Liguorian Series 1C: St. Alphonsus Liguori in Preparation for Death: How to be Happy at the Moment of Death

Liguorian Series 1C: St. Alphonsus Advice for Becoming That Repentant Sinner/Saint a.k.a. How to Get to Heaven

Hello faithful reader, 

It has been a while since we've been together to discuss the bountiful wisdom of the great Saint, Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist order of priests in the Church. To refresh your memory on what we explored, from the first volume of his Ascetic Works called Preparation for Death, I invite you to revisit Part 1A dealing with those at the state of death who are not in God's friendship and favour, and Part 1B of those who are able to die a happy death/in God's friendship and favour. 

In this part, 1C, with helpful quotes from the holy Saint, and writing in his style somewhat, we shall explore how one avoids the fate of souls as in part 1A, and end up happy on our death beds like those in Part 1B. Where to begin? ...

Keep the end in mind ...

Before one can remedy their state and end up a happy soul on their death bed, one must have a purpose, an aim in life, or shall we say in modern times, an "Endgame." Should we go by the old adage, "eat, drink, merry, for tomorrow we die," we live our lives as a series of endless pleasures, maybe throw in a family, but to what end? No living soul or deceased person has come back from eternity to tell us whether heaven or hell exists. But should we live by the adage above, then there is no point to anything we do: education, careers, family ... even pleasure and people in life are all for naught! 

Therefore, we MUST have a guiding principle in our lived to guide us before we can even journey to being like those happy souls. We must begin with the end in mind, and that applies to our life's journey! It is clear, as explored in Part 1A, that the hedonistic, sinfully obstinate souls die fearful, unhappy deaths, begging for more time on earth. They know their end. With that evidence in mind, there must be something they fear ... hell, for eternity. They may not say or think such aloud, but their emotions and physical symptoms tell the tale. 

So start with the end in mind ... the end that awaits you lest you choose the path of grievous sin! Begin with Hell in mind as such: 

"... if you do not now change your life, if you commit another mortal sin, the Lord will abandon you, and, in punishment of that sin, send you to suffer forever among that crowd of fools who are now in hell ... When the devil tempts you again to sin, remember hell, have recourse to God and to the Most Holy Virgin. The thought of hell will preserve you from hell, because it will make you have recourse to God." (Preparation for Death, p288-289)

Now, to just say that fear alone of hell will keep you astray will be foolish! Thankfully, we do have a ``testimony`` of sorts, those who HAVE decided not to be like the souls in Part 1A. Those souls in Part 1B, die happy, relieved, calm, and ready for the eternal reward ahead that awaits them. 

But how do we, become like those happy souls who have prepared for death well? Clearly, most of us aren't "blessed" with the disposition of a saint or are of the handpicked few that get in the Saint hall of fame. We become easily discouraged, thinking we aren't lucky, or have the "patience of a saint" for holy things. Also, we become even more discouraged, particularly when we observe the follies of those around us. We think of how many times our parents or grandparents strayed from the will of God, yet properly catechized about the four last things of death, judgement, Heaven, and Hell.

For those reading NOT Christian, obviously, our own mental fear of doing something bad or that we've done before, clearly isn't enough! We are but feeble and weak creatures with such a temptation and draw to sinful things that we know damage us physically and spiritually, but we do them even when we vow not too!

Thankfully, St. Alphonsus in Preparation for Death, provides us with three main tools to combat ourselves from falling back to black, and allows us to make it to the end, a happy soul upon our death beds.

The First Tool, Avoiding the Temptation/Occasion of Sin 

The first tool is quite simplistic in its understanding: Avoid occasions of sin. It goes without saying  that if you are placed in the vicinity of whatever vice you are tempted to, you won't likely be able to
withstand it. Whether that be your favorite junk food that you must down the whole container or bag for, boundless quantities of liquor that dulls the mind, or other such vices. It goes without saying, remove yourself from the situation, and don't put it in your home or invite it in. Alphonsus states the following on such avoidance: 

".... You must on your part labor hard to take away the occasions of sin, to avoid bad company, to resist temptations by recommending yourself to God as soon as you perceive them ... You must do violence to yourself: otherwise the threat of the Lord against obstinate sinners will fall upon you. You shall die in your sin." (230.)

It is even worse if the very sin you must avoid is one of the flesh and/or sexual, hence chastity must be adopted quickly to avoid such sins: 

"Whenever the devil tempts us, let us place our entire confidence in the divine assistance ... to Jesus Christ ... to the most Holy Mary. We ought to do this particularly as often as we are tempted against chastity; for this is the most terrible of all temptations and is the one by which the devil gains most victories. We have not the strength to preserve chastity; this strength must come from God ..." (314)

Should sins of the flesh be the particular vice you must dispose of, avoiding your favourite area where you "fraternize" with women and tempt them, or are tempted by them (even without intention,) might not be enough. In this, in our modern day world of the third millennium, this even includes the Internet on computers! We will explore more on that in the third necessary tool of Prayer. Yet let's go on to another key tool, one that must work in tandem with prayer, and yet would be even more vital to be covered first: The Eucharist/Pennance.

