Sermons and Devotions of St. Alphonsus De Liguori


The Litany of St. Alphonsus      Stations of the Cross      Clock of the Passion     

Time is No More      They that Live in Sin      The Sinner Seeks God     

The Sinner at Death      Abuse of Divine Mercy




Maxims for the Direction of a Soul
that Desires to Obtain Perfection in the Love of Jesus Christ

from The Mysteries of the Faith--The Incarnation Vol. IV
by St. Alphonsus de Liguori


1. To desire ardently to increase in the love of Jesus Christ.

2. Often to make acts of love towards Jesus Christ. Immediately on waking, and before going to sleep, to make an act of love, seeking always to unite your own will to the will of Jesus Christ.

3. Often to meditate on his Passion.

4. Always to ask Jesus Christ for his love.

5. To communicate often, and many times in the day to make spiritual Communions.

6. Often to visit the Most Holy Sacrament.

7. Every morning to receive from the hands of Jesus Christ himself your own cross.

8. To desire Paradise and death, in order to be able to love Jesus Christ perfectly and for all eternity.

9. Often to speak of the love of Jesus Christ.

10. To accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus Christ.

11. To rejoice in the happiness of God.

12. To do that which is most pleasing to Jesus Christ, and not to refuse him anything that is agreeable to him.

13. To desire and to endeavor that all should love Jesus Christ.

14. To pray always for sinners and for the souls in purgatory.

15. To drive from your heart every affection that does not belong to Jesus Christ.

16. Always to have recourse to the most holy Mary, that she may obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ.

17. To honor Mary in order to please Jesus Christ.

18. To seek to please Jesus Christ in all your actions.

19. To offer yourself to Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for his love.

20 To be always determined to die rather than commit a willful venial sin.

21. To suffer crosses patiently, saying, "Thus it pleases Jesus Christ."

22. To renounce your own pleasures for the love of Jesus Christ.

23. To pray as much as possible.

24. To practice all the mortifications that obedience permits.

25. To do all your spiritual exercises as if it were for the last time.

26. To persevere in good works in the time of aridity.

27. Not to do nor yet to leave undone anything through human respect.

28. Not to complain in sickness.

29. To love solitude, to be able to converse alone with Jesus Christ.

30. To drive away melancholy.

37. Often to recommend yourself to those persons who love Jesus Christ.

32. In temptation, to have recourse to Jesus crucified, and to Mary in her sorrows.

33. To trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus Christ.

34. After committing a fault, not to be discouraged, but to repent and resolve to amend.

35. To do good to those who do evil.

36. To speak well of all, and to excuse the intention when you cannot defend the action.

37. To help your neighbor as much as you can.

38. Neither to say nor to do anything that might vex him. And if you have been wanting in charity, to ask his pardon and speak kindly to him.

39. Always to speak with mildness and in a low tone.

40. To offer to Jesus Christ all the contempt and persecution that you meet with.

41. To look upon [religious] Superiors as the representatives of Jesus Christ.

42. To obey without answering and without repugnance, and not to seek your own satisfaction in anything.

43. To like the lowest employments.

44. To like the poorest things.

45. Not to speak either good or evil of yourself.

46. To humble yourself even towards inferiors.

47. Not to excuse yourself when you are reproved.

48. Not to defend yourself when found fault with.

49. To be silent when you are disquieted.

50. Always to renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, "My Jesus, I desire to be all Yours, and You must be all mine."








Acts that the Christian Should Perform Every Day
from The Mysteries of the Faith: The Incarnation Vol. IV
by St. Alphonsus de Liguori



On Rising, after having made the Sign of the Cross

My God! I adore You, I love You with my whole heart. I thank You for all Your benefits, especially for having preserved me during the past night. I offer You all my actions and sufferings of this day, in union with the actions of Jesus and Mary; and I make the intention of gaining all the indulgences that I can gain. I purpose, O Lord! to avoid offending You this day, especially.

It is good to make a resolution, particularly about
the fault into which we fall the most often.

