Preparation For Death (The Aesthetical Works) (Volume 1)

Volume 01 of 22 in the Aesthetical Works of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, first published in 1843. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation. He was canonized in 1839 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871. In this first volume of his "Aesthetical Works", Ligouri reminds the reader that "There is nothing more precious than time; but there is nothing less esteemed and more despised by men of the world." With references from every corner of Christendom, including Sacred Scripture, the saints, and the Holy Fathers, this powerful book is ideal for personal reflection. The saint writes to alert the reader to the very real fact of their own mortality, recommends them to repentance, prayer, and fasting, and to remind them that no single person is guaranteed tomorrow. He quotes St. Bernadine of Sienna in saying, "Behold, I have so many kingdoms and palaces in this world; but if I die this night, I know not what apartment shall be assigned to me." Reproduced from older English edition, this non-facsimile 2013 edition has been faithfully edited (with 468 footnotes) to provide a clean and trim appearance of the original text and to continue the proliferation of a great spiritual work.