The Second Tool, The Sacraments, but Particularly the Eucharist

The next, critical tool that St Alphonsus says we must embrace to make ourselves for for heaven are the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, but particularly the sacrament of Penance, and the Holy Eucharist consecrated at Mass. We should not be surprised at these tools, as the Church’s sacraments are the most tangible and visible ways Christ expresses Himself and His salvation to us on Earth, with each one uniting us closer to His Will and Mission.

Were he not to express himself and his Will and Mission of Holy Mother Church in this way, He would be as deists describe him, or detractors of the Church and Christ, as an unattainable figure atop His holy little cloud in a far away universe we could never find him. With nothing to guide us but our wills and flawed selves, we alone would never be able to obtain salvation.

In addition, why would someone go on such a journey as life without having the tools needed to travel through this land? Our Lord is not a cruel Greek “g”od of the Theban plays who creates and leaves humans to their misery or even uses them as playthings? No, for he is a Loving Father, who like a RESPONSIBLE father in a human family, provides sustenance for His children, his adopted sons and daughters of God. The father knows of this world and what is out there, and raises his children to become sufficient to survive, but also keeps loving and caring for them all throughout their lives.

Also as a forgiving father, he knows his children will mess up, with their imperfect wills, and temptation to sin. It is but part of the human condition. He knows that His children, in being tempted, will hurt him, and thus, in the sacrament of Penance, like the Prodigal Father for his lost son, he provides the bridge of mercy, the open door, for his adopted children to come home, and start anew in living that full life once more. By this sacrament we restore the Sanctifying grace needed to live in Eternal life after death, lost by Mortal sins, but also receive forgiveness for those lesser sins, including those that weigh us down to be susceptible to mortal sins. 

Hence, we have our sacraments and the Eucharist in the Holy Mass to give us those actual graces. It is both a literal, and a powerfully spiritual food, aiding us in avoiding and resisting those slings and arrows of temptation that lead us to sin, even against our concupisent (sin-seeking) selves. St Alphonsus makes this point as follows:

“ ... the second, is, to frequent the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist ... by the sacrament of penance the soul is purified; by it, it obtains not only the remission of sins, but also help to resist temptations. The Communion is called the bread of Heaven; because as the body cannot live without earthly food, so the soul cannot live without this celestial bread...." (323) 

Finally, there is one more essential tool needed in order to place one's self on the road to Heaven, and remain in the direction of that course: Prayer.

The Third Tool, Prayer

While avoiding occasions of sin and reception of the sacraments are a great start, it is prayer that is the vital, third tool required to keep one's direction ahead to a happy death. Think of one who is attempting to undergo a change in lifestyle or habit, such as a diet/exercise plan. One might be able to remove sweets from the house, and might be starting great workouts which gives one an endorphic high, but longevity is where most commonly fail. The slugfest of life and all those around us, work or at home or in one's personal life (save perhaps, those single people) will wallop us with blows, until our minds are tired and worn, and there we relapse and go off course.

The path to eternal salvation is no different. The Devil is particularly an angry, dark and vile creature, who will be more than happy to step up and be the one to challenge your resolve. He enjoys such temptations and throwing them on end. Will he stop? No. A non-biological creature such as he needs no physical rest, and can happily continue to throw constant barriers to you.

Further, one might find the "holy" or "Catholic" life, boring, lacking energy, agitating, a "thorn" in one's side that they might consider drifting back into whatever sinful and darkened path they had abandoned, or started to abandon.

Finally, one must be WILLING to ask of the Lord Jesus/God through prayer what one needs. As always, God/Christ allows us our free will to conduct ourselves without him. It is no different from parents in a loving home (where they are responsible and not selfish, despite their flaws,) that will aid their sons and daughters if they ask them, even when said children are older adults. Nor is it different from trusted friends and/or colleagues. If you do not ask, they will not help. If you ask for help, that is when those you know can be called to act to help you. 

How necessary is prayer to keep one on the path to not falling back to where they were? Vital! St Alphonsus in P.F.D, tells us how vital a tool it is:

``.... He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray, is certainly lost. All the elect are saved by prayer; all the damned are lost by neglect of prayer, and their greatest despair is, and will be forever, caused by the conviction that they had it in their power to save their souls so easily by prayer, and that now the time of salvation is no more.`` (306)

Furthermore, not just out of the sake of avoiding Hell (though you do need prayer for this purpose,) prayer is like the gym coach at your side, enhancing the exercise in the gym that you do, and pushing you forward to ensure you make progress in your exercise. He can`t make you exercise, but he will be there to keep you persevering to the last repetition you can do. St. Alphonsus dwells upon past saints of the Church in his explanation of prayer in this way:

``.... St. Chrysostom says that, as the body without the soul is dead, so the soul is dead without prayer ... as water is necessary to prevent the decay of plants, so prayer is necessary to preserve us from perdition .... St. Augustine teaches that God gives without prayer the first graces ... but all other graces, and particularly the gift of perseverance, he gives only to those who ask them.`` (304-305) 

Now that one knows to do prayer you are likely asking, what do I do? How many prayers a day and/or times to pray? Scripture already can answer the when, as per Luke and Paul`s Epistle to the Thessalonians:

``We ought always to pray`` (Luke 23:1). ``Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times. Pray without ceasing.`` (1 Thess 5:17)

As for what specifically, the range of prayers varies from the traditional triad of: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be; there are those of the Saints throughout the ages. There are numerous, self-composed prayers of laymen, diocese in the church, on cards, books, there is even just short one-two line prayers called "Ejaculations," which are small spiritual prayers with high meaning, internal intensity, and petition from the person praying them. There is exception, however, as when the sin is of chastity, as mentioned before in the first tool of avoidance, to throw one`s self at the mercy of Jesus`Mother, Mary, for this particular category of sin.

