Advice to a Young Person in Doubt About the State of Life She Ought to Embrace 236Discourse to Pious Maidens 240Vocation to the Priesthood 247Appendix 255Hymn 257Introduction Necessary to be read I have published several spiritual works, on visiting the Blessed Sacrament, on the Passion of Jesus Christ, on the Glories of Mary, and, besides, a work against the Materialists and Deists, with other devout little treatises. Lately I brought out a work on the Infancy of our Saviour, entitled Novena for Christmas; and another entitled Preparation for Death, besides the one on the Eternal Maxims, most useful for meditation and for sermons, to which are added nine discourses suitable during seasons of Divine chastisements. But I do not think that I have written a more useful work than the present, in which I speak of prayer as a necessary and certain means of obtaining salvation, and all the graces that we require for that object. If it were in my power, I would distribute a copy of it to every Catholic in the world, in order to show him the absolute necessity of prayer for salvation. I say this, because, on the one hand, I see that the absolute necessity of prayer is taught throughout the Holy Scriptures, and by all the holy Fathers; while, on the other hand, I see that Christians are very careless in their practice of this great means of salvation. And, sadder still, I see that preachers take very little care to speak of it to their flocks, and confessors to their penitents; I see, moreover, that even the spiritual books now popular do not speak sufficiently of it; for there is not a thing preachers, and confessors, and spiritual books should insist upon with more warmth and energy than prayer; not but that they teach many excellent means of keeping ourselves in the grace of God, such as avoiding the occasions of sin, frequenting the sacraments, resisting temptations, hearing the Word of God, meditating on the eternal truths, and other means, all of them, I admit, most useful; but, I say, what profit is there in sermons, meditations, and all the other means pointed out by masters of the spiritual life, if we forget to pray? Since our Lord has declared that he will grant his graces to no one who does not pray. "Ask and ye shall receive." (John 16:24)
Author : Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori Publisher : Page : 578 pages File Size : 26,98 MB Release : 1988 Category : Monasticism and religious orders ISBN :
Excerpt from The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection: 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 The power OF prayer I. Excellence of prayer and its power with God, 50. II. Power of prayer against temptation, 52. III. God is always ready to hear us, 56. IV. We should not limit ourselves to asking for little things. To pray is better than to meditate, 58. Conclusion of the chapter, 63. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.