Today (August 1) the Church celebrates the feast of St. Alphonsus De Liguori
(1696-1787), Bishop Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. In 1732, he founded the
'Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer' (the Redemptorists), members of which
are now famous for their popular retreats and missions. St. Alphonsus regarded
as the "Prince of Moral Theologians" is the author of over 100 works.
We wish all the Redemptorists on the feast of their founder, and all those
having St. Alphonsus Liguori as their their patron. In a specialy way I wish to
make a mention of our member Derrick D'Costa who has steeped himself in the
knowledge of St. Alphonsus' works.
In the meantime, let us briefly medidate on this excerpt from what St. Alphonsus
considered to be one of his most important works 'Prayer: The Great Means of
Salvation and of Perfection' - Austine.
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PRAYER IS A MEANS NECESSARY TO SALVATION
by St. Alphonsus de Liguori
One of the errors of Pelagianism was the assertion that prayer is not necessary
for salvation. Pelagius, the impious author of that heresy, said that man will
only be damned for neglecting to know the truths necessary to be learned. How
astonishing! St. Augustine said: 'Pelagius discussed everything except how to
pray,' though, as the saint held and taught, prayer is the only means of
acquiring the science of the saints; according to the text of St. James: If any
man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly, and upbraides
not (James 1,5). The Scriptures are clear enough in pointing out; how necessary
it is to pray, if we would be saved. We ought always to pray, and not to faint
(Lk. 18,1). Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation (Mt. 26,41). Ask,
and it shall be given you ( Mt. 7,7 ) . The words 'we ought,' 'pray,' 'ask,'
according to the general consent of theologians, impose the precept, and denote
the necessity of prayer. Wickliffe said that these texts are to be understood,
not precisely of prayer, but only of the necessity of good works, for in his
system prayer was only well-doing; but this was his error, and was expressly
condemned by the Church. Hence Lessius wrote that it is heresy to deny that
prayer is necessary for salvation in adults; as it evidently appears from
Scripture that prayer is the means, without which we cannot obtain the help
necessary for salvation.
The reason of this is evident. Without the assistance of God's grace we can do
no good thing: Without me, you can do nothing (Jn 15,5). St. Augustine remarks
on this passage, that our Lord did not say, Without me, you can complete
nothing,' but 'without me, you can do nothing'; giving us to understand that
without grace we cannot even begin to do a good thing. Nay more, St. Paul
writes, that of ourselves we cannot even have the wish to do good. Not that we
are sufficient to think anything ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God (2
Cor. 3,5). If we cannot even think a good thing, much less can we wish it. The
same thing is taught in many other passages of Scripture: God works all in all
(1 Cor. 12, 6). I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my
judgments, and do them (Ezek. 36,27). So that, as St. Leo I says, 'Man does no
good thing, except that which God, by his grace, enables him to do,' and hence
the Council of Trent says: 'If anyone shall assert that without the previous
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and his assistance, man can believe, hope, love
or repent, as he ought, in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him
be anathema.'
The author of the Opus lmperfectum says that God has given to some animals
swiftness, to others claws, to others wings, for the preservation of their life;
but he has so formed man, that God himself is his only strength. So that man is
completely unable to provide for his own safety, since God has willed that
whatever he has, or can have, should come entirely from the assistance of his
grace.
But this grace is not given in God's ordinary Providence, except to those who
pray for it; according to the celebrated saying of Gennadius, 'We believe that
no one approaches to be saved, except at the invitation of God; that no one who
is invited works out his salvation, except by the help of God; that no one
merits this help, unless he prays.' From these two premises, on the one hand,
that we can do nothing without the assistance of grace; and on the other, that
this assistance is only given ordinarily by God to the man that prays, who does
not see that the consequence follows, that prayer is absolutely necessary to us
for salvation? And although the first graces that come to us without any
cooperation on our part, such as the call to faith or to penance, are, as St.
Augustine says, granted by God even to those who do not pray; yet the saint
considers it certain that the other graces, and specially the grace of
perseverance, are not granted except in answer to prayer: 'God gives us some
things, as the beginning of faith, even when we do not pray. Other things, such
as perseverance, he has only provided for those who pray.'
We, in a word, are merely beggars, who have nothing but what God bestows on us
as alms: But I am a beggar and poor (Ps. 39, 18 ) . The Lord, says St.
Augustine, desires and wills to pour forth his graces upon us, but will not give
them except to him who prays: 'God wishes to give, but only gives to him who
asks.' This is declared in the words, Seek, and it shall be given to you. Whence
it follows, says St. Teresa, that he who seeks not, does not receive. As
moisture is necessary for the life of plants, to prevent them from drying up,
so, says St. Chrysostom, is prayer necessary for our salvation. Or, as he says
in another place, prayer vivifies the soul, as the soul vivifies the body: 'As
the body without the soul cannot live, so the soul without prayer is dead and
emits an offensive odor.' He uses these words, because the man who omits to
recommend himself to God, at once begins to be defiled with sins. Prayer is also
called the food of the soul, because the body cannot be supported without food;
nor can the soul, says St. Augustine, be kept alive without prayer: 'As the
flesh is nourished by food, so is man supported by prayers.' All these
comparisons used by the holy Fathers are intended by them to teach the absolute
necessity of prayer for the salvation of everyone.
[Taken from 'Prayer: The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection' by by St.
Alphonsus de Liguori]
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