However, it is more important to focus on the "HOW" of prayer, as that is what will make or break the prayer being efficient, rather than which specific prayers you include in your arsenal. Firstly, when one prays, it MUST be out of a spirit of humility, instead of self-interest or pride. That is NOT the same as asking for necessary help with dealing with sin. Here, St. Alphonus explains:

``.... To pray well, it is necessary, in the first place, to pray with humility. ``God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. (James 4:6) God rejects the petitions of the proud, but does not allow the humber to depart without hearing all their prayers .... This holds, even though they have been hitherto sinners.`` (307)

In other words, asking for physical things or powers such as money, cars, houses, material goods, wealth, fame, glory, power ... unless it is absolutely in HIS will for you to have them for HIS purpose for your life, these prayer will NOT be granted. However, aid to conquer your sin, get through your struggles, and keep you on the narrow path to salvation, THAT is what the Good, Good Father will grant you, for,

``... spiritual graces, such as pardon of sin, perseverance, divine love, and the like, should be asked absolutely, and with a firm confidence of obtaining them.`` (309)  

Speaking of confidence, that is the second element as to HOW one should approach prayer. One must pray with confidence, not with fear and trembling, nor with lackluster effort, or sheer doubt what you ask will be granted (if it is NOT of selfish interest, as mentioned above.) Does this Scripture passage from XX:XX not bring this concept to memory, if you have been a faithful, weekly, Mass attendee, and even "church" goer for those non-Catholics?:

``If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him!`` (Luke 11: 13)

Thirdly, one must be willing to pray not just at weekly Mass (service), or just routinely at meals as of habit, but rather ... constantly, all the time when you can, wherever you can. St. Alphonus explains this with the analogy of the homeless beggar:

`` ... the Lord wishes us to understand that we ought to imitate beggars, who do not cease to ask, to eantreat, and to knock at the gate, until the receive an alms ... final perseverance ... is a grace which is not obtained without continual prayer.`` (308-309)

This analogy is actually quite true. Where I work, there is a homeless, or less fortunate, older gentleman I must pass by on my way to public transit that I take to get home from work everyday. He is at the same location when he begs. He is a polite gentleman, who says "good day" to those who pass by, who is not aggressive in his panhandling, and even sometimes, will have conversation with those of us who stop to talk. Rarely is a day when he is not present there, but frequently he is, with ball cap in hand, dwelling on our charity. He has not disappeared permanently (yet,) and when I return to work next week, he will likely be there, in the same spot, begging once again.

THAT is exactly how we are to act with regards to prayer, though with one key difference. Christ, being the Good Lord, will not pass by you, the spiritual beggar, as most of us do without giving the beggar even our pocket change. When we pray to the Lord in earnest, he will grant those true prayer every time, albeit on HIS own time, and not always in ways we can visibly see. But in the case of perseverance, He will grant us that resolve.

CONCLUSION

Three tools to salvation. All vital. These are the three keys revealed to us by St. Alphonsus in P.F.D. which release the locks on the treasure chest that holds the pearl of great price, our eternal salvation and a happy death, towards the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity. St. Alphonsus partially summarizes this on p. 230 of P.F.D., which we revisit from earlier, but with some additions of mine for what is not included in the citation:

``... if you wish to recover from your illness, there is a remedy for you; however you must not expect a miracle of grace. You must on your part labor hard to take away the occasions of sin, to avoid bad company, to resist temptations by recommending yourself to God as soon as you perceive them: you must adopt the means of salvation by going frequently to confession, by reading a spiritual book every day, by practicing devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and continually [implore] her to obtain for you strength not to relapse into sin ...."

... especially those sins of the flesh/of a sexual nature. In addition, seek the Eucharist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass alongside Penance, which is the most powerful, strengthening sacrament against our temptations and those that the Devil and his minions will throw against you. Finally, pray unceasingly, whenever, wherever, to keep one`s strength for the long journey to conquering those sins and temptations we must battle. In doing all this, we prepare ourselves for that happy, yet eternally promising death to endless eternity in Heaven, with God, the angels and the Saints, those lost loved ones who were fortunate to be there, and most of all, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

NEXT IN THE SERIES: 1D - Miscellaneous tidbits not falling specifically under 1A to 1C.

Liguorian Series 1B: The Saints and Holy People at Death

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully after reading my 1A posting, you would have come to see that St. Alphonsus Liguori is quite holy and serious about the state of your soul, and has described in accordance with Church teaching about sin and those in a state of mortal/obstinate sin at the hour of death.

