St. Alphonsus Liguori on External and Internal Mortification

 "St. Alphonsus Liguori," St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, Brandon, Manitoba

In this penitential season of Advent, when we submit ourselves to external and internal mortification in preparation for Christmas, it is well to consider the following advice on mortifications from St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church: 

". . . [T]he director should be very sparing in allowing [external] mortifications to those who are only just entering upon the spiritual life, and who desire to practice bodily mortifications; let him exhort them to practice rather interior mortification, by bearing patiently with insults and contradictions, by obedience to Superiors, by bridling the curiosity to see, to hear, and the like; and let him tell them, that when they have acquired the good habit of practicing these interior mortifications, they will then be sufficiently perfect to proceed to the external ones.  For the rest, it is a serious error to say, as some say, that external mortifications are of little or no use.  Without doubt, interior mortification is most requisite for perfection; but it does not follow from this that external mortifications are unnecessary.  St. Vincent de Paul declared that the person who does not practice external mortifications will be neither mortified interiorly nor exteriorly.  And St. John of the Cross declared that the director who despised external mortifications was unworthy of confidence, even though he should work miracles."

St. Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us.

Means for surmounting obstacles to Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Since June is specially dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus we will be paying particular attention to this devotion throughout the month.

In "The Devotion to the Sacred Heart," by Fr. John Croiset, SJ, which was commissioned by Our Lord Himself, through St. Margaret Mary, Fr. Croiset tells us that the obstacles to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be reduced to four: "great tepidity in the service of God, self-love, secret pride, and certain passions which people have not taken care to mortify from the beginning of their conversion."

According to Fr. Croiset, there are two principal means of overcoming these obstacles.  The first is true mortification.  Of mortification, Fr. Croiset writes:

"Mortification is a necessary disposition for the true love of Jesus Christ; this was the  first lesson that Jesus Christ Himself gave those who wished to be His disciples; without mortification no one can expect to be a true follower of Him.  "If any man," says He, "will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Lk. 9:23).  And again He says: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife and children, and brethren, and sister, h, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Lk. 14:26)  Accordingly, all the saints had this distinguishing mark of perfect mortification.  When people praised the virtue of anyone in the presence of St. Ignatius, he would ask:  "Is that person truly mortified?"  By that he wished to intimate that true mortification is inseparable from true piety, not only because virtue cannot exist long without general and constant mortification, but also because without mortification there can be no true virtue."