St. Alphonsus Liguori - Preparation for Death (Abridged) (with Supplemental Reading: Confession It’s Fruitful Practice) [Illustrated]

Originally published in 1857 by Burns, Oates and Washbourne, Ltd., London, England. Reprinted in 1972 by Marian Publications, South Bend, Indiana.

Copyright 1972 Marian Publications

Copyright 1982 TAN Books.

ISBN: 978-0-89555-174-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Printed and bound in the United States of America.

TAN Books
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.TANBooks.com

1982

RESCRIPT OF HIS HOLINESS PIUS IX (Translation)

MOST HOLY FATHER,

The Bishop of Southwark in England, in representing to your Holiness how the Redemptorist Fathers have had the consolation to see an immense good result from the condescension with which your Holiness was pleased to praise the German edition of the works of St. Alphonsus, humbly begs to be authorised to bless, in the name of your Holiness, the translation already commenced, and in part published, of the pious works of St. Alphonsus in English.

In an audience with his Holiness on the 13th of November 1853, our most holy Lord, by Divine Providence, Pope Pius IX, at the request of me, the undersigned Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, was graciously pleased to grant the above petition; charging, however, the conscience of the petitioner with faithfulness in the translation.

Given at Rome, from the Palace of the Sacred Congregation, on the day and in the year as above.

Gratis, &c. &c.

A. B ARNABO , Secretary.

Contents

TO

MARY,

IMMACULATE AND EVER VIRGIN,
FULL OF GRACE, AND BLESSED ABOVE ALL THE CHILDREN OF ADAM,
THE DOVE, THE TURTLE-DOVE, THE BELOVED OF GOD
THE HONOR OF THE HUMAN RACE, THE DELIGHT OF

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY:
ABODE OF LOVE, MODEL OF HUMILITY,

MIRROR OF ALL VIRTUES:
MOTHER OF FAIR LOVE, MOTHER OF HOPE,
MOTHER OF MERCY:
ADVOCATE OF SINNERS, DEFENCE AGAINST THE DEVILS,
LIGHT OF THE BLIND, PHYSICIAN OF THE SICK:
ANCHOR OF CONFIDENCE, CITY OF REFUGE,
GATE OF PARADISE:
ARK OF LIFE, RAINBOW OF PEACE,
HAVEN OF SALVATION:
STAR OF THE SEA, AND SEA OF SWEETNESS
PEACEMAKER OF SINNERS, HOPE OF THE DESPAIRING,
HELP OF THE ABANDONED:
COMFORTER OF THE AFFLICTED, CONSOLATION OF THE DYING,
AND JOY OF THE WORLD,

HER AFFECTIONATE AND LOVING,
THOUGH VILE AND UNWORTHY SERVANT,
HUMBLY CONSECRATES THIS WORK

Preparatory Prayer

C OME, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, who didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful people by sending them the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

PREPARATION FOR DEATH

Object of the Work: Necessary to be Read

Some persons desired of me a book of considerations on the eternal truths for such souls as wish to establish them selves more firmly, and to advance in a spiritual life: others required of me a collection of subjects adapted for missions and spiritual exercises. That I might not multiply books, labor, and expense, I determined to write the present work according to the following method, that it may serve both purposes. To make it useful for meditation to those who live in the world, I have divided these considerations into three points. Each point will form a meditation; and after each point, therefore, I have added affections and prayers. I beg of the reader not to be weary, if in these prayers he always finds petitions for the grace of perseverance and the love of God, since these are the two graces most necessary for obtaining eternal salvation. The grace of divine love is that grace, says St. Francis of Sales, which contains in itself every grace, because the virtue of charity towards God brings with it all other virtues. All good things came to me together with her. ( Wis. 7:11). Whoever loves God is humble, chaste, obedient, mortified, and, in fine, possesses every virtue. St. Augustine says: Love God, and do what thou wilt; yes, because he who loves God will endeavor to avoid everything that is displeasing to Him, and will seek solely to please Him in all things.

The other grace, of perseverance, is that which enables us to obtain eternal life. St. Bernard says, that Heaven is promised to those who commence a good life; but it is given only to those who persevere. But this perseverance, according to the holy Fathers, is given only to those who ask for it. Hence St. Thomas asserts, that in order to enter Heaven, it is necessary for a man after Baptism to pray continually. And our Saviour had already said: We ought always to pray, and not to faint. ( Luke 18:1). Neglecting this, many miserable sinners, after receiving pardon, do not continue in the grace of God; they are for given, but because they omit to ask of God the grace of perseverance, especially in time of temptation, they fall again. On the other hand, although the grace of perseverance is entirely gratuitous, and cannot be merited by any good works of our own, F. Suarez nevertheless declares that it is infallibly obtained by prayer; St. Augus tine having already said that the gift of perseverance may be merited by supplication, that is, may be obtained by prayer. We will prove at length this necessity of prayer in another little work, which is already in press, and will soon be published, entitled On Prayer, as the great means, etc. a work which, although short, and consequently not expensive, has nevertheless cost me much labor, and I consider it highly useful for every sort of person: I say moreover unhesitatingly, that among all spiritual treatises there is not, nor can be, one which is more useful or more necessary than this on prayer as the means for obtaining eternal salvation.

In order that the present Considerations may be useful also to such priests as have but few books, or who have no leisure for reading, I have added texts from Scripture and passages from the holy Fathers; short indeed, but strongsuch as they ought to be for sermons. I must observe, that each Consideration, with the three points, forms a sermon. For this end I have Portrait of a Man Who has Recently Passed endeavored to collect from several authors such striking sentiments as appeared to me most calculated to touch the heart; and I have inserted various such in brief, that the reader may select those that please him, and enlarge upon them afterwards at his pleasure. May all redound to the glory of God! I entreat my readers to recommend me to Jesus Christ, whether I be dead or alive, when they shall read this book; and I promise to do the same for all those who do me this charity. Live Jesus our love, and Mary our hope.

In the vol. Christian Virtues of the present translation.Editor

CONSIDERATION I

Portrait of a Man Who has Recently Passed Into the Other World

Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.

Genesis 3:19

F IRST P OINT

Consider that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt re turn. The day will come when thou shalt die, and rot in a grave, where worms shall be thy covering. ( Isaias 14:11). The same fate awaits all, high and low, the prince and the peasant. As soon as the soul shall have left the body, with the last gasp it will go into eternity, and the body will re turn to dust. Thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall return to their dust. ( Psalms 103:29). Picture to yourself a person who has recently expired. Behold that corpse lying on the bed, the head fallen on the chest, the hair disordered and bathed in the sweat of death, the eyes sunken, the cheeks hollow, the face of an ashy hue, the tongue and the lips the colour of lead, the body cold and heavy. The beholders grow pale and tremble. How many at the sight of a deceased parent or friend have changed their life and left the world! But still more horrible is it when the body begins to decay. Twenty-four hours have not elapsed since the death of that youth, and an offensive odor is already perceptible. The windows must be opened, and incense must be burnt, and haste be made to transfer the body to the church and to bury it, that the whole house may not be infected. And if, says an author, that body has belonged to one of the great or the rich ones of the earth, it will only send forth a more intolerable stench.