However, perhaps you are not into scare tactics, but rather, would be moved by what is the positive benefits or experience of being in a state of holiness before death, to be hopefully obtaining Salvation in Heaven.

That is, that at the moment of death ... one desires to be, and die as, a SAINT. Now, I understand, especially in this sickened world by which the Lord has "allowed" us (I mean that loosely. He never wills SIN for us, that is our choice of free will,) for greater temptations and abuses of technology, and a major loss of desire and respect for the Church and a holy life.

However, it is in his writings, that St. Alphonsus gives us an alternative to the fates that befall those who choose that life of death and sin. He does not leave us hopeless and implores of us to pursue the alternative, by showing us how they die. He presents to us a beautiful alternative.

The just individual at death ... different from those unjust souls
From reading my posting in 1A, you can tell that the souls who are "unjust" will experience a lot of pain and suffering at their moment of death, aside from medical based ailments. Much is spiritual and psychological.

A just man takes his/her death differently. Alphonsus says of just men, that "The torments which afflict sinners at death do not disturb the peace of the saints." (88). Also quoted is the Book of Wisdom, 3:1: "The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them."

Just why is a person who is just in such a state at death, this way? It is because "... the just man is not afflicted at the thought of being obliged to take leave of the goods of the earth ... he has constantly said to the Lord: Thou are the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever [Psalm 52:26]...." (88).

Now, this of course, does not mean the person will experience a painless death necessarily. Rather, they will be happy and willing to bear such pain, in light of having kept the Lord's will, and can die bearing those pains. "He who dies loving God is not disturbed by the pains of death ... he offers to God these last moments of life, and feels consoled in uniting the sacrifice of his death to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered for him on the Cross to his eternal Father." (89)

Furthermore, the "just person" at death, is filled with the greatest of hopes! ".... The greatest consolation which a soul that has loved God will experience in hearing the news of death, will arise from the thought that it will soon be delivered from the many dangers of offending God ... many troubles of conscience, and from so many temptations of the devil." (91).

[In the "style" of St. Alphonsus]
My reader, inquisitor, or curious onlooker. The world, so filled with the pains of the flesh and devil, brings upon us many a burden to our mind, body, and soul. Those who embrace what I have stated before here, shows the torment of those at death's door, having lived a lifetime of selfishness and sin. Their minds fear the impending end to come, the loss of time to correct maladies among themselves and their friends and family, and of the finite pleasures of this world they held onto so dear. Yet those who did not are at peace with themselves. They look forward to the cessation of their earthly life, peaceful and joyful on their death beds. Hope fills them in that death is just the beginning, the coin of payment to the Lord for entry to everlasting joy, for all eternity. Now is the time to pursue that future, a future of a happy death, without regret nor self-inflicted torture for time wasted and not used wisely. Now is the time to embrace the mercy of the Lord, and to repent of your ways. Seek the happy death that fills those with joy through the Lord!

The Rewards for those who die in the State of Grace, who are "just souls"
You might be asking now, "what are the rewards I will get for taking that path of a happy death, one in the state of Sanctifying Grace, and doing the Lord's will ABSOLUTELY?"

The first of the rewards, actually comes at the period of dying before the moment of death. Remember above, how those who die in the state of grace, fear not death's scythe, and are joyful about approaching it? Well, God will aid you and allow you to achieve that! You are not alone in your joy!
"... God knows well how to console his children in their last moments; and even in the midst of the pains of death he infuses into their souls certain sweetnesses, as foretastes of Paradise, which he will soon bestow upon them." (102). Do you see that? While the judgement of your soul does happen at the moment of death, even before that, you are already reaping rewards on your death bed! God is rewarding you for your loyalty to him!!! What a King of Kings, to be even rewarding you before the task is done!

St. Alphonus discusses what God will do [though the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh] to the soul in a state of grace upon the moment of death: "God bestows on it a great favour .... He who dies in the grace of God can never more offend him." (92-93). Finally!!! No more does the person have to deal with a muddled conscience of "am I doing the right thing?" or "am I pleasing the Lord?". The dying person will be relived to be lifted of that burden of thought in their mind, and the scrupulous person will be relieved of that mega-ton burden even more so!

Further, "Whosoever, then, is in the state of grace is the friend of God. He also becomes the Son of God .... Moreover, the soul in the state of grace is the spouse of God." (194-195). It is as if you are esteemed and of the most high, favoured by him! "The Lord appears never to take His eyes off the soul that loves him, nor to close his ears to its petitions. The eyes of the Lord are upon the just: and His ears unto their prayers. [Psalm 33:16]" (196).

Based on Revelations 21:4, St. Alphonsus tells us that in Heaven, "When the soul has once entered into the happy kingdom of God, ... In heaven there is no infirmity, no poverty, no distress; there are no longer the vicissitudes of days and nights, nor of cold and heat; but a perpetual day always serene, an eternal spring always delightful. There are no persecutions; no envy ... There are no fears; because the souls, being confirmed in grace, can no longer sin nor lose her God."

