THE WAY OF SALVATION AND OF PERFECTION (MEDITATIONS, PIOUS REFLECTIONS, SPIRITUAL TREATISES) BY ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. Bishop of Saint Agatha, and Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN.- EDITED BY REV. EUGENE GRIMM, PRIEST OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER. SECOND EDITION. Benziger Brothers, New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Printers to the Holy Apostolic See. R. WASHBOURNE, 18 PATERNOSTER Row, LONDON. M. H. GILL& SON, UPPER O’CONNELL STREET, DUBLIN. APPROBATION..............................................................................................................................................................................................4 NOTICE. ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................4 PART I. - Meditations suitable for all times in the year *.........................................................................................................................5 MEDITATION I. - Eternal Salvation............................................................................................................................................................5 MEDITATION II. - Sin as it Dishonours God. ...........................................................................................................................................5 MEDITATION III. - The Patience of God in waiting for Sinners............................................................................................................6 MEDITATION IV. - The Certainty of Death. .............................................................................................................................................7 MEDITATION V. - The Loss of all Things in Death.................................................................................................................................7 MEDITATION VI. - The Great Thought of Eternity.................................................................................................................................8 MEDITATION VII. - The Death of Jesus Christ. .......................................................................................................................................9 MEDITATION VIII. - The Abuse of God’s Mercy.....................................................................................................................................9 MEDITATION IX. - The Emptiness and Shortness of Human Life. ....................................................................................................10 MEDITATION X. - The Contempt with which the Sinner treats God.................................................................................................11 MEDITATION XI. - The Pain of Loss........................................................................................................................................................12 MEDITATION XII. - The Particular Judgment........................................................................................................................................13 MEDITATION XIII. - Preparation for the Particular Judgments..........................................................................................................13 MEDITATION XIV. - The Suffering of Souls in Hell in their Mental Faculties. ................................................................................14 MEDITATION XV. - Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. .................................................................................................................15 MEDITATION XVI. - Jesus suffering for our Sins. .................................................................................................................................15 MEDITATION XVII. - The One Thing Necessary...................................................................................................................................16 MEDITATION XVIII. - The Sinner’s Disobedience to God. ..................................................................................................................17 MEDITATION XIX. - The Merciful Chastisements of God. .................................................................................................................17 MEDITATION XX. - The Patience of God with Sinners. .......................................................................................................................18 MEDITATION XXI. - Death, the Passage to Eternity. ............................................................................................................................19 MEDITATION XXII. - The Reformation of our Lives before Death,....................................................................................................20 MEDITATION XXIII. - The Lamb of God Sacrificed for our Sins. .......................................................................................................20 MEDITATION XXIV. - The Value of Time...............................................................................................................................................21 MEDITATION XXV. - The Terrors of the Dying Man at the Thought of Approaching Judgment................................................22 MEDITATION XXVI. - The Fire of Hell....................................................................................................................................................23 MEDITATION XXVII. - The Vanity of all Worldly Things. ................................................................................................................23 MEDITATION XXVIII. - The Number of our Sins..................................................................................................................................24 MEDITATION XXIX. - The Folly of Living as Enemies of God............................................................................................................25 MEDITATION XXX. - The Sacred Wounds of Jesus...............................................................................................................................25 MEDITATION XXXI. - The Great Affair of Salvation. ...........................................................................................................................26 MEDITATION XXXII - The Frequent Thought of Death.......................................................................................................................27 MEDITATION XXXIII. - The Turning away from God by Sin. ...........................................................................................................27 MEDITATION XXXIV. - The Mercy of God in Calling Sinners to Repentance. ................................................................................28 MEDITATION XXXV. - The Soul’s Appearance at the Tribunal of God. ..........................................................................................29 MEDITATION XXXVI. - The Unhappy Life of the Sinner.....................................................................................................................29 MEDITATION XXXVII. - The Love of Jesus Crucified. .........................................................................................................................30 MEDITATION XXXVIII. - The Will of God to Save All. ........................................................................................................................31 MEDITATION XXXIX. - The Near Approach of Death. ........................................................................................................................31 MEDITATION XL. - God Abandons the Sinner in his Sins...................................................................................................................32 MEDITATION XLI. - The Examination at the Particular Judgment....................................................................................................33 MEDITATION XLII. - The Journey to Eternity........................................................................................................................................33 MEDITATION XLIII. - Jesus, the Man of Sorrows..................................................................................................................................34 MEDITATION XLIV. - The Folly of Neglecting Salvation. ...................................................................................................................34 MEDITATION XLV. - The Moment of Death..........................................................................................................................................35 MEDITATION XLVI. - The Desire of God to Save Sinners. ..................................................................................................................36 MEDITATION XLVII. - The Sentence of Particular Judgment. ............................................................................................................36 Page 1 of 210 MEDITATION XLVIII. - An Unprovided Death.....................................................................................................................................37 MEDITATION XLIX. - The Eternity of Hell.............................................................................................................................................38