1 August 2013
Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguouri, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
The saint never lived a really bad life, but he was far from the road to sanctity when the Lord came and interrupted his plans. Alphonsus was a lawyer, arguing a case with a great sum of money at stake, when he made a tragic and very public blunder. After giving a great speech, all his opponent needed to do was call attention to a document that Alphonsus evidently overlooked or did not understand. Case closed – and thus his legal career ended.
Yet his true life was just beginning. St. Alphonsus went on to become a great missionary, theologian, and the founder of the Redemptorists. He is a doctor of the Church, especially renowned for his moral theology. But it all began with something many would consider a cause for bleak despair.
If we face humiliations, even those apparently due to our own negligence, with prayer and faith these can become powerful tools. Let us pray that we have the grace to accept them as St. Alphonsus did.