Also, upon entering heaven, we will experience the Beatific Vision, that is, the meeting of God face-to-face and seeing his truest form:

"During the present life, we cannot comprehend the delight of seeing and loving God face to face: but we may form some notion of it by considering that divine love is so enchanting, that, even in this life, it has sometimes raised up from the earth, not only the souls, but even the bodies of the saints .... At present there is a veil before our eyes, and God is seen only with the eyes of faith; but what will be our joy when the veil is removed, and we see God face to face? We shall then see the infinite beauty of God; his infinite greatness, his justice, his perfection, his amiableness, and his infinite love for us." 

 Finally, one's soul will be in eternal bliss, truly happy and joyful, enjoying a fantastic utopia for all eternity, never doubting the love of any one or anything, free of all evils of the finite world, and free of all ills and evils:
"... in heaven the soul is certain that it loves God, and that He loves it. It sees that it is happily lost in the love of the Lord, and that He embraces it as a beloved child, and that this love will not be dissolved for all eternity .... Then also will the soul clearly see all the graces which God has bestowed upon it in delivering it from so many temptations and so many dangers of perdition .... [it] will see that it is saved, that is in the possession of God and secure against all danger of ever losing that Sovereign Good for all eternity. The blessed then will forever enjoy that felicity which during each moment of eternity, will be always as new as the first moment of its enjoyment. The soul will always desire and always possess that joy. It shall be always satisfied, and always thirsty: forever thirsty, and always satisfied with delights: because the desire of heaven begets no pain ...the blessed are vessels filled with happiness, so that they have nothing more to desire ... the soul will be so inebriated with love that it will happily lose itself in God - that is, it will entirely forget itself, and will think only of loving, of praising, and of blessing the infinite Good which it possesses. (297-299)

Conclusion

Having red the above, readers, don't you see what treasures and joys await those who decide to take the nobler path? Such magnificent joys indeed! To think of no more sorrows, pains, and depression, it is a marvel indeed to never have pangs of hunger or wants that cannot be satisfied by anything on this earth!

When you look back at what those who are not in favour with God are, why would you want to experience Hell early, and then truly? It is like making the choice between: a $200,000 Ferrari at full price, despite being on its last years, which gives you one good ride and then suddenly dies halfway to your destination, or a reliable quality car that isn't the flashiest, yet will take you through your journeys to those you love and your true home.

So with yourself, why choose the "Ferrari" when nothing but pains, an empty wallet, and a sudden end to happiness is all you will get with being not in God's favour? One should choose the ride that, approaching the end of your life, will already fill you with peace and joy, and then the party continues on into the eternal, with no end!!! In addition, many of us have felt how our addictions and wants continue to gnaw at us, and even when satisfied, they come back, having not been.

Or how many of us have not experienced love with total assurance, whereby those around us fail us, our friends, family, our spouses, our partners, even our parents, to give us the secure love without faltering that we desire. No, not even they provide it in their human sin and fault at times. Only GOD can provide that end to all hurts and lovelessness, in the eternal. It is that which we must pursue, to be one of the ``just`` at death, so that our truest and deepest hurts can be ultimately filled with His Eternal Love in Heaven, when we are with Him forever.

END

NEXT POSTING: 1C: WHAT TO DO FOR ETERNAL SALVATION.

Liguorian Series Posting 1A: Preparation for Death: You Should Have Cared While You Could OR You Can't Take it With You

Hello Everyone,

 

My first postings, 1A to 1D, in the "Servimus Liguorian Series" will focus on the content and teachings of St. Alphonsus, via the first volume of his Ascetical Works. Volume I is called "Preparation for Death" and is self evident as to what that volume is about. 

This is the copy of the Ascetic Works that I am using:

de Liguori, A. Ed. Rev. Eugene Grimm. Preparation for Death. Volume I of The Ascetical Works. Comissioned by the Redemptorist Fathers. Reprinted in the 1970's or the 1980's by Our Blessed Lady of Victory Mission in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A. 

Should you use or read free copies on the Internet of his works, realize that the translations of the work into English can be different, or even abridged in some format, and that the numbers might not align to the page references I am using. 

In this book, one could divide the areas that St. Alphonsus focuses on into three central themes/teachings with regard to this book: 

1) What happens to those who do NOT live a holy life, when death comes to take their soul away, as well as on Sin, and what surrounds it in the life they commit to, 

2) What happens to those who have lived a holy life, and in essence, WHY one should NOT like be the person in the first topic, and 

3) What must we do to prepare for our death so that we do not fear it in the end of our lives. 

A fourth posting might also include some prayers that are deep and spiritual, from the volume, but will include a couple of other interesting facets that don't quite fit neatly into the three themes, but support them and deserve their own merit to highlight. 

 

One of the great things I've come to discover in his writings, as I've delved into this book, is that each chapter is moving, deeply probing, and pretty much makes sense to any regular person reading his material. While he doesn't overflow you with lots of theological terms and ambiguous terms, he does use descriptive language in a way to drive a point across. He does so with some variance, but many of the writings tend to tie into a main theme. True to the very style of his preaching, it is simplistic enough, for the common layperson in the pews to get a point across. Liguori also uses many other small quotes and passages from the writings of Saints in Church history, even some famous ones, as well as much scripture, again even some well known passages.

