August 2, 2021
Thought
for the Day
“If
you cry “Forward,” you must make plain
in what direction to go.”
Anton Chekov
Monday, August 2, 2021
Sunday, August 1, 2021
SAN ALFONSO
An inner voice said to him 2 times: “Leave the world and give yourself to me.”
Like we heard from John McGowan yesterday, Alphonsus like St. Ignatius went to a church – put his sword on an altar decided to become a priest.
He studied theology at home and was ordained a priest at the age of 30.
He spent 2 years preaching all through the kingdom of Naples.
Someone said of him, “It’s a pleasure to hear your sermons. You forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.”
He was neither strict nor pompous.
He worked out of his home – but at 33 he left home and became chaplain at a college that trained missionaries for China.
He met a bishop named Thomas Falcoia – who pushed him towards starting a new group of priests for preaching around Naples. This bishop also asked him to check out by giving a retreat to a nun who was starting a new order of nuns. He did and they seemed legitimate. In 1731 they became the Redemptoristines – with a different name at first. They wore red and blue habits. They were contemplatives.
In 1732 Alphonsus began the Redemptorists – called at first the
Congregation of the Savior. In 1749 – when we finally got approval by Rome – we
got the name Redemptorists – because there already was a group called the
Congregation of Our Savior.
Alphonsus was preaching all over the Kingdom of Naples – especially in small towns. There were a lot of priests at the time – but they liked Naples - the big town. So his group went to the forgotten – the neglected – the poor.Since Alphonsus and his group became so successful – he was criticized.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus wrote a lot of books – 111 in his lifetime.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus and his congregation grew – even though there were dropouts.
Alphonsus put out a Moral Theology textbook – which began as
notes on the work of a Jesuit with the name of Busenbaum. Alphonsus stressed
God’s mercy.
Alphonsus steered a middle
course between the rigorism of a theology called Jansenism and big time laxity.
As a result of staying in the middle –
he was criticized from both the right and the left.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus did music, painting and lots and lots of preaching.
In the meanwhile Alphonsus became a bishop – of a small diocese in Italy called St. Agatha of the Goths.
After retiring from being a bishop, Alphonsus came back to the Redemptorists.
In time he got serious arthritis and needed a wheel chair – as you see him in the statue out on the lawn between the conference room and the dining room.
In time a guy named Clement Hofbauer came down from Vienna, Austria – became a Redemptorist and was sent back to Vienna – to start our group up there on the other side of the Alps.
We started in Naples in 1732. By 1832 – some of those Redemptorists from Austria were sent to the United States.
We reached 9,000 plus – but we’ve shrunk a little to around 5000 at the present time.
I joined the Redemptorists to go to Brazil – but never got that assignment.
We are all around the world – pushing the ideas and ideals, the vision and vocation, of St. Alphonsus. “Forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.
A key book that Alphonsus wrote was: The practice of the Love of Jesus Christ. He said: “Sanctity – the whole of it can be summed up in the practice of the love of Jesus Christ”– which we hope everyone who comes here to San Alfonso Retreat House – hears and gets – and brings home Christ to our world. Amen.
Saturday, July 31, 2021
July 31, 2021
July 31, 2020
the World Series. Sometimes the
Dodgers are the underdogs.
Dodgers winning 4 out of 5 games:
5-4, 6-0 – 2-1 [Athletics], 4-3, 6-2.
comes out of the dugout to hit with
2 outs in the 9th and hits the winning home run.
season – but not that night – when he gave up
that 1st game of the World Series walk off Home Run.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2020
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