The Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori

One of the many things I love about being Catholic are the special feast dates throughout the year, which direct our attention to specific moments in Christ's life or showcase the lives of those who served him in extraordinary fashion.

All week I've been writing about one such person, St. John Vianney, in preparation for his feast on August 4th. In addition to today's post about St. John Vianney's devotion to the Real Presence, I want to take a moment to honor the brilliant moral theologian and Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Liguori.

I quote from his writings on uniformity with God's will.

" The essence of perfection is to embrace the will of God in all things, prosperous or adverse. In prosperity, even sinners find it easy to unite themselves to the divine will; but it takes saints to unite themselves to Gos' will when things go wrong and are painful to self-love. Our conduct in such instances is the measure of our love of God. St. John of Avila used to say 'one Blessed be God in times of adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of gratitude in times of prosperity'..."

Click here to learn more about the inspiring St. Alphonsus Liguori, one of only thirty-three people to be bestowed with the title of Doctor of the Church. He saw many highs and lows in life, and did not let physical pain, disability or injustice deter him from his mission of serving others in service to the Lord.