 

In the first of four parts to my posting series, I will focus on topic 1: What happens to those who aren't prepared for death, including SIN, and what surrounds that sin in the life those lost souls commit to. 

LIGUORI AND SIN

To begin with, one should examine Sin itself, before we move into what the unfortunate soul who chooses a habitual, sinful life, experiences at death.

 

Should you need a reminder from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law."¹²¹

1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."¹²² Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods,"¹²³ knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God."¹²⁴ In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.¹²⁵

Liguori, of course, strays not from the doctrine of sin presented in the Catechism. He says the following of sin:

".... In committing sin, man dares to declare himself the enemy of God, and to content dingle-handed with the Lord .... In consenting to sin, the sinner stretches out his arms against the Lord .... He raises his neck, that is, he swells with pride, and runs to insult God; he arms himself with a fat neck, that is, with ignorance; for a fat neck is the symbol of ignorance .... What an Insult! What temerity! What blindness! .... When the sinner deliberates whether he will give or refuse his consent to sin ... when he consents to sin, he declares that his passion, vanity, or pleasure is of greater value than the friendship of God. Behold the Lord covered with shame by the sinner!" (Preparation for Death, 154-156) 

There are two kinds of sin that one commits, the venial, and the mortal. While Liguori does not focus heavily on the venial sin in of itself (thought it will be tied to obstinate sinners later on,) he does expand much on Mortal Sin. Liguori does not mince words and clearly follows the line of Catholic doctrine and the CCC. When a man sins in such a profound manner (or one could say, habitually without care ...): 

".... He insults God, he dishonours him, he afflicts him .... God punishes sin with the pains of hell ; ... [Man] says to God, Lord, I will not  serve Thee. "Thou hast broken My yoke, thou has burst My bonds." (Jeremiah II:20.) .... The sinner says the same -- "Lord, I know Thee not, I will do what I please; in a word, he insults the Lord to his face, and turns his back upon Him. Mortal sin is precisely a turning away from God. (152-154)

LIGUORI AND MERCY

I must say, those prior words cut deep with fear into your heart, the fear of the Lord. But always, with justice, its companion is mercy. What do we say, on the mercy of God (Christ) to forgive sin? On that note, St. Alphonsus comments as such: 

" Dearly beloved Christian, how often have you been deaf to the calls of God? You deserved that He should call you no more; but your God has not ceased to call you, because He wishes to make peace with you, and to save you .... Oh! with what love and tenderness does God embrace the sinner that returns to Him! This love and tenderness Jesus Christ wished to give us to understand by the parable of the sheep ... "Rejoice with me; because I have found my sheep that was lost." (St. Luke XV: 5) .... This tenderness the Saviour declared more fully in the parable of the prodigal son; in which he tells us that He is the Father who, when he saw His lost son returning, runs to meet him, and before he his son utters a word, embraces and kisses him ..." (165, 168-169)

Does Liguori score once again with the Teachings of the Catholic Church? Yes he does, in the Catechism's 1864: 

1864 "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."¹³⁶ There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.¹³⁷ Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss. 

 

Clearly, our God is merciful ... to a point. Right after the chapter on God's Mercy (Consideration XVI,) Liguori brings us back to serious thought on our souls, by explaining how we can all too easily abuse Our Lord's Divine Mercy, as well as speaking "Of the Number of Sins" in Consideration XVIII. St. Alphonsus comments on the "time limit" for forgiveness of sin AND the number of sins that God can forgive as follows:

" ... O Sinner! you must tremble even on account of the sins which I have forgiven you; for if you add another, it may happen that this new sin, along with those which have been pardoned, may complete the number, and then there will be no more mercy for you; .... God waits till the measure of iniquities is filled up, and then he chastises the sinner. (183) 

  

What you say? There is a fixed number of sins that God can forgive???? So I only get X tries and then I am predestined for Hell???? Now stop right there!!! Before you accuse St. Alphonsus of being a heretic, there are a number of things to consider.

 

1. Remember, that predestination, and the LITERAL forgiveness of only X sins, betrays the Divine Mercy of Christ, and is heresy in the Church. This would be a subset of heresy under Calvanism. Were St. Alphonsus to be a practitioner of heresy, he would NOT be a saint, never mind a doctor of the Church. 
2. When a priest, up to the Pope, speaks of matters that are not 100% dogma and doctrine of the Church, it is in our spiritually best interest to interpret the action/speech in the MOST orthodox light, with exception to outright, formal heresy, and moral evil. Otherwise, what respect or trust can we give to our clergy on any matter at all? It would be utter disobedience, as some questionable groups, societies, and internet trolls or Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists, express, even today. 
3. Further, St. Alphonsus, and the establishment of the Redemptorists, were not to uphold predestination and heresy, but to COUNTER them, particularly those who expressed elements of, or were absolutely practicing the heresy of, Jansenism.
4. Finally, St. Alphonsus, when speaking about the Mercy of Christ to forgive sins, clarifies his stance on this "number" of sins himself: ".... " (189).  

 

Now, how can this be understood, in the best possible way a Catholic should? Remember that the preaching of the past could be easily claimed to be "fire and brimstone." Generally speaking, priests spoke in such a matter and were not afraid to instill, (rightly so,) the fear of hell and committing sin to place you in Hell. St. Alphonsus rightly did so, because he genuinely cared about the salvation of souls in his duty to the Church, not because he was a profound heretic.

