SIMILIAR  SAINTS: 

ST. PAUL  OF  THE CROSS 

AND 

ST. ALPHONSUS  DE  LIGUORI 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Similiar Saints: St. Paul of the Cross and St. Alphonsus de Liguori.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Isaac Jogues and his companions, so today we’re celebrating the feast of St. Paul of the Cross who was bumped from yesterday to today - here in North America.

I’m adding  St. Alphonsus into my thoughts - because both saints are similar.

These 2 - along with St. Leonard of Port Maurice - were the 3 great preaching missionaries in the 1700’s in Europe.

I don’t know enough about St. Leonard of Port Maurice, so I’m sticking with the similarities of St. Paul of the Cross and St. Alphonsus de Liguori.

St. Paul of the Cross was born in 1694 and St. Alphonsus was born in 1696.

St. Paul of the Cross was born in Northern Italy - St. Alphonsus was born down there in Naples - in Southern Italy.

St. Paul of the Cross was the second oldest of 16 kids and St. Alphonsus the oldest of 7 kids.

Both came from families of upper middle class - with dads in charge of things. St. Paul of the Cross’ dad was  a struggling cloth merchant - and St. Alphonsus’ dad was a sea captain.

Both founded orders of men - the Passionists and the Redemptorists.

Both are connected with orders of contemplative nuns: the Passionist Sisters and the Redemptoristines.

Both stressed living a spiritual life. As in marriage,  life has its highs and lows, feeling and non-feeling moments, especially hanging in there when one’s life with God is boring or cold, dark, dry and not too lively. St. Paul had great mystical moments with God in his younger years and in his old age, but in between he had 45 years of plain 'hang in there" years with God. Alphonsus had his mystical moments - but he also had dry years - along with terrible scruples at times.

Both wrote a lot. St. Paul wrote some 10,000 letters and St. Alphonsus 101 books.

Both stressed the cross - and in many paintings of these 2 saints you’ll see them holding a crucifix.

Both stress remembering Christ on the cross. Even more - uniting our sufferings - with the sufferings of Christ. Last night, while reading about Paul of the Cross, I spotted a word I never saw before “concrucifixion.” I'm sure you’ve heard the word “concelebration”.

Alphonsus lived long - till 1787. Paul of the cross died 1775.