I beg You, for the love of Jesus, to grant me the grace of perseverance. I resolve to conform myself to Your holy will, and particularly in those things that are contrary to my inclination, saying always, O Lord! Your will be done. My Jesus, keep Your hand over me this day! Most Holy Virgin Mary, take me beneath your mantle. And do You, O Eternal Father, help me for the love of Jesus and Mary! O my angel guardian and my holy patron saints, assist me.

Say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Creed; three Hail Marys:
in honor of the purity of Mary.



At the Beginning of Work or Study

O Lord! I offer You this work.



Before Meals

O my God! bless this food and me, that I may commit no fault about it, and may all be for Your glory.



After Meals

I thank You, Lord, for having done good to one who was Your enemy.



When the Clock strikes

My Jesus, I love You; never permit me to offend You again, and let me never be separated from You.



In adverse circumstances

O Lord since You have so willed it, I will it also.



In Time of Temptation

Frequent invocation of the holy names of Jesus and Mary.



When conscious or doubtful of having sinned, say at once:

O my God! I repent of having offended You. O Infinite goodness!
I will do so no more.



And if you should sin grievously, go to confession as soon as possible. Before going to rest in the evening thank God for all the favors you have received then make an examination of conscience. Afterwards make the Christian acts in the following manner:




Act of Faith

O my God, who art infallible truth, because You have revealed it to Your Church, I believe all that she proposes to my belief I believe that You art my God, the Creator of all things; that You do reward the just with an eternal paradise, and do punish the wicked in hell for all eternity. I believe that You art one in essence, and three in persons, namely, Father, Son, And Holy Ghost. I believe in the Incarnation and death of Jesus Christ. I believe, in fine, all that the Holy Church believes. I thank You for having made me a Christian; and I protest that I will live and die in this holy faith.




Act of Hope

O my God, confiding in Your promises, because You art powerful, faithful, and merciful, I hope through the merits of Jesus Christ to obtain pardon of my sins, final perseverance, and the glory of paradise.




Act of Love and Contrition

O my God, because You art infinite good ness, worthy of infinite love, I love You with all my heart above all things; and for the love of You I love my neighbor also. I repent with all my heart, and am sorry above all things for all my sins, because by them I have offended Your infinite goodness. I resolve, by the help of Your grace, which I beseech You to grant me now and always, rather to die than ever to offend You again. I purpose, also, to receive the holy Sacraments during my life, and at the hour of my death.




Other Acts

I adore You, my God, I humble myself in the abyss of my nothingness to the will of Your infinite majesty.

I firmly believe all that You have deigned to make known to me by means of Your holy Church; and I am ready to give my life a thousand times for this faith.

I place all my hope in You. Whatever good I may have, either in this life or in the next, I hope for from You, through the merits of Jesus Christ.

I love You, Infinite Goodness, with all the affection of my heart and of my soul, because You do merit all my love. I unite my imperfect love to that which all the saints, most holy Mary, and Jesus Christ bear to You. Because You art the supreme good, I am sorry and repent of all my sins, detesting them as much as possible above every other evil. I resolve for the future rather to die than to consent to anything that may give You the slightest displeasure.

I offer You now and forever my body, my soul, and all my senses and faculties. Do with me, Lord, and with all that belongs to me, what You please. Give me Your love and final perseverance, and grant that in all temptations I may always have recourse to You.

I resolve to employ myself entirely in those things which are pleasing to You, being ready to suffer any pain and labor in order to please You.

I desire that all should serve and love You. I recommend to You all the souls in purgatory, as also all sinners; enlighten and strengthen these unhappy [people], that they may know and love You. I rejoice exceedingly that Your happiness is infinite, and will never have an end.

I thank You for all the benefits that You have bestowed upon mankind, but especially upon me, who has been more ungrateful than others.

My beloved Jesus, I take refuge within Your sacred wounds: do You there defend me from all temptations, till You shall grant me to see You and love You eternally in paradise.