 

As for what to make of said passages, it could be said in this manner: 

• We all have a finite existence on this Earth. We have a limited lifespan only titling X days. That number is different for everyone. 
• Death knows no boundary of age, and even children could meet their demise at an early age. Yes, a child could commit such a mortal sin to separate their souls from Christ, around and before their age of reason, particularly if their parents fail to raise their child in the teachings of the Church, willingly, or lacking resolve to deepen their faith (sloth, laziness). 
• Children might know simply, but they DO know of such sins in their innocence. Everyone, YOU are responsible for the lifelong formation of you and your children, ensuring that all of you live a Holy Life in Christ, so as not to make that fatal error of sin, or to become habitually chronic in a lifetime of sin. 
• Do so, for death comes whenever he pleases to claim one's life. Be it 5 from cancer, 12 from an accident or teen suicide, or 102 from old age.

LIGUORI AND RELUCTANT SINNERS 

Next, what does sin do to the reluctant sinner who refuses the Mercy of the Lord, pleasing themselves in wanton ways of the carnal pleasures of life? Obstinate sin, or reluctance to curb sin:

"... blinds the understanding, hardens the heart, and thus makes the sinner obstinate till death. (Chapter XXII: pp. 221 - 228).

" ... A bad habit hardens the heart. And this hardness of heart God justly permits in punishment of resisting his calls .... According to St. Augustine, ... he subtracts his graces in punishment of their ingratitude for past favours, and thus their hart becomes hard like a stone. ...." (225)

" .... instead of regretting his sins, he rejoices at them, he laughs at them, and boasts of them. ``They are glad when they have done evil.`` .... Proverbs II: 14) .... They are ... all signs of damnation." (226)  

"... would it not be the extreme of folly to play for ... to lose, all your property, with the hope of winning it back at the last game? Such is the folly of the man who continues to live in the midst of sins, and hopes at the last moment of life to repair all the evil he has done ... the habitual sinner, in the end, abandons himself to despair. such is the manner in which his life terminates." (228)

Looks like once again Liguori and the Catechism agree, or perhaps ... the Catechism is leaning on Liguori's writings?

1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin .... 

1865 Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral sense at its root. 

Allow me to add my own personal reflection to St. Liguori's, perhaps, trying as best to imitate his style, especially on that last passage. 

Our age is awash in sin and men, weaker than before, attracted to our ever aggressive world, their flesh, and the Evil one. In its wake, those holy and virtuous men are missing, with fewer alter Christi abound, and even fewer men listening to the Call of the Lord to His Holy Priesthood. Many of us in our age of social excess, expect life's amenities to be there, material and spiritual, including a confessor for Last Rites/Anointing of the Sick with viaticum. 

But I awaken thee to the truth .... there will not always be that Alter Christus available. It is ever more possible in this age of the busy, the tired, the sinful, the weak ... that even Christ's workers do not tend his vineyard. Perhaps they care not or limit their "work," or they are spread as the sole priest for multiple parishes, with too few opportunity for calls, or are too busy to attend the banquet of the King on invitation for they have "other duties." Lest you are a noble and good practicing Catholic with but one mortal sin ... the circumstances of the world are such your priest may not arrive, and your death is unpredictable or unpresident! Then you are judged, guilty of the first degree of that one mortal sin!  

And what if a priest is available, but your physical disease is one that strips you of conscience and voluntary function, such as Alzheimer's or dementia, or you experience a traumatic incident that turns you into the mentally disabled? How will you be able to remember, and/or communicate your sins to the merciful doctor, when you cannot even tell him? Alas, confession is not laboratory science, whereby despite unconsciousness, one can analyze and spiritually test the soul for abnormality, and the doctor can treat you in absentia with intravenous liquid medicine. 

The Church may be referred to as a "hospital" by modern clerics, but it is of no use if one cannot tell the doctor your symptoms, or you never visit the clinic or emergency room to begin with!  And in more cases today, there are closures of said hospitals, due to the staff shortages, with the next available hospital possibly being miles away! One's spiritual "health" then, should not be taken lightly, but with the same observance and value we place on our physical health to remain alive!

LIGUORI AND CHRONIC SINNERS AT THEIR DEATH BEDS 

Now, what becomes one whose life is of chronic sin, or has not TRUTHFULLY repented of their ways by their deathbed? We can start with St. Alphonsus' writings on the dying person's thoughts and seeking of medical remedy to buy them time:

 

"Ah! at that hour all earthly goods are viewed only with pain by those who have had an attachment for them. And this pain will serve only to increase the danger of their eternal salvation; for we see by experience, that persons attached to the world wish at death to speak only of their sickness, of the physicians to be called to attend them, and of the remedies which may restore their health. When any one speaks of their soul, they soon grow weary, and beg to be allowed repose." (44)

 

Perhaps in modern time, have you heard of people having regrets on their death bed? Yes, that regret, if not materially based/success based, is truthfully them saying, "I've sinned so much. I can't make it up to myself, X, Y, ..... etc." The person laments that they cannot at least remedy their past situations to the ones they have offended in their selfish sin. Another way of saying these regrets, are as St. Alphonsus tells us, is the is the torment of their inner souls:

"Poor sinners! They seek for happiness in their sins, but they find nothing but bitterness and self remorse .... The torture of the remorse of conscience is so great even in this life, that to free themselves from it, some have committed suicide. (pp. 214-216)

 

"He will then say, O unhappy me! I have had so many lights from God, so much time to tranquilize my conscience and have not done so .... What would it have cost me to have avoided such an occasion of sin, to have broken off such a friendship, to have frequented the tribunal of pennace ... Oh! if I had put into execution the good resolutions which I made on such an occasion; if I had continued the good works which I began at such a time, how happy should I now feel! But these things I have not done, and now there is no more time to do them ...." (80)

LIGUORI AND JUDGEMENT AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH 

As for the soul at Death, St. Alphonsus describes the fate that we meet at our death's instance. Yes people .... it's one of the four final things ... JUDGEMENT:

"... the particular judgement takes place at the very moment of death; and that on the very spot where the soul is separated from the body, it is judged by Jesus Christ, who will not send, but will come himself to judge it according to its works .... Oh! how great will be the terror of the soul the first time it sees the Redeemer, and sees his countenance full of wrath! .... The wounds of the Redeemer will console the just and terrify the wicked .... Now what answer will the sinner make to Jesus Christ? .... He will behold an angry judge above; hell opem below; on one side his own sins accusing him; on the other, the devils ready to inflict chastisement; and within, the remorse of his conscience...." (241-243)

 

And of course, our CCC does not ignore what the Church always teaches on that here: meaning that St. Alphonsus is in congruence with the Church's teaching! 

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification⁵⁹⁴ or immediately,⁵⁹⁵ -- or immediate and everlasting damnation.⁵⁹⁶

1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face:⁵⁹⁸

1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."⁶¹² Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.⁶¹³ To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." 

1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."⁶¹⁷ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs. 

1039 In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare.⁶²⁶ The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life: 

Sorry fellas, not everyone goes to heaven, and as there are good judgments, there must be bad judgments. In addition, this judgement process is perfectly in line with scripture in the Old Testament, for There will be no arguing with God (Job 40:1-2; cf. 42:3) when one is being judged about their salvation. 

LIGUORI WAS JUST LIKE TODAY ON DESCRIBING WHAT IS HELL?

So when a soul goes to hell, what is it like? Perhaps you have heard an analogy used by your parish priest of an "eternal darkness." Guess what? They aren't the first people to use it, though they might do so, in order to stray away from  making it "bad" or sounding like a fire and brimstone preacher. 

Liguori actually described Hell with this analogy,of eternal darkness, but he is darn serious about it and doesn't water it down the way modern preaching does. It is actually moving to make a person quite frightful of Hell and despairing of all hope should that be their final destination:

"What is this Hell? .... A place of torments, where all the senses and powers of the damned will have their proper torment, and where the more a person has offended God by any sense, the more he will be tortured in that sense .... The sight will be tormented with darkness ... Hell is a dungeon closed up on every side, into which a ray of the sun, or of any other light, shall never enter ..." (263)

Or perhaps an illusion of light is more your fancy? This is also another analogy that has been used in modern preaching about Hell, should you be lucky to have encountered such preaching. But this light, or this "fire" of Hell, is not radiantly happy ... no ... rather ...

" ... St. Basil says, that the Lord will separate the light from the fire, so that this fire will burn, but will not illuminate ... In that glimmering light they will see the deformity of their associates, and of the devils, who will assume horrible forms in order to increase the terrors of the damned. (263)

The way modern preaching has described it, is that the light of the Lord will be radiant to the joyful, hopeful and joyful, and purifying. To the sinner who damned themselves, it will burn even hotter than scalding water or a five-alarm fire, and be like poison to them. 

FINALE: NO ONE IS SAFE FROM DEATH

When we are at death, we all are death's property. When death come for us, our status, wealth, money, and such, DO NOT MATTER! We are all going to die. What kind of legacy, myself included, of our lives, will you leave at the moment of lifelessness? 

Will you leave yourself a legacy of "wealth," built on material and spiritual corruption in your treasury of sin? 

Should that be what is stored in the vault of your soul, it doesn't matter whether you are a corrupt politician or businessman, a cleric, a layperson affiliated with the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, or a Novus Ordo Catholic who is part of the Knights of Columbus/CWL and serves soup kitchens every winter. Christ looks past all your good deeds. His only currency: That upon your soul. 

When He finds your "treasury" do you think He will be pleased? He will discover a foul stench and horrid sight, and ye will be judged for the dark and plunging depths of Hell. 

I shall leave you with some of Liguori's words, 

"Death, in time, strips man of all the goods of the world .... The servants leave him in a grave ,,, There is no longer anyone to esteem or flatter him, no longer anyone to attend to his commands ... his flesh drops off; and behold his skeleton can no longer be distinguished from others .... In a word, when death comes, the end comes; all ends, we leave all things; and of all that we possess in this world, we bring nothing to the grave." (36) 

  

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin. 

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