Tag: preparation for death preface

Posted in PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD

Thought for the Day – 25 August –Preparation for Death” Preface Part Three (Final)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 August – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

PREFACE
Part Three (Final)

Perhaps, with its cares and pleasures, the world is occu- pying too large a portion of our time and thoughts.
The “Consideration” upon its vanity (Chapter xiii.) will teach us, in the first place, to care chiefly for those things which we can carry away with us after death, to endeavour to gain eternal possessions.
In the second place, to weigh the things of time against those of eternity and to mark their lightness.
In the third place, to contrast time with eternity and so, to become “Consideration” rich toward God.”

Each “Consideration” opens three points for meditation and to each of these, is added an “Affection” and a “Prayer.”

The “Consideration” employ the mind, the “Affection” excites the heart; they awake in us those emotions by which it seeks to unite itself with God. It is that “affectus orationis” of which St Fulgentius makes mention. The affection is kindled by consideration and the consideration is supplemented by the affection; neither can afford to be separated the one from the other.
Whilst the “Consideration” sets forth death as the end of toil, the “Affection” urges the soul to anticipate it, to ask Heaven of Jesus, not that it may enjoy itself the more but that, it may love Him the more. The former bids us look at the consummation of our victory, the latter expresses such love, that it longs quickly to die, if such be the will of Jesus. Better far to die and so to be delivered from the danger of losing grace and from the fear of love ever growing cold! …

… This brief explanation of the plan upon which this book
has been written, naturally leads to some suggestions as to
its use. And, firstly, it maybe remarked, that only one “Consideration” should be read at the same time.
In many cases one point even, with its “Affections and Prayers” will afford sufficient employment both for the head and heart.

It must be remembered that the book is intended to be suggestive merely, not final or ample. It presents a skeleton which the devout reader is to clothe with flesh and blood and animate with the life of his own spirit. – It is an outline, the details of the picture being left to the reader to complete.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, PREPARATION for DEATH, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on MEDITATION, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), QUOTES on Will (Sensual or Inferior), The WILL of GOD

Thought for the Day – 24 August –Preparation for Death” Preface Part Two

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 24 August – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

PREFACE
Part Two

Regarded as a Manual of Mental Prayer, each of these, “Considerations” has a technical and special significance.
They treat of life and death, of the value of time, of the mercy of God, of the habit of sin, of the general and particular judgments, of the love of God, of the Holy Communion and of kindred subjects, equally important.

The “Consideration” as here used, implies far more, than a mere inquiry. Its equivalents, the Italian Considerazione,
and the Latin Consideration do not fully express its particular meaning in this Treatise, where it stands for a reflectional meditation. It calls into play the exercise of the memory which puts together all the circumstances of the subject under notice; it excites the imagination which represents, as in a picture, all such circumstances, bringing
~ them vividly before the mind’s eye and, lastly, it urges the will so to. fix and detain these things in the soul that, by its own effort, it may unite itself with the Will of God, so that God’s Will and the will of man, may become one.

St Thomas Aquinas defines “Consideration” to be “an act of the intellect andof the beholding the truth of a proposition,”(Sum. 22E Q liii. 4); to be, “moreover, principally related to the judgement.”
As one of the three divisions of prayer, properly so called, these Considerations must also be considered as reflections, as reasonings of the mind upon definite subjects, either for its perfect conviction of some vital truth, or for its persuasion to the formation of some holy resolution.
The chief end of all such reflection, must be the bringing the soul into communion with God but, this cannot be effected by the intellect alone. Man is not united to God through the mind only but chiefly through the heart; the “Consideration” must pass onwards into an “Affection” which forms another leading division of mental prayer, where the action of the former ends that of the latter begins.

Let us apply these “Consideration” to one or two of
the subjects which are treated of in the present Treatise.

At the first thought of Death, we are all naturally inclined to fear it but, the “Consideration” upon death (Chapter viii.) tends to remove this fear, since it brings death before us:
Firstly, as “the end of our labours” of that toil by which we are prepared for our eternal rest.
Secondly, as the “consummation of our victory” over sin and weakness; the struggle has been a sore one, the battle has been hardly fought but, it has been won at last! Thirdly, as the “gate of life” therefore, the death of the Saints is called, a birthday, a day in which they are born to that other and blessed life which can never end.
These are the three Points in the “Consideration” upon Death which disarms it of its terrors.

Again, are we sorely troubled by our struggles with self-will ? We find a “Consideration” on conformity to the Will of God (Chapter xxxiv, the “First Point” of which, indicates the connection between perfect resignation to God’s Will and perfect love towards His Person.
The “Second Point” shows that nothing comes amiss of earthly sorrow and humiliation, not even Martyrdom itself, if all things be submitted to His Divine Will.
The “Third Point” explains that peace of soul fills a heart whose every desire is in conformity to God’s Will. Let come what may, I wish for it because God Will’s it.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, PREPARATION for DEATH

Thought for the Day – 23 August – Preparation for Death by St Alphonsus de Liguori

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 23 August – Meditations with Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Bishop, Confessor, Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Today we begin that which frightens us all but which is very necessary for our salvation. Some of our fellow pilgrims have requested help on this subject and I do not think we can do much better,than calling on St Alphonsus for assistance.
“Preparation for Death” was published in English in 1869. Here we will extract and abridge slightly where necessary, always indicating any such abridgements. To mention that there are 2 versions of this great Treatise available online – one is that which we are using taken from the original publication. Be warned, however, there is another which has been published with the inclusion of an Editor’s opinions, thus no longer retaining the truth of the words of St Alphonsus.
The Book contains 34 Chapters and we begin below with an Extract from St Alphonsus’ Preface.

“Preparation for Death”
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)

PREFACE
Part One

The object of the present Treatise is expressed by a passage which is to be met with in one of the Epistles of St Fulgentius (c462 – 533), on the subject of prayer:
“Compunction of soul excites an affection for prayer; humble prayer obtains the Divine assistance.
Compunction of soul, leads it to regard its wounds but prayer, earnestly demands the medicine for its healing. And who is sufficient for these things?
For who can pray as he ought, unless the Divine Physician Himself, pours into the heart the beginning of spiritual desire.”

. It will be seen that the following Manual of Devotion
consists of a series of chapters or instructions, upon important points of Christian teaching which are called “Considerations”
These Considerations are written for the purpose of pricking or of wounding the conscience, it maybe in many points, that so, it may, be thoroughly aroused and awakened, of exciting, that is, compunction of the soul, real remorse of conscience for past, as well as, for present coldness and dryness. It must be a very hard heart, indeed, which is not moved by these “Considerations” so touchingly simple are they, so plain and so wholly true.
They deal with such doctrines and facts, as have an universal application which admit of no dispute and which are always confirmed by some passage from Holy Scripture. It must be allowed, on all hands that it is necessary for the soul to be aroused, to feel its own needs, to regard its own wounds that so it may be directed to a source whence these needscan be supplied and these wounds be healed.

One great aim of this Treatise, is to arouse, as well as to direct the mind, to lead it to consider its own wants and to see, by prayer, to have those wants supplied.
The book is essentially a guide to prayer.
It represents, from its beginning to its end, the continual outpouring of heart before God –an outpouring which is ofttimes expressed in the very same words which imply, at the same time, a